Overkill - Discography

Not the New York trash metal band, but the LA band formed in 1980 by Ron Cordy & Kurt Markham. After a few false starts with various personnel the band settled upon: -

Merrill Ward -Vocals
Jeff Dimick - Guitar
Ron Cordy - Bass
Kurt Markham - Drums

Completed by Felice LoCoco on guitar they kicked off their own brand of punk mixed with heavy metal in anger.  This was before the crossover was fashionable and meant the band were greeted with mixed reactions from some. They never choose to follow the fashionable/easy route, either punk or metal, and maintained a mid paced sound throughout

Coupled here are their 7'' - Hell's Getting Hotter.  A great slab of punk, more in line with British punk than American hardcore in my opinion.  I base that purely on the mid-tempo pace, but it's still unmistakeably American.

Their album "Triumph of the Will", slated by many as being a second rate metal album, but this is a blinkered and ill-informed view. This IS Overkill, they weren't trying to follow a trend, this is the direction they were always travelling and it's a damn fine album. After a few listens you can't help but sing along as the songs are so catchy.

A demo, debatably from 84, with a stonking version of Blitzkrieg Bop.

They effectively split in 83 after Merril was kicked out and Ron quit to play in Bitch. Overkill are more than just a footnote in punk and hopefully after listening to this you'll agree. Incidentally, Merrill Ward was also in Nig Heist and sang in SWA with Chuck Dukowski.

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