The Grinding Wheel

Last updated
The Grinding Wheel
Overkill - The Grinding Wheel.jpg
Studio album by
Overkill
ReleasedFebruary 10, 2017 (2017-02-10)
Recorded2016
StudioGear Recording Studio, Shrewsbury, New Jersey
Genre Thrash metal
Length60:12
Label Nuclear Blast
Producer Overkill [1]
Overkill chronology
Historikill: 1995–2007
(2015)		The Grinding Wheel
(2017)		 The Wings of War
(2019)
Singles from The Grinding Wheel
  1. "Our Finest Hour"
    Released: November 4, 2016 [2] [3]
  2. "Mean, Green, Killing Machine"
    Released: December 21, 2016 [4]

The Grinding Wheel is the 18th studio album by American thrash metal band Overkill, released on February 10, 2017. [2] [1] It is the last Overkill album with drummer Ron Lipnicki, who left the band shortly after its release and was replaced by Jason Bittner (Shadows Fall and formerly of Flotsam and Jetsam) for the album's tour and its follow-up The Wings of War (2019). [5]

Contents

Production

Vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth said about the album's style:

"At the end of the day Overkill is Overkill. Our trademark is that we are always recognizable on every release. For the three decades we have been around we were always Overkill. So sure it is a metal record and like always it will have sort of a thrash vibe to it with some melody in it. It's always best to try to make it better or at least think in your mind that it is going to be better. That becomes the challenge. I think that is what keeps the band rolling. A lot of bands are known for what they have done, but I feel being known for where you are and what you are doing is where true value lies. I feel we accomplished that on the last few albums."

The album's title was revealed in an interview with Alternative Nation in August 2016, along with a projected release date of November. [6] It was originally planned to be released in October 2016 [7] [8] before being pushed back a month later; [9] however, the album's release date was pushed back to February 2017 to coincide with the band's US tour with Nile. [2] On November 16, 2016, it was announced that The Grinding Wheel would be released on February 10, 2017, and its artwork and track listing were revealed on the same day. [1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [10] Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg
Blabbermouth.net [11] 9.5/10
KNAC [12] 4.6/5
Rock Hard [13] 8.5/10
Terrorizer 8/10 [14]

The Grinding Wheel has received generally positive reviews from critics. Blabbermouth.net writer Ray Van Horn Jr. gave the album a rating of nine-and-a-half out of ten, and said, "If you think Overkill expended its tanks producing output with such astonishing velocity, you don't know this band very well. For its eighteenth album, The Grinding Wheel, Overkill does the unthinkable: it outdoes itself. Consider that some fans dropped off after 1991's Horrorscope , which is those poor saps' folly. For the diehard wrecking crew, The Grinding Wheel is going to be a gift to cling to throughout 2017." He finished his review, saying that the album "well surpasses the recent offerings by the Big Four, noble as most of the latter's recent offerings have been. If Destruction won the thrash sweepstakes in 2016, consider Overkill early on front runners for 2017." [11]

AllMusic writer James Christopher Monger gave the album a rating of four stars out of five, and said that it "snaps necks with impunity, but it does so with a structural inventiveness that's eluded some of Overkill's most recent offerings. While the band hasn't lost its knack for dropping unrelenting artillery blasts of breakneck, old-school thrash -- "Goddamn Trouble," "Red, White, and Blue"—there's a nervy, classic rock/NWOBHM undercurrent that runs through Grinding Wheel that owes more to Judas Priest and Accept than it does Testament and Metallica." Monger also praised the album's opening track "Mean, Green, Killing Machine" as "thrilling an opening number as the band has penned in a decade" and "Come Heavy" a "decidedly upbeat, Sabbathy doom anthem". [10]

KNAC.com contributor Alex Yarborough, who reviewed The Grinding Wheel a week before its release, gave the album a rating of four-and-a-half out of five, and wrote, "Fans will also be happy with the thrash energy on this album, while also enjoying the diversity of the songs: more references to NWOBHM, punk, and classic rock. This band is driven by Blitz’s frenetic vocal delivery and energy. Yet no political songs can be found on the album; surprising, since Blitz has some strong political views and 2016 was the most divisive year for politics in American history. Nonetheless, Overkill's middle finger remains in your face." [12]

Commercial performance

The Grinding Wheel debuted at number 69 on the Billboard 200, making it the second highest position of Overkill's career (after its predecessor, White Devil Armory , which charted at number 31). [15]

