Best Songs On Overkill's The Years of Decay


The Top Ten

1 Elimination

This song would be much better if the riff didn't sound exactly like Master of Puppets.

Gemcloben is back with a great metal list! I like his detailed and precise song descriptions! - Metal_Treasure

This song is just utter hard hitting thrash throughout the entire song. the opening riff may be a little too similar to master of puppets, but it is still a very good riff. The chorus then lacks any signs of the song slowing down, as it still has the heavy, thrashy riffing, but this time with vocals what sound just as distorted at the guitar. the chorus is quite catchy, but still has very metal guitar in it. The bass takes the spotlight in the chorus, as it is better than the rhythm guitar in the chorus. the first solo is decent, but the second solo is one of the best in thrash history, blending melody and that very fast shredding usually found in thrash, and the it goes straight back into the song with the riff. It also has several brilliant drum fill's to break up the song, along with about 5 guitar solos, this song is a thrash classic. Not to mention the various key changes to keep it interesting. - gemcloben

2 Playing With Spiders / Skullkrusher

Maybe the slowest song on the entire album, but still no where near the worst of the album. Losing the speed in this song doesn't in the slightest lose any of the heaviness, and the single beat drumming makes it very dramatic, and heavy, but I 100% wouldn't define the song as thrash, until the drum beat picks up the pace, the guitar has more harmonics and palm muting, and the singing also reaches it's full potential. This is followed by an instrumental part, what slows down, before picking up the pace, with what sounds like a double guitar solo, with just a bass as a rhythm (my favourite type of solo) before going straight back into the doom part, slowing everything down a lot. This pace is kept throughout the entire song, even throughout the outro solo. - gemcloben

Love this song. Gives you a break from the speed for a while (not that speed is bad). - IronSabbathPriest

This song is great. - Rambles

3 The Years of Decay

Unlike the rest of the songs on this album, it starts with a single note, with a lot of feedback, but then goes into an acoustic section. The singing is very clean and melodic, yet powerful, as ballad vocals should be. Then comes the short clean electric solo, and straight back into the acoustic, ballad part of the song, with the singing again, but a little more powerful this time. The acoustic part then becomes a melodic, distorted electric part with heavy metal vocals, with growling/screaming, then comes the melodic part, but still with a distorted electric, and a lead guitar solo. Then the song goes back into an acoustic section, with even more powerful vocals than before. Then comes the heavy outro, with full on screaming and great lead guitar soloing. - gemcloben

Nothing to Die For and Time to Kill should be at the bottom, this should be at #2

4 Time to Kill

Pure thrash genius is probably the only way I can describe this song. Even the intro is very good, and I would probably just describe that part as "big", and the scream is one of thrash metal's best in a long time. The main riff for the verses is just thrash metal at it's purest, and it has a very simple, but very has catchy riff and is just catchy all together. With just 4 chords and 3 words in the chorus, it is simple, but still quite fun, and then gets quite more complex in the instrumental parts, with more genius riffs. the 2nd half is even better, with heavier and more distorted riffing, what just makes it all the sweeter, and more sinister. - gemcloben

5 Birth of Tension

A few power chords to set the song up for just pure thrash-ness. Then the song gets very much like a thrash song with the next riff, fast paced, with much tremolo picking and super fast drumming. The vocals sound like a dirtier, distorted version of someone like Joey Belladonna. There is real heaviness in the song, but it perfectly blends fast paced riffs and drum beats and melody in the guitar and vocals. There is then an almost perfect riff to break into the instrumental section of the song, with riffing, followed by a typical thrash solo, with lots of whammy bars and shredding, but to me the solo just finishes the song up to make it brilliant. - gemcloben

6 E.vil N.ever D.ies

I can't really seem to make out the instrument at the beginning, but it should like some sort of organ. Anyway, it is creepy as hell, but goes well into the guitar. The vocals are just something you can expect from any overkill song, a good mix between screaming and growling, as found in the majority of overkill songs. It does include an interesting high string tremelo thing on it, and a hint of acoustic. - gemcloben

Underrated song with the best solo at the very end. It's also the heaviest song in the album.

7 Nothing to Die For

Very interesting, slightly classical. Good bass notes during the intro, along with the drums, one of the few intros I heard what is so dense that every instrument is prominant and distinctive, and has its own part in making it what it is, but then it gets a little more interesting with the riffing after that, and continues with a somewhat classical influence throughout the entire song. The vocals do not have a great range, but still a great tone to his voice, followed by a great, yet unusual/different solo. This song has some of the most interesting instrumental parts in any overkill song, with really cool, distinctive solos, breaking the song up with the vocals, yet is still linked in well with the riffs. - gemcloben

8 Who Tends the Fire

Very strange intro to this song, I must admit, it could have a better transition between acoustic and electric, maybe more time on the acoustic, but still, after those first 20 seconds, it gets much more consistent and just generally a better song. This makes this song one of the most well written and well structured songs on the album with some slow, yet undoubtedly heavy and utterly amazing. There are a few things that could improve, but things like the rhythm guitar and the vocals are almost perfect. The riffs and singing are really perfect with a genuine power and structure that comes with them. Just shows how even this being at 7th place is still great. - gemcloben

9 I Hate

Quite melodic intro, and straight in with the verse. They could at least have lengthened the intro, or made it fit into the verse more. Either way, it is still a great intro nonetheless. The verses have a fairly decent melody, however it still has more potential as a song. It keeps that classic metal sound with very great vocals, and a catchy riff in the chorus, and the it also has just a catchy feel all together. Though it is the weakest song on the entire album, it still would make a great anthem. - gemcloben

This is by far the best. - Caleb9000

The coolest song in the album is the last. Shame ahaha

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List Stats

9 listings
3 years, 90 days old

Top Remixes (8)

1. Elimination
2. Birth of Tension
3. The Years of Decay
1. Playing With Spiders / Skullkrusher
2. E.vil N.ever D.ies
3. Elimination
1. Playing With Spiders / Skullkrusher
2. Who Tends the Fire
3. The Years of Decay

View All 8


Thrash Talk #2 - The Years of Decay (Overkill)

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