Per my usual internet boredom regime, the other day I was searching for obscure live shows of whatever musical obsession was racking my brain. That day it happened to be Overkill, SST's first true punk/metal hybrid band. Initially, my curiosity was piqued after investigating their contribution to Metal Blade Records' "Metal Massacre II" compilation, where they deliver a fairly whack version of their song "No Holds Barred". A superior version of the song also shows up on their posthumous SST LP "Triumph Of The Will". The Metal Blade version seemed glaringly mediocre in comparison to the version on "Triumph Of The Will", especially in the lyrics department. A little bit of research gleaned that their lead singer at the time of this recording was Scott Kidd, an adept L.A. metal singer, but definitely one who lacked the punk edge that former singer Merrill Ward brought to the table. Further sleuthing brought discovery of two gems-
- This detailed bio. Yeah, it's clearly written in the style of a heavy metal dunce, but you gotta hand it to them for the details.
Both are a pretty interesting addendum to an early SST band whose history is barely documented, though probably for good reason as their post-Merrill years don't seem as interesting. If you're not familiar with the "Triumph Of The Will" LP, get familiar. It's an underrated classic amongst SST fan geeks, and for good reason. Early 80's So Cal hardcore and Motorhead have never been blended as perfectly. It's the record Jeff Dahl's Powertrip wishes they could have made. Though, the Reign Of Terror single certainly gives Overkill a run for their money. (Speaking of which, here's an Ed Danky [Würm/Powertrip/Reign Of Terror] interview from 1983 in which dude claims Reign of Terror were on SST, who apparently funded their single.)
Also, if metal ain't your thing, there' always the first Overkill EP (click the pic)-
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