I missed AFTER ALL and HEATHEN as the doors opened at a very early 5pm, I would have liked to have seen them but am sure there will be another time.

DESTRUCTION put on a really good show, ‘Mad Butcher’, ‘Bestial Invasion’ and ‘The Butcher Strikes Back’ were perhaps the top songs on the night with the crowd lapping it all up, keep security busy with the almost non stop crowd surfing.

OVERKILL was the band everyone had been patiently waiting for, for some perhaps their first time seeing them live as they haven’t been to the UK that often over the last 20 years or so. The PA system was pumping out all of the ‘Among The Living’ Album by ANTHRAX which was going down well with the crowd. Took me right back to 1987.

Pretty much from the start of their set the fans went crazy, moshing around and crowd surfing even more than when DESTRUCTION were on.

First song was ‘The Green And Black’, then ‘Rotten To The Core’ which really fired up the fans as did ‘Wrecking Crew’.

Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth was feeding off the energy the crowd were throwing at the band, and he really delivers so much energy and enthusiasm, likewise the rest of the band too. They honestly looked like they were giving it their all, playing really tightly and having a real blast too.

‘Hammerhead’ was another very well received song, and I really love the way Bobby disappears to the side of the stage at the start of songs then rushes over to the mike just before the vocals come in, another example of the energy and enthusiasm to deliver to the audience in abundance.

‘Old School’ was the last song before they disappeared off the stage, and then they returned for the Encores. ‘Deny The Cross’ was followed by ‘Elimination’ and then they finished with THE STIFFS Cover song ‘F*ck You’ Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth threw himself offstage into the crowd which was a fantastic sight to see, he was carried by the fans back to the stage and that was the end of the show.

This was a really, really enjoyable evening of Thrash Metal with ‘Rotten To The Core’, ‘Hammerhead’ and ‘Elimination’ standing out from what was a great selection of songs on the evening.

There is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that OVERKILL still has what it takes after all of these years to kick ass live big time, they earned a solid 5/5 from me. Keep on thrashing!

Rating: 5.0/5.0

Review by Charlie Bear

After managing to catch the last few songs of CRIPPER, I was eagerly awaiting to see the main support act tonight. Greek thrashers SUICIDAL ANGELS delivered an excellent performance with their set near enough entirely made up of tracks from latest album, ‘Sanctify the Darkness’. Songs like ‘Bloodthirsty’, ‘The Pestilence of Saints’ and ‘Apokathilosis’ all went down a treat with the crowd, as they blistered their way through their set.

25 years on since debut album ‘Feel The Fire’ was released and New Jersey thrash legends OVERKILL are still going strong, and with a brilliant new album from start to finish in the form of ‘Ironbound’, there’s no stopping these guys, and tonight’s gig was one to be remembered for a while for all concerned. Not only did they deliver a killer set of top quality thrash, the pit, besides being one fo the best I have seen for a while, was absolutely amazing showing their full appreciation for OVERKILL as it never relented for the entire set.

Opening up with ‘The Green And Black’ from latest album, this was one of three new tracks on offer tonight, with the others being title track ‘Ironbound’ and the sublime ‘Bring Me The Night’, all of which sounded awesome live. With such an extensive back catalogue under their belts, only handful of albums missed out on a showing, with cracking renditions of ‘Feel The Fire’, ‘Hello From The Gutter’, and ‘Wrecking Crew’ all going down well, while the crowd sang in union for the mellower style and aptly named ‘In Union We Stand’.

Thrash gigs don’t get any better than they do like tonight, and with OVERKILL on top of their game, classics like ‘Rotten To The Core’ and ‘Bare Bones’ were played to note perfection before the excellent ‘Elimination’ rounded the main set off. With a bit of a lengthy break before the encore, due to the fact that power seemed to have been lost on more than a few bits of equipment, they soldiered on to deliver a crushing encore which included ‘Necroshine’ and ‘Old School’ before ending with ‘Fuck You’ with ‘Sonic Reducer’ thrown into the middle for good measure.

OVERKILL showed tonight that even after 25 years, they haven’t lost any of their edge or sheer brilliance that make them one of the top thrash acts still going today. Along with bands like TESTAMENT, EXODUS and DEATH ANGEL amongst others, they are keeping the thrash genre going strong and showing the young and upcoming bands how it’s done. ‘Here’s To The Old School!’.

Ratings:

Photography By Alexander Shaw(Overkill Photo’s click here)