Track listing

All tracks are written by D. D. Verni and Bobby Ellsworth

No.TitleLength
1."Mean, Green, Killing Machine"7:29
2."Goddamn Trouble"6:21
3."Our Finest Hour"5:49
4."Shine On"6:03
5."The Long Road"6:45
6."Let's All Go to Hades"4:55
7."Come Heavy"4:59
8."Red, White and Blue"5:05
9."The Wheel"4:51
10."The Grinding Wheel"7:55
Total length:60:12
Bonus tracks [16] [17]
No.TitleLength
11."Emerald" (Thin Lizzy cover)3:52
12."Sanctuary" (Iron Maiden cover (Japanese bonus track))3:16
Total length:67:20

Credits

Writing, performance and production credits are adapted from the album liner notes. [18]

Personnel

Overkill

Session members

Production

Artwork and design

Studios

Charts

Chart (2017)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [19] 55
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [20] 33
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [21] 59
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [22] 79
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [23] 44
French Albums (SNEP) [24] 185
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [25] 10
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ) [26] 21
Scottish Albums (OCC) [27] 92
Swedish Hard Rock Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [28] 17
Swedish Physical Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [29] 20
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [30] 23
US Billboard 200 [15] 69
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard) [31] 2
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [32] 4
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [33] 11
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard) [34] 1

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overkill (band)</span> American thrash metal band

Overkill is an American thrash metal band, formed in 1980 in New Jersey. They have gone through many lineup changes, leaving bassist D.D. Verni and lead vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth as the only constant members. The band's current lineup includes Verni, Ellsworth, Dave Linsk on lead guitar, Derek Tailer on rhythm guitar and Jason Bittner on drums. Along with Nuclear Assault and Anthrax, whose one-time lead guitarist Dan Spitz was also an early member of Overkill, the band is one of the most successful East Coast thrash metal bands, and they are often called "the Motörhead of thrash metal", based on their unique playing style, which was influenced by punk rock and the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM). The band has a notable mascot named "Chaly" who has appeared on many of their album covers.

<i>The Years of Decay</i> 1989 studio album by Overkill

The Years of Decay is the fourth studio album by thrash metal band Overkill, released on October 13, 1989 through Atlantic and Megaforce Records. It is the last Overkill album to feature guitarist Bobby Gustafson, who either left or was fired by the band amid a feud between himself and its founding members Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth (vocalist) and D. D. Verni (bassist). The Years of Decay was also the first of two Overkill albums produced by Terry Date, who took on the same role for their follow-up album Horrorscope (1991).

<i>Horrorscope</i> (Overkill album) 1991 studio album by Overkill

Horrorscope is the fifth studio album by thrash metal band Overkill, released on September 3, 1991, through Atlantic and Megaforce Records. It was the first Overkill album to feature the duo of guitarists Merritt Gant and Rob Cannavino, and the last to be released through Megaforce, although they remained on Atlantic until 1995. Like its predecessor, The Years of Decay (1989), Horrorscope was produced by Terry Date.

<i>I Hear Black</i> 1993 studio album by Overkill

I Hear Black is the sixth studio album by American thrash metal band Overkill, released on March 9, 1993, by Atlantic Records. It was the band's first to feature drummer Tim Mallare.

<i>W.F.O.</i> (album) 1994 studio album by Overkill

W.F.O. is the seventh full-length studio album by thrash metal band Overkill, released on July 15, 1994, on Atlantic Records.

<i>Killbox 13</i> 2003 studio album by Overkill

Killbox 13 is the 12th studio album by thrash metal band Overkill, released in 2003. It is the first album with rhythm guitarist Derek Tailer. The name stems from the fact that the band considers this to be their thirteenth release because they include the Overkill EP as their first, or that they had released the covers album Coverkill, which would have been their eleventh studio album. "Well, it is the thirteenth, but it's only really the thirteenth for people who followed the band. There was an EP called Overkill back in '84...", said Bobby Ellsworth.

<i>ReliXIV</i> 2005 studio album by Overkill

ReliXIV is the 13th studio album by American thrash metal band Overkill, released in spring 2005. The reason the Roman numeral 14 is included in the title is because the band includes the Overkill EP in their lineup of studio albums, which would make this album the 14th by their chronology. It can also be because Overkill released the covers album Coverkill, which would have been their eleventh studio album. While this diction left it unclear how the title was to be pronounced, Blitz just mentioned it as "Relics" when announcing songs from the album on stage. The album produced the popular "Old School", which has been played at every Overkill show since it was first released. As of late 2007, ReliXIV sold over 16,000 copies in the U.S.

