Taking Over

The aptly named Taking Over exhibits a more bombastic, metallic sound than its predecessor. This is partly due to producer Alex Perialas, who'd become one of the go-to engineers for metal in the coming years. Despite its newfound relationship with the record industry, Overkill made absolutely no mainstream concessions on its sophomore effort. Still, Taking Over does contain a diverse array of approaches for an album that's just nine songs long and can definitely be described as unadulterated thrash. “Wrecking Crew” has the speed of punk; “Fear His Name” adopts the slow, grinding approach that Metallica would later co-opt; “In Union We Stand” is a near-patriotic anthem for a quickly growing nation of metal diehards. Despite these varied approaches, Taking Over is best defined by three quintessential examples of thrash: “Electro-Violence,” “Use Your Head," and the gloriously relentless “Overkill LI (The Nightmare Continues).” Best of all is the in-your-face opener “Deny the Cross,” which features a psychotic, time-melting solo from guitarist Bobby Gustafson.