Overkill, Nile, and Fatal Order

Last week I finally went to see Overkill. I was going to see them a couple years ago with Symphony X, but was sick and missed it. This year's co headlining tour was with Egyptian themed tech death metallers, Nile.

The night began with local support from Fatal Order. This power/groove metal band has played sporadically over the past 25 years and from what I'm aware, this was their first show in a while. Their set consisted of 3 originals as well as covers of "The Hellion/Electric Eye" by Judas Priest, "Perfect Strangers" by Deep Purple, and "Outshined" by Soundgarden. They were ok. Nothing special.

Next up was Nile. I never really cared for Nile, but I never disliked them either. They were ok too. A ton of people in the crowd were there mainly for them. While I'm not big into their music, their musicianship is second to none and George Kollias is one of my favorite drummers out there today.

Then came the moment I had been waiting for. It was time for Overkill! The set consisted of old school classics ("Rotten to the Core", "Feel the Fire", "Hello from the Gutter") and brand new thrash anthems off their latest effort, The Grinding Wheel. Bobby Blitz looks and sounds absolutely amazing. The band plays like a well oiled machine and haven't missed a step. The night closed with "Elimination" and "Fuck You" during which the biggest circle pit of the night erupted. Leaving the show that night, it's hard to believe the crowd had just witnessed a band who has been together for nearly 4 decades. Overkill manages to give the new thrash bands a run for their money while kicking the asses of their peers (I'm looking at you Metallica, Slayer, Kreator, etc.).