Overkill is an American thrash metal band, formed in 1980 in New Jersey. Th… Read Full Bio ↴Overkill is an American thrash metal band, formed in 1980 in New Jersey. They have gone through many lineup changes, leaving bassist D.D. Verni and lead vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth as the only constant members. In addition to Verni and Ellsworth, Overkill's current lineup includes Dave Linsk on lead guitar, Derek Tailer on rhythm guitar and Jason Bittner on drums. Along with Nuclear Assault and Anthrax, whose one-time lead guitarist Dan Spitz was also an early member of Overkill, the band is one of the most successful East Coast thrash metal bands, and they are often called "the Motörhead of thrash metal", based on their unique playing style, which was influenced by punk rock and the new wave of British heavy metal. The band has a notable mascot named "Chaly", a skeletal bat with a skull-like face, horns, bony wings and green eyes, who has appeared on most of their album covers.

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)

Endless War
Overkill Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Come faster than the speed of light
Slow going the forgiving night
I'm a soldier in an endless war
Chained down to the money whore

I'm counting my days
Yea jaded - oh, I'm getting sicker
I'm going astray

Yea faded - oh I'm feeling sicker

First - last and all in between
Lets give them more hell then they've ever seen
Give them something to remember
Give them how and why and what your living for
First - last and all in between
The endless war

Eyes dancing to a krankin' fit
Blood spillin' in the heart I'm hit
Lord knows I can't remember when
I'll be up before you count to ten
Uncounting my days
Yea jaded - oh, I'm getting sicker
I'm going astray
Yea faded - oh I'm feeling sicker

Oh yeah, give me the dream, give me the all right
Make it a laser beam, spectacular spotlight
Brighter than the sun on a summer day
A wind to chase my clouds away
Oh yeah give me the dream
Make it be all right
Oh yeah give me a shot, set me a fire
Burning like the sun on a metal cage
A wind that fans the flames of rage
Oh yeah give me a shot, set me a fire
Oh yeah give me the dream

Come faster than the speed of dead
Slow going unforgiving red
I'm a soldier in the endless war
Unchained from the endless gore
I'm counting my days
Yea jaded - oh, I'm getting sicker
I'm going astray
Yea faded - oh I'm feeling sicker

Come faster than the speed of light

Slow going the forgiving night
I'm a soldier in an endless war

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Overkill's song Endless War discuss the life of a soldier, and the endless nature of conflict. The repetition of the phrase "endless war" emphasizes the futility of the cycle of violence and the toll it takes on those who fight it. The first verse describes the soldier's state of mind, feeling chained to the "money whore" and counting down his days. He confesses to feeling jaded and sick as the war drags on, hinting at the mental and emotional toll it has taken.

The chorus urges the soldiers to fight harder, to give their enemies "more hell than they've ever seen." It encourages them to have a purpose behind their fighting, to give "how and why and what your living for." The repetition of "first - last and all in between" emphasizes the importance of every moment of the endless war.

The second verse describes the physical danger the soldier faces, with his eyes dancing and blood spilling. He admits to losing track of time, and feeling even sicker as a result. The bridge and final chorus express a desire for escape from the endless war, whether it be through a dream or a shot that sets him on fire. The final verse ends on a slightly more optimistic note, with the soldier unchained from the endless gore of war, but still fighting.

Overall, Endless War is a bleak but powerful examination of the toll that conflict takes on those who fight. It is a call to action to fight harder and to have a purpose behind the endless violence.

Line by Line Meaning

Come faster than the speed of light
I need things to happen quickly, without delay or hesitation.

Slow going the forgiving night
Despite the comforts of the night, it still passes slowly and offers little solace.

I'm a soldier in an endless war
I am constantly fighting, always engaged in conflict of one kind or another.

Chained down to the money whore
I am tied to a world of greed, materialism, and exploitation, unable to escape its grasp.

I'm counting my days
I am aware of the passage of time and its effects on my life and wellbeing.

Yea jaded - oh, I'm getting sicker
I am becoming disillusioned and tired, and it is causing my physical and mental health to deteriorate.

I'm going astray
I am losing my sense of direction, purpose, and morality.

First - last and all in between
I will fight fiercely and relentlessly, no matter the circumstances or consequences.

Lets give them more hell then they've ever seen
I will increase the intensity and violence of my actions towards my enemies in order to defeat them more thoroughly.

Give them something to remember
I will make sure that my actions leave a lasting impression on everyone involved, even if it means sacrificing myself to do so.

Give them how and why and what your living for
I will make sure that everyone knows what I stand for and what motivates me to fight, no matter the cost.

The endless war
This is my life, and I will never be able to escape from it.

Eyes dancing to a krankin' fit
My senses are overloaded and distorted by the chaos and intensity of battle.

Blood spillin' in the heart I'm hit
My emotions are raw and intense, and I am suffering from the wounds of my experiences.

Lord knows I can't remember when
I have been fighting for so long that I can no longer remember a time before it began.

I'll be up before you count to ten
Despite my exhaustion and pain, I will rise again and continue to fight, seemingly without end.

Uncounting my days
I have lost track of time and stopped caring about the consequences of my actions and the passage of time.

Oh yeah, give me the dream, give me the all right
I am desperate for some kind of hope or inspiration, something to make me believe that there is something worth fighting for and living for.

Make it a laser beam, spectacular spotlight
I want my dreams to be vivid and powerful, to cut through the darkness and reveal a new path forward.

Brighter than the sun on a summer day
I want my dreams to be intense and all-encompassing, overpowering and overwhelming me with their brilliance and energy.

A wind to chase my clouds away
I want something to clear away the doubts and fears that plague me, something to give me clarity and vision.

Oh yeah give me the dream
I need something to hold onto, something to believe in, something to drive me forward.

Come faster than the speed of dead
I need something to happen quickly, even if it means risking my own life and wellbeing.

Slow going unforgiving red
Even though time seems to be dragging on, I am still engaged in furious, merciless combat, with no mercy or forgiveness given or received.

Unchained from the endless gore
Finally, I am able to break free from the cycle of violence and death that has defined my life for so long.

Contributed by Audrey W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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