Overkill: Horrorscope

Posted by Luminator (A) on December 19, 2016 at 21:00:10

In 88/89, Metallica's ...And Justice For All set the template for progressive/technical thrash. While they embarked on an epic touring schedule, other bands had the time and space to come out with their own prog metal albums. During the Fall '89 quarter, Overkill came out with that accurate snapshot of the times, the sharply-produced The Years Of Decay

The next year, producer Terry Date applied his skills on Pantera's Cowboys From Hell. Each rock-music audiophile must have the title track.

Terry Date then went to work on Dark Angel's Time Does Not Heal, a worthy successor to Metallica's ...And Justice For All. A couple months later, during the Spring '91 quarter, the Bay Area's own Heathen released the excellent prog thrash album, Victims Of Deception.

As for Metallica themselves, they finally, around August 1991, came out with the disappointing "Black album." While it made them a household name, the Black album lost all of Metallica's original fan base. And then the grunge revolution came about, and it was all over for every form of music, save for grunge and rap.

Which is too bad, because, during the Fall '91 quarter, Overkill, once again teaming up with Terry Date, came out with the sharp-sounding, must-have album, Horrorscope. They had fired guitarist Bobby Gustafson, and revamped themselves into a twin-guitar unit. Some listeners argue that, as an album, Horrorscope represents the band's pinnacle. The middle kind of drags [at the time, the middle caused me to deduct a star; and I rated the album 4 stars out of 5], but the beginning and end are just killer. While Horrorscope garnered critical praise, and won a loyal following, it sadly did not garner any airplay, or meaningful media attention. By being a little more concise, Horrorscope is what the follow-up to ...And Justice For All should have been.

From the time Horrorscope came out, until the mid-90s, I brought it with me to audio stores, gatherings, and shows. Some audiophiles from that era still keep in touch with me, and they recall hearing parts of Horrorscope at San Francisco's Ultimate Sound. One customer actually took the CD you see above, and used it to determine that Kimber's PBJ sounded clearer, sharper, and more see-through, than MIT's T2 interconnect.

25 years old, Horrorscope still stands out as an excellent example of prog thrash. Kids nowadays have discovered it. They pick up their guitars, and learn to play the riffs.

Apparently, an SHM-CD of Horrorscope was produced. None of my friends has heard or seen it, so we are not at liberty to comment. But if you have, please let the rest of us know what it sounds like, and how it compares to the original Megaforce/Atlantic issue.

For now, click on the link below, and enjoy Horrorscope's closing number, "Soulitude."

-Lummy The Loch Monster

Soulitude (Open in New Window)

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Topic - Overkill: Horrorscope - Luminator 21:00:10 12/19/16 (1)

RE: Overkill: Horrorscope - fantja 06:00:55 12/20/16 (0)

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