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.

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