Overkill - I Hear Black (1993) [Original German pressing] RE-UPLOAD

I Hear Black was the first Overkill album released directly through Atlantic Records. The album once again presented a change in style, from the heavy thrash of Horrorscope to a more Stoner song oriented style influenced by Black Sabbath and Blues. The eclectic nature of the album is often attributed to the fact that many different song writers were involved. Verni and Ellsworth would handle most of the song writing themselves on subsequent albums, with only minor contributions from the other members…

After releasing perhaps the finest, most musical recording of the band's already considerable thrash metal career in 1991, Overkill followed up Horrorscope in 1993 with I Hear Black, a slightly more dense, ambitious recording, and the band's first for Atlantic Records. There had been a few lineup changes over the first years of their recording career and the only original members to appear on I Hear Black are vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and bassist D.D. Verni. Ellsworth and Verni are joined by relative newcomers Rob Cannavino and Merrit Gant on guitars and Tim Mallare on drums. Initially, I Hear Black was met with a somewhat cool response by the group's thrash fan base but, over time, metal fans of all varieties have come to appreciate the slower, more dynamic grind that at first confused fans expecting exclusively lightning-fast riffs from the group. The opening "Dreaming in Columbian", the title track, and "Weight of the World" are all mid-tempo metal highlights featuring some decent work by Ellsworth especially, as the singer continues his '90s trend by focusing slightly more on melody, going over the top only where necessary. While not an important release for its genre or even for the band, Overkill's I Hear Black is still a respectable post-thrash offering.

~ Vincent Jeffries, all media guide

Tracklist:

01. Dreaming In Columbian
02. I Hear Black
03. World Of Hurt
04. Feed My Head
05. Shades Of Grey
06. Spiritual Void
07. Ghost Dance
08. Weight Of The World
09. Ignorance And Innocence
10. Undying
11. Just Like You

all songs written by Overkill


Produced by Alex Perialas and Overkill
Engineered by Rob Hunter and Alex Perialas
Recorded at Pyramid Sound, Ithaca, New York
Mastered by Tom Coyne at Hit Factory.

• Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth - lead vocals
• D.D. Verni - bass, backing vocals
• Rob Cannavino - guitars, backing vocals
• Merritt Gant - guitars, backing vocals
• Tim Mallare - drums

Release Date: March 9, 1993
Format: Original Recording
Label: Atlantic Records
Catalog No.: 7567-82476-2