Taking Over is the second studio album by thrash metal band Overkill, released in March 1987 through Atlantic and Megaforce Records.[1] The album is Overkill's last to feature drummer Rat Skates, who left the band later in 1987 and was replaced by Sid Falck. It was also the first to be released through Atlantic, who would release all of the band's albums up to W.F.O. (1994).
| Taking Over | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 1987 | |||
| Recorded | September–December 1986 | |||
| Studio | Pyramid Sound Studios (Ithaca, New York) | |||
| Genre | Thrash metal | |||
| Length | 45:37 | |||
| Label | Atlantic, Megaforce | |||
| Producer | Overkill, Alex Perialas | |||
| Overkill chronology | ||||
| ||||
Touring and promotion
editOverkill toured for less than a year to promote Taking Over. In March–April 1987, they opened for Helloween on their Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part I tour in Europe, and supported Megadeth on their Wake Up Dead Tour in May–June.[1] Overkill then headlined their own shows in July–August, with Testament opening.[1]
"Wrecking Crew" and "In Union We Stand" have been played live at almost every Overkill show to date,[2][3] with the former being considered one of the band's signature songs, as well as being the title of their official website (wreckingcrew.com).
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Rock Hard | 10/10[5] |
John Book at AllMusic gave Taking Over four stars out of five, saying "This New York band got a lot of attention with this album, although looking back at it, the vocals of Bobby 'Blitz' Ellsworth are somewhat dreadful compared to how they sound now."[4] The album was Overkill's first to chart on the U.S. Billboard 200, reaching No. 191[6] and remaining on that chart for a week; it remains the band's second lowest chart position to date.[7] In 2005, Taking Over was ranked No. 450 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.[8]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Overkill
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Deny the Cross" | 4:43 |
| 2. | "Wrecking Crew" | 4:32 |
| 3. | "Fear His Name" | 5:24 |
| 4. | "Use Your Head" | 4:19 |
| 5. | "Fatal if Swallowed" | 6:45 |
| 6. | "Powersurge" | 4:36 |
| 7. | "In Union We Stand" | 4:26 |
| 8. | "Electro-Violence" | 3:45 |
| 9. | "Overkill II (The Nightmare Continues)" | 7:07 |
| Total length: | 45:37 | |
Personnel
edit- Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth – vocals
- D. D. Verni – bass
- Bobby Gustafson – guitars
- Rat Skates – drums
Additional personnel
- Overkill – production
- Alex Perialas – engineering, mixing, production
- Tom Coyne – mastering
- Stephen Innocenzi – mastering (CD edition)
- Jon Zazula – executive production
- Bill Benson – cover painting
Charts
edit| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[9] | 191 |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Over Kill;". metallipromo.com. Retrieved June 15, 2014.
- ^ "Wrecking Crew by Overkill Song Statistics". setlist.fm. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
- ^ "In Union We Stand by Overkill Song Statistics". setlist.fm. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
- ^ a b Book, John. "Taking Over - Overkill". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
- ^ Kupfer, Thomas. "Review anzeigen". (in German). Rock Hard. 21. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
- ^ "Taking Over - Overkill | Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
- ^ "Overkill - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
- ^ Best of Rock & Metal - Die 500 stärksten Scheiben aller Zeiten (in German). Rock Hard. 2005. p. 29. ISBN 3-89880-517-4.
- ^ "Overkill Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2023.