Overkill — Under the Influence

intothewellsabyss
Jul 5, 2023
2 min read

𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐘𝐏𝐓𝐒 - 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐀𝐋𝐁𝐔𝐌 𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊 & 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐘 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋…

35 years ago today, Overkill said “Hello from the Gutter”!

On this day (July 5) in 1988, Overkill released their third full-length studio album, “Under the Influence” via Megaforce Records and Atlantic Records. This was Overkill's first album to feature drummer Sid Falck, who had replaced Rat Skates when the latter left the band in 1987 during the “Taking Over” tour.

(Original Artwork for "Under the Influence")

Background:

Once again produced by Alex Perialas, who had worked on the band's first two albums, “Under the Influence” was much more raw and Thrashy, and featured less of the epic atmosphere heard on “Taking Over”. "Hello from the Gutter" was released as a single, and its music video gained regular airplay on MTV’s HeadBangers Ball. Overkill kept up constant touring all over the world, furthering their reputation as one of the most active live Metal bands.

Touring and Promotion:

Overkill toured for six months to promote “Under the Influence”, touring alongside Thrash acts such as Destruction and Testament. From October to December 1988, Overkill opened for Slayer on their “South of Heaven” tour in the United States, and performed with other bands such as Anthrax, Motörhead, Anvil, M.O.D. , Vio-Lence, King's X, Prong, Murphy's Law, Ludichrist and Znowhite, followed by a European tour with Slayer and Nuclear Assault, which took place in January 1989.

Critical Reception:

Jason Anderson at AllMusic awarded Under the Influence three stars out of five, calling it "another confident, if unremarkable Overkill recording", while listing "Overkill III (Under the Influence)", "Shred", "Never Say Never" and "Hello from the Gutter" as highlights.

The album reached No. 142 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and remained on that chart for thirteen weeks, making it Overkill's longest Billboard run. It is also their third highest-charting album to date, with over 300,000 copies sold worldwide as of 1997.

Links to Artists, Albums, and Music Videos:

Click this link to listen to “Under the Influence” via Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/under-the-influence/300982971

Click this link to listen to “Under the Influence” via Spotify: Under the Influence https://open.spotify.com/album/5Kpek81F3h4c3NZYH9HwwX

Click this link to watch the official music video for “Hello From the Gutter”: https://youtu.be/BwJbu_llZGY

Click this link to follow Overkill on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OverkillWreckingCrew

Note: The reviews shared here are for historical reference. The views and opinions expressed within are not always supported (in full or in part) by Into the Wells. — E.N. Wells

Overkill — Under the Influence

Background:

Touring and Promotion:

Critical Reception:

Links to Artists, Albums, and Music Videos:

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