<i>Immortalis</i> (album) 2007 studio album by Overkill

Immortalis is the 14th studio album by American thrash metal band Overkill. It was released in 2007 on Bodog Records. It is a pun of "Immortal15", and was preceded by Killbox 13 and ReliXIV. The album sold over 2,800 copies in its first week of release in the U.S and as of 2009, Immortalis sold over 15,000 copies in the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overkill discography</span>

The following is the discography of Overkill, an American thrash metal band formed in 1980 in New Jersey. The band has released twenty studio albums, three live albums, two compilation albums, three EPs and one box set. They were one of the early thrash metal bands to sign to a major label, and rose to fame as part of the genre's movement of the late 1980s, along with bands such as Anthrax, Exodus, Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Testament. In terms of chart positions and sales, the band's most successful records are Under the Influence (1988), The Years of Decay (1989), I Hear Black (1993), The Electric Age (2012), and White Devil Armory (2014), which debuted at No. 142, No. 155, No. 122, No. 77, and No. 31 respectively on the Billboard 200 chart. As of 2006, Overkill has sold over 625,000 albums in the US since the beginning of the SoundScan era, and over 5 million records worldwide throughout their career.

<i>The Formation of Damnation</i> 2008 studio album by Testament

The Formation of Damnation is the tenth studio album by American thrash metal band Testament, released on April 29, 2008. It was Testament's first album since 2001's First Strike Still Deadly and their first of new material since 1999's The Gathering. It was also Testament's first release with original guitarist Alex Skolnick since 1992's The Ritual and bassist Greg Christian since 1994's Low, as well as the band's only studio album recorded with drummer Paul Bostaph, who joined Testament in 1993 but became a full-time member in 2007 before leaving the band four years later.

<i>Ironbound</i> (album) 2010 studio album by Overkill

Ironbound is the 15th full-length studio album by American thrash metal band Overkill, which was released on January 29, 2010 in Europe on Nuclear Blast and in the U.S. on February 9, 2010 on eOne Music. It was their first studio album in more than two years since the release of Immortalis in the fall of 2007, and their first release on their current label Nuclear Blast.

<i>Dark Roots of Earth</i> 2012 studio album by Testament

Dark Roots of Earth is the eleventh studio album by American thrash metal band Testament. It was released on July 27, 2012, in Europe, and four days later in North America by independent German record label Nuclear Blast Records. The album is available in three configurations, CD, CD/DVD and vinyl, with the latter two versions including four bonus tracks. The album was produced by Andy Sneap, who mixed and engineered the band's previous three studio releases, The Gathering (1999), First Strike Still Deadly (2001), and The Formation of Damnation (2008). The album artwork was created by Eliran Kantor. A music video was made for the track "Native Blood". Dark Roots of Earth entered the Billboard 200 at number 12, Testament's highest position ever.

<i>The Electric Age</i> Overkill Album

The Electric Age is the 16th studio album by the American thrash metal band Overkill, which was released on March 27, 2012 in the U.S. on eOne Music and in Europe three days later on Nuclear Blast.

<i>White Devil Armory</i> 2014 studio album by Overkill

White Devil Armory is the 17th studio album by the American thrash metal band Overkill. It was released on July 18, 2014 in Europe through Nuclear Blast and July 22 in North America through eOne Music.

<i>XI</i> (album) 2016 studio album by Metal Church

XI is the eleventh studio album by American heavy metal band Metal Church. It was released on March 25, 2016, and is the band's first album in 23 years to feature vocalist Mike Howe. XI was considered a comeback for both Metal Church and Howe since the latter's hiatus from the music industry following the band's first breakup in 1996; the album received generally positive reviews, and was their first studio album since 1989's Blessing in Disguise to enter the Billboard 200 chart, where it peaked at number 57, the band's highest chart position in their career. This is also Metal Church's final album with drummer Jeff Plate, who left the band almost exactly a year after its release.

<i>Brotherhood of the Snake</i> 2016 studio album by Testament

Brotherhood of the Snake is the twelfth studio album by American thrash metal band Testament, released on October 28, 2016. It is the band's first studio recording with bassist Steve Di Giorgio since First Strike Still Deadly (2001). Brotherhood of the Snake also marks Testament's fifth collaboration with Andy Sneap, who had mixed and engineered all of their albums since The Gathering (1999) and produced Dark Roots of Earth (2012). The album debuted at number twenty on the Billboard 200 chart, making it Testament's second-highest-charting album in the US, behind Dark Roots of Earth, which peaked at number twelve four years earlier.

