Ah, Overkill. Arguably one of the best thrash metal bands through the turbulent ages of this chaotic genre is still well alive and ass-kicking. I decided to take a deep dive into the fiery pits of their discography, and came up with the !!! Fuck You !!! And Then Some released not too long ago. Originally, this was released as two separate EP's, namely Fuck You and the Overkill EP. Both are long out of print, and not the dustiest of shelves had seen either since the dawn of thrash. Anyway, dare I propose a split review for discography-covering purposes? Oh, of course I do. Overkill always displayed this attitude, this putrid, rotten, fuck-you attitude that thrash was all about. No-one did it better and in no way will anyone ever become so violent, razor-sharp, fist-friendly or impudent as Overkill was and still is to this day.

Oh how I would love to grow up in the midst of all the cigarette smoke, booze, and smell of beer and sound of real thrash.

So, this is basically an EP/Live EP which consists of a gunning cover of The Subhumans' Fuck You, a live version of said song as well as a couple of other live tunes from a show in Cleveland. The song has almost reached cult classic status among fans and is pulled out of the hat on live shows on occasion. Like everything else they've delivered of live albums, this is brilliant, although I have to admit I prefer their dirty, sloppy sound on this one to their other, more polished live recordings. Two tracks from both Feel the Fire and Taking Over, two absolute classics, are featured from the show. Blitz sounds as awesome as always, sharp, viciously violent and unbelievably gritty as he absolutely blazes every line, nailing every note with his trademark piercing, angry shouts.

Rotten to the Core, blazing and fist-pumpingly anthemic. Hammerhead, even more blazing as well as fiery and chaotic. You, got a lot to learn. Your head's up your ass! Enough said. Electro-Violence might be my favourite of the bunch, with its unpredictable pace and incredible structure that never shakes.

Of course, everything is sped up from the original versions of the songs, the production is sloppy, and so is the playing. But that's Overkill for you, and it's fucking awesome. Sloppy Bobby does however suffer a bit from being the only guitarist, but his raw tone and filthy playing delivers an edge that'll rip your head straight off, place it on a pole and leave it for shock and awe. This is supposed to sound twisted and evil, and Bobby hammers everything perfectly in place for a punk'd up, thrash metal experience backed by an outstanding rhythm section. D.D's bassing is as incredible as can be, and Skates' drumming fills every gaping hole with ravishing breaks and absolutely ridiculous blasting.

Oh how I would kill to see these guys live some day. If they possess just a tiny particle of the energy they proclaim here, I would be happy, even though I understand they're getting old.

If you're never getting the pleasure of seeing these guys live, at least you can turn to this short, but beautiful gem and get slapped silly by sweaty, furious and angry men that makes every seemingly “pissed off”, rebellious band seem pale in comparison. After all, this is the record they TRIED to ban. Parental advisory, explicit content. Fuck you.