The Return of Chaly

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September 22^nd, 2005 marks the return of metal legends Overkill to Arizona.  They haven’t been on the west coast in nearly 10 years, according to Blitz, and they have been sorely missed.  Today Overkill remains one of the driving forces in metal, trying new things without totally forgetting who they are, what they do and why they do it (anyone come to mind?).  Album after album is a welcomed assault on the senses.  And Relix IV, their 18^th album (including EPs and the hardly mentioned Power in Black, which was released prior to Feel the Fire) is no exception.

The Clubhouse in Tempe was the site of destruction.  Man, what a dive.  Its a room with a bar in the middle.  The Troubadour in Hollywood might even be a step up from this place.  The very first thing that came to mind was the video footage from the Great White tragedy.  I’ve been to a ton of venues that have been designed for the general admission crowds, but this place had no appealing qualities at all.  Hell, even the sign outside wasn’t lit up.

Already in progress was the band Schlitzkrieg.  From what I saw, it seemed as if they were trying to mimic the Ramones formula.  I think they played six songs in two minutes.  The crowd was not very receptive to say the least.  I think the band received their biggest applause when they announced “…this next song is our last song …”

It seems that hopes are never high when it comes to local opening bands for national touring acts.  Schlitzkrieg solidified that feeling tonight.  What seemed like an overly extended warm up/sound check, Motive was next to hit the stage.  Surprisingly, they were good.  This was a rare treat.  Touring in support of their recently released Rock and Roll Terrorist, the follow up to 2003’s Worn Down Dream, the band came off as tight and energized.  However, the energy was quick to run out as the band was cut short after only 4 songs.  They did some how manage to talk the club in to letting them play a 5^th song (probably due in part to the crowd cheering loudly for them).  It may have been a short set, but Motive left their mark.  The band consists of Steve Buschart - vocals/guitar;  Randy Davis - lead guitar; Andy Luffey - drums and Roadkill – bass.  Check out their upcoming shows here.  Get out and support this band, they are worth catching live.

Then its time for the metal monsters Overkill.  Once they hit the stage,  it was all over but the bleeding!  They ferociously tore in to Necroshine, Rotten to the Core, Hello from the Gutter and Elimination, among others.  They show absolutely no signs of slowing down as they delivered a very tight and blistering set.  While I personally thought this particular venue was below the band and they should have been playing in a larger venue, Overkill didn’t care.  They gave the place 110% and enjoyed doing it.  They are playing tonight in New Mexico before hitting Texas and ending the current leg of the tour at home – New York.   Hopefully the band won’t have to cancel any of their Texas dates, as hurricane Rita is bearing down.  And while we are at it, let’s hope that we don’t have a repeat of hurricane Katrina.