The Years of Decay | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 13, 1989 | |||
Recorded | June–July 1989 | |||
Studio | Carriage House, Stamford | |||
Genre | Thrash metal | |||
Length | 56:17 | |||
Label | Atlantic, Megaforce | |||
Producer | Overkill, Terry Date | |||
Overkill chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Years of Decay | ||||
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The Years of Decay is the fourth studio album by thrash metal band Overkill, released on October 13, 1989 through Atlantic and Megaforce Records. [2] 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). [3] [4] [5] 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).
Musically, The Years of Decay features Overkill's most progressive and diverse work compared to their previous albums. [6] Ellsworth has cited Black Sabbath as being an influence on the band writing and recording longer pieces, specifically their longest track to date "Playing with Spiders/Skullkrusher". [7] Gustafson has also acknowledged Terry Date's production of the album as an improvement from its predecessor, Under the Influence :
I don't know what happened with the tone of Under the Influence. For me, each album we kind of overdid the next one. Like the first album [ Feel the Fire ] was a little weak on guitar. It really wasn't the sound I was going for, actually my equipment blew up in the studio and I think we overdid it with Taking Over where it was too much. And then we tried to get it back in your face again with Under the Influence and it was little too dry. I mean we had Michael Wagener, and you know he did [Metallica's] Master of Puppets and can't get any better than that, but it just didn't come out right either. In comes Terry Date and he nailed it. [8]
Overkill spent nearly eight months touring in support of The Years of Decay, starting in November 1989 with a headlining U.S. trek supported by Wolfsbane and Dark Angel. The band spent the first half of 1990 touring relentlessly to support the album; it started with an East Coast tour supported by Powermad and Mordred, who also supported Overkill on the European leg of the tour. The band toured the U.S. in March and April 1990 with Vio-lence and Excel, [2] followed by three shows in Japan in May and another U.S. tour the following month. [2]
To date, all songs from The Years of Decay have been played live except "Nothing to Die For". [9] According to frontman Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth, "E.vil N.ever D.ies" is a continuation of the self-titled "Overkill" series of songs from the band's three previous albums, but was not named "Overkill IV"; [10] this would be the last song of the series until Immortalis (2007), which features the most recent part in "Overkill V... The Brand".
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Jason Anderson at AllMusic gave The Years of Decay a positive review, awarding it four stars out of five. He called it a "classic by the group's fans", and that it "is often mentioned as the pinnacle of the East Coast thrashers' recording career". [11] The album reached No. 155 on the U.S. Billboard 200 [12] and remained on that chart for eight weeks, making it Overkill's fourth highest-charting release to date. [13] By May 2000 it had sold over 67,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. [14] Although the album's only single "Elimination" never appeared on the charts, its music video received regular rotation on MTV's Headbangers Ball , [15] and the song remains a staple in Overkill's live repertoire. [9] [16]
In August 2014, Revolver magazine placed the album on its list of "14 Thrash Albums You Need to Own". [17] It was also ranked fifth on Loudwire's top ten list of "Thrash Albums NOT Released by the Big 4". [18]
The Years of Decay has been seen as a major influence and inspiration to the groove metal scene that emerged in the early 1990s. [19] Pantera had reportedly hired Terry Date to produce Cowboys from Hell based on his production of this album as well as Bobby Gustafson's guitar tone, which had influenced Dimebag Darrell and the band's transition away from glam to thrash/groove metal. [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25]
All tracks are written by Overkill
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Time to Kill" | 6:16 |
2. | "Elimination" | 4:35 |
3. | "I Hate" | 3:46 |
4. | "Nothing to Die For" | 4:22 |
5. | "Playing with Spiders/Skullkrusher" | 10:15 |
6. | "Birth of Tension" | 5:04 |
7. | "Who Tends the Fire" | 8:12 |
8. | "The Years of Decay" | 7:58 |
9. | "E.vil N.ever D.ies" | 5:49 |
Total length: | 56:17 |
Additional personnel
Chart (1989) | Peak position |
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German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [26] | 58 |
US Billboard 200 [27] | 155 |
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, the latter of whom would feature one-time Overkill lead guitarist Dan Spitz, 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.
Under the Influence is the third studio album by thrash metal band Overkill, released on July 5, 1988 through Megaforce Records and Atlantic Records. This was Overkill's first album to feature drummer Sid Falck, who had replaced Rat Skates when the latter left the band in 1987 during the Taking Over tour.
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.
Taking Over is the second studio album by thrash metal band Overkill, released in March 1987 through Atlantic and Megaforce Records. The album is Overkill's last to feature drummer Rat Skates, who left the band later in 1987 and was replaced by Sid Falck. It was also the first to be released through Atlantic, who would release all of the band's albums up to W.F.O. (1994).
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.
W.F.O. is the seventh full-length studio album by thrash metal band Overkill, released on July 15, 1994, on Atlantic Records.
The Killing Kind is the eighth studio album released by thrash metal band Overkill in 1996. It was the first album to feature new guitarists Joe Comeau and Sebastian Marino, and was released on CMC International, whereas their previous studio albums were released by either Megaforce or Atlantic Records.
Bloodletting is the eleventh studio album by American thrash metal band Overkill, released on October 24, 2000, by Metal-Is. It is the first after the departure of guitarists Joe Comeau and Sebastian Marino and the addition of Dave Linsk. Bloodletting also marked the first and only time since 1989's The Years of Decay that Overkill had recorded together as a four-piece.
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.
Overkill is the first EP recorded by thrash metal band Overkill released in 1985 on Azra/Metal Storm records. It is also considered by the band as their "first album", making their debut Feel the Fire their second record and so forth. Released only on vinyl, the EP has been seen as a rare collector's item amongst Overkill fans, and all tracks are included on the !!!Fuck You!!! And Then Some compilation.
Feel the Fire is the debut studio album by American thrash metal band Overkill, released on October 15, 1985 through Megaforce Records.
Robert Ellsworth, best known as Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth, is an American singer who is the lead vocalist of New Jersey thrash metal band Overkill. He has been the vocalist of Overkill since its inception in 1980, and he and bassist D. D. Verni are the band's only constant members.
Carlo "D.D." Verni is an American musician, best known as a founding member, bassist and songwriter of the thrash metal band Overkill. He and vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth are the only two original members who have remained with the band throughout its entire history. In addition to his work with Overkill, Verni has recorded four albums with his side project the Bronx Casket Co. and released several solo projects. He is also the composer of The Bronx Casket Co.... A New Musical.
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Robert Wayne Gustafson is an American musician, best known as the former guitarist of the New Jersey-based thrash metal band Overkill from 1982 until his split with the band in 1990. He was also the rhythm guitarist for thrash metal band Vio-lence from 2020 until 2022.
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The Grinding Wheel is the 18th studio album by American thrash metal band Overkill, released on February 10, 2017. It is the last Overkill album with drummer Ron Lipnicki, who left the band shortly after its release and was replaced by Jason Bittner for the album's tour and its follow-up The Wings of War (2019).
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).
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