<i>The Wings of War</i> 2019 studio album by Overkill

The Wings of War is the 19th studio album by American thrash metal band Overkill, released on February 22, 2019. It is the band's first album to feature drummer Jason Bittner, making it their first one without Ron Lipnicki since ReliXIV (2005), as he had left Overkill shortly after the release of its predecessor The Grinding Wheel (2017).

<i>Titans of Creation</i> 2020 studio album by Testament

Titans of Creation is the thirteenth studio album by American thrash metal band Testament, released on April 3, 2020. This album marked the first time since The Ritual (1992) that the band had recorded more than one album with the same lineup, though it would turn out to be their last to feature drummer Gene Hoglan, who left Testament for the second time in January 2022. Titans of Creation is also the band's first album to be co-produced by Juan Urteaga, who previously worked with Testament's two studio albums Dark Roots of Earth (2012) and Brotherhood of the Snake (2016).

<i>Scorched</i> (Overkill album) 2023 studio album by Overkill

Scorched is the twentieth studio album by American thrash metal band Overkill, released on April 14, 2023. It is the band's first studio album in four years, following The Wings of War (2019), the longest gap between studio albums for the band.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "OVERKILL - announce their 18th studio album, The Grinding Wheel!". Nuclear Blast. November 16, 2016. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "OVERKILL: 'The Grinding Wheel' Album Pushed Back To February; Listen To Snippet Of New Song 'Our Finest Hour'". Blabbermouth.net. September 19, 2016. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  3. ↑ "OVERKILL: Lyric Video For New Single 'Our Finest Hour'". Blabbermouth.net. October 19, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  4. ↑ "OVERKILL: Lyric Video For New Song 'Mean, Green, Killing Machine'". Blabbermouth.net. December 21, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Overkill Joined By Shadows Fall And Flotsam And Jetsam Drummer Jason Bittner". Blabbermouth.net. May 4, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Overkill Vocalist Talks Upcoming Record 'Grinding Wheel'". Alternative Nation. August 13, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  7. ↑ "OVERKILL Is Aiming To Release New Album In October 2016". Blabbermouth.net. October 28, 2015. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  8. ↑ "OVERKILL Has Eleven Songs 'Fully Demoed' For Upcoming Album". Blabbermouth.net. March 20, 2016. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  9. ↑ "OVERKILL To Release 'Grinding Wheel' Album In November". Blabbermouth.net. August 13, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  10. 1 2 James Christopher Monger (February 9, 2017). "Overkill The Grinding Wheel". AllMusic . Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  11. 1 2 Van Horn Jr., Ray (February 2017). "CD Reviews - The Grinding Wheel Overkill". Blabbermouth.net . Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  12. 1 2 Yarborough, Alex (January 30, 2017). "KNAC.COM - Reviews - OVERKILL 'The Grinding Wheel'". knac.com . Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  13. ↑ Bittner, Ronny (2017). "Review Album: Overkill -The Grinding Wheel". Rock Hard (in German). No. 357. Retrieved 2017-02-09.
  14. ↑ Glasper, Ian (March 2017). "Overkill: 'The Grinding Wheel'". Terrorizer . United Kingdom: Dark Arts (279): 70. ISSN   1350-6978.
  15. 1 2 "Overkill Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  16. ↑ "The Grinding Wheel Mailorder Edition". Nuclear Blast. November 28, 2016. Archived from the original on November 27, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  17. ↑ "The Grinding Wheel (Deluxe Edition)". iTunes . Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  18. ↑ The Grinding Wheel (booklet). Overkill. Nuclear Blast. 2017.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ↑ "ARIA CHART WATCH #408". auspOp. February 18, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  20. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Overkill – The Grinding Wheel" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Overkill – The Grinding Wheel" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Overkill – The Grinding Wheel" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  23. ↑ "Overkill: The Grinding Wheel" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Overkill – Grinding Wheel". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  25. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Overkill – The Grinding Wheel" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  26. ↑ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2017. 7. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  27. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  28. ↑ "Veckolista Hårdrock, vecka 7, 2017" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Veckolista Album Fysiskt, vecka 7, 2017" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  30. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Overkill – The Grinding Wheel". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  31. ↑ "Overkill Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  32. ↑ "Overkill Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  33. ↑ "Overkill Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
  34. ↑ "Overkill Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.