Taking Over (Overkill album)
| 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 | ||||
| ||||
Taking Over is the second studio album by
Touring and promotion
Overkill toured for less than a year to promote Taking Over. In March–April 1987, they opened for
"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
| 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
All 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
- 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
| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[9] | 191 |
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ All Media Network. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
- ^ Kupfer, Thomas. "Review anzeigen". (in German). Rock Hard. 21. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
- All Media Network. Retrieved December 27, 2013.
- ^ "Overkill - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
- ISBN 3-89880-517-4.
- ^ "Overkill Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
