To date, Overkill has released nineteen studio albums, an album of cover songs, two EPs, one demo tape and three live albums. They were one of the first thrash metal bands to sign to a major label (having signed to Atlantic Records in 1986), and rose to fame as part of the genre's movement of the mid-to-late 1980s, along with the "Big Four" (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax) as well as Exodus and Testament. Overkill achieved their first mainstream success with its second studio album and Atlantic debut, Taking Over (1987), which peaked at number 191 on the Billboard 200. The band's next five studio albums—Under the Influence (1988), The Years of Decay (1989), Horrorscope (1991), I Hear Black (1993) and W.F.O. (1994)—were also successful on the Billboard charts, with the latter two cracking the top ten on the Top Heatseekers chart. Following their split from Atlantic in 1995, Overkill went through some label changes, but continued to enjoy moderate underground success, particularly in Europe and Japan. The band experienced a resurgence of popularity in the U.S. during the 2010s, with three of their studio albums released that decade—The Electric Age (2012), White Devil Armory (2014) and The Grinding Wheel (2017)—reaching the top 100 on the charts. Overkill has sold over 16 million records worldwide; they are also estimated to have sold more than 625,000 records in the United States since the beginning of the SoundScan era.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overkill_(band)
Studio albums
Feel the Fire (1985)
Taking Over (1987)
Under the Influence (1988)
The Years of Decay (1989)
Horrorscope (1991)
I Hear Black (1993)
W.F.O. (1994)
The Killing Kind (1996)
From the Underground and Below (1997)
Necroshine (1999)
Bloodletting (2000)
Killbox 13 (2003)
ReliXIV (2005)
Immortalis (2007)
Ironbound (2010)
The Electric Age (2012)
White Devil Armory (2014)
The Grinding Wheel (2017)
The Wings of War (2019)
Scorched (2023)
Blown Away
Overkill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And deep inside you know your demon's waking
Blow it away
In color red and redder break tomorrow
As mother turns her back in broken sorrow
Blow it away
When you are all that's left
Embrace your enemies, embrace your fear
Embrace what you disobey
Kill what complicates you, hold it near
Blow it away
Complicated, overrated leaning on the reason of one
In quiet desperation you are clinging to the safety of the gun
In light the dark becomes illuminated fear
In white the black becomes what you are holding near
And deep inside your guts are turning
Churning to the tune, what you've become
[Chorus]
The lyrics to Overkill's "Blown Away" paint a picture of someone who is on the verge of breaking under the weight of their internal struggles. The first verse acknowledges how our demons can come to haunt us and take control, pushing us to the point of breaking. It encourages the listeners to "blow it away"; to get rid of all that is holding them back and embrace everything they have been avoiding.
Moving on to the chorus, it speaks of embracing one's enemies, fears, and disobeying what has been holding them back. Then it urges one to kill what makes things more complicated and hold onto what brings them comfort. The song describes how things can often become complicated and overrated, leading us to seek refuge in the safety of a gun, and how our fears become illuminated in moments of weakness.
In the end, the last few lines suggest that the person has given up fighting their inner demons and has embraced them instead. The lyrics create a sense of tension and conflict that are resolved in the chorus, where the singer discovers that the opposite of fear is to embrace it, and to let the past go. "Blown Away" is a song that speaks to the importance of acknowledging our fears and facing them head-on, instead of running away or avoiding them.
Line by Line Meaning
When it extends itself to the point of breaking
When something pushes itself so hard that it's about to break
And deep inside you know your demon's waking
You have a feeling that the bad part of you is starting to surface
Blow it away
Get rid of it
In color red and redder break tomorrow
Tomorrow will be a bloody day
As mother turns her back in broken sorrow
Your mother is disappointed and hurt by your actions
Blow it away
Get rid of it
When you are all that's left
When there's nothing else but yourself
Embrace your enemies, embrace your fear
Accept and face your enemies and fears
Embrace what you disobey
Accept what you always go against
Kill what complicates you, hold it near
Eliminate what makes your life difficult, but keep it close to you
Blow it away
Get rid of it
Complicated, overrated leaning on the reason of one
The idea of relying solely on one reason is overrated and makes things more complicated
In quiet desperation you are clinging to the safety of the gun
When feeling desperate, clutching to a gun makes you feel safe
In light the dark becomes illuminated fear
In good times, the bad things become more frightening
In white the black becomes what you are holding near
In good times, the bad things become closer and more familiar
And deep inside your guts are turning
You're feeling sick to your stomach
Churning to the tune, what you've become
Your body and mind are reacting to the person you've turned into
[Chorus]
Repeat of the chorus
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: CARLO VERNI, ROBERT ELLSWORTH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
NoneBuriedDeeper
Whole album is great. This really had a 80's feel to it.
Baphomet Rael
THE FUCKING BASS INTRO AND THE GHOSTLY BRIDGE. HOLY FUCKING HELL. IT'S OVERKILL'S FINEST NUMBER.
Ole Sønstabø
This song is so fucking heavy it's beyond my writing abilities.
MusicJamin330
Such a dark album. I love it so much.
Baphomet Rael
ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL.
Louis Csanko
I AGREE 100% WITH THE PEOPLE WHO SAID THIS SONG IS SO FUCKING HEAVY\,,,/ HELL YES!!!!!!
BrutalEpicMetal
Best song on the album.
Michael Eastburn
Love the Castle Vania music at the end,, only Overkill could pull that off!!!
Eric Stirn
My favorite Overkill song!!!!
Impending Doom
D.D. FUKN VERNI!!!!! That tone, talent and ability... UNMATCHED. We Are The WRECKING CREW!🤘🤘🤘