Kev Rowland There aren’t many bands who have it made it to their eighteenth album, let alone a thrash act, but this 2014 release is just that. Okay, so only singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and bassist D.D. Verni have been there throughout, but they have kept the flag flying high, and the current five-man line-up came together in 2005, so it’s not surprising that they know what they are doing. Unlike some bands who broke through in the thrash scene (mentioning no names, but they used to have Dave Mustaine in their ranks), these guys have stayed true to their roots and haven’t moved musically a long way from their 1985 debut.

With Overkill, the listener always knows what they are going to get, and in many ways they are a load of fun, but to my ears this album is nothing more than that. It’s good, it’s solid, it’s strong and tight, but nothing more than that. There is nothing on here that really makes it stand out from any of their other albums, and there’s the issue. If you enjoy thrash metal, then you’ll enjoy it while it’s on, but is there anything essenial on here that will make you go back and play it again? That’s a very different question, and not one that I am sure I can answer.

UMUR "White Devil Armory" is the 18th full-length studio album by US thrash metal act Overkill. The album was released through Nuclear Blast Records in Europe and eOne Music in the USA in July 2014. While Overkill have always maintained a decent level of popularity even in the thrash unfriendly environment of the 90s, they seem to be on the roll in recent years, having released some of their strongest material in years in "Ironbound (2010)" and "The Electric Age (2012)", and in the process also received quite a bit of praise from fans and critics alike.

With "White Devil Armory" Overkill prove to be as reliable as ever. Attitude filled thrash metal with heavy metal elements delivered with fierce conviction and great passion. The album opens with a short intro but when "Armorist" kicks in with an energy level of an angry rhino, you know you´re gonna get what you payed for. "White Devil Armory" is relatively varied in the songwriting department, but the difference isn´t huge from the two predecessors. As always Overkill have just tweaked their core sound enough to not repeat themselves too much. The focus is still on catchy aggressive grooves. You can name any track on the album and they are pretty strong, but some of the standout tracks to me are the above mentioned "Armorist", "Bitter Pill", "Where There's Smoke...", and "Freedom Rings".

Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth as always lead the show with his raw "I have just eaten a handful of rusty nails" voice, D.D. Verni´s bass is powerful, rumbling, and audible in the mix with it´s metallic tone, Ron Lipnicki is a skilled drummer delivering powerful beats, and guitarists Dave Linsk and Derek "The Skull" Tailer deliver raw and edgey thrashy riffing throughout the album. The former also plays some very well sounding solos. While it probably isn´t necessary to mention it anymore, I still think it deserves a mention that Overkill are as tight playing a unit as they come.

"White Devil Armory" is packed in a powerful, clear, and raw sound production which suits the music well. So there´s little to complain about here and overall "White Devil Armory" is yet another quality release by Overkill. A 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating is deserved.