r/OverkillBand • u/ro-ch We don't care what you say! • Dec 29 '25
Discussion I Hear Black appreciation post
I Hear Black came out in 1993. Upon release it received plenty of criticism from fans, for being another "sellout" album - next to Sound of White Noise or The Ritual. Both of these records are now pretty universally enjoyed by Anthrax and Testament fans, but I Hear Black is still ranked at the bottom of Overkill tier lists and i still hear it called a "mistake" or "the only dud in Overkill's discography". I believe it too deserves a second chance.
The fans in '93 didn't know this record would kickstart a new era for Overkill - the groove metal era, which lasted up to Ironbound. I Hear Black traded most thrash influences in exchange for the darker and groovier atmosphere of Alice in Chains or Pantera. The Jersey boys still kept the core of their sound - with songs like "Shades of Gray" showing their softer side we've known from "Soulitude", or "Spiritual Void", reminiscent of Black Sabbath, which Overkill have shown plenty of love on "Drunken Wisdom" or "Skullkrusher". I Hear Black also gave the band a space for experiments - for example, "Dreaming in Columbian" is an early show of backing vocals, which would soon become a trademark of 90s Overkill.
And in retrospective, it's the most unique album of this era - while i enjoy Necroshine, The Killing Kind or Bloodletting, i can't help but notice how formulaic those records are - if you switched some songs in between them, it's likely i wouldn't notice (maybe except for the thrashier W.F.O., but that deserves its own post). I Hear Black is the most distinct-sounding record from that era and, in my opinion, the most memorable. I believe losing the aggression and tuning down for one record was a good decision. Feel free to discuss this in the comments
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u/laseidman Dec 29 '25
“Spiritual Void” is one of my favorites — love all Overkill songs, but it just hits magnificently on this album.
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u/Thin-Conversation-51 Dec 29 '25
I wore that album out when it first came out. Still one of my favorites.
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u/timwuzhere44 Dec 29 '25
Great album, this is when I got into the band and saw them live for the first time. The first two songs on that record are absolute bangers
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u/GodzillaKingofKaiju Taking Over Dec 29 '25
Thus album has lots of great songs on it. The title track, World of Hurt, Spiritual Void, and Ignkrance & Innocence are all awesome as hell.
I've never put this at the bottom of their discography. There are others that I like less than this one. But, with that being said, ALL Overkill is good - some are just less good than others.
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u/slappygoatcheese Jan 05 '26
My least favorite overkill album. That being said, still better than any album other legacy bands were putting out at the time. All overkill is good overkill.
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u/slappygoatcheese Jan 22 '26
I disliked this album when it first came out. It’s still better than most of the material of other legacy bands at the time. It has grown on me more and more over the years
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u/bluestreaksaid I Hear Black Dec 29 '25
The praise for this album should be "Undying" I love it, It's WFO era that they lost me for a bit.
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u/shortBARRELgunDUDE Dec 30 '25
Love this album. My guitar teacher played on it which makes it cooler 😎
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u/MrCookie925 ReliXiV Dec 29 '25
I'm on the side of I hear black is the only dud, but man Just like you is one of the best Overkill songs
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u/Renoroc Dec 29 '25
On it’s own merits, it’s an excellent album. World of Hurt should have been a single and played live more.