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)
Kill at Command
Overkill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They ride through the dark of the night
Metal warrior stands over victims whose hands
Grab for their last chance of life
Bright shields! sharp swords
March forward for their Lord
Set the bow, rulers come
Battle cries silent screams
Submerge the Devil in evil dreams
Feel the blade, rulers come
Meet your maker
I live for the kill, I do it at will
Let the weak ride back to the lair
Now they will kneel to leather and steel
Gasp for the last breath of air
Blood runs heads roll
Enemy fear, take the soul
Set the bow, rulers come
Meet your maker
Lash out strike first
Blood of the dead quench my thirst
Feel the pain, rulers come
Meet your maker.
A gilded warrior wonders why
His fear becomes new life on high
Looking down... the dead won't tell
Why his soul existence lives on in Hell
Long live the spirit
In a life that knows no end
Many pass before him
Many in the wind
The lyrics of Overkill's song "Kill at Command" describe a brutal and bloody scene of invaders coming to a land to kill at their leader's command. They ride through the darkness of night, and a metal warrior stands over victims whose hands are reaching for any chance of survival. The warriors march forward with bright shields and sharp swords, ready to face their enemies and meet their maker. The battle cries and silent screams create an atmosphere of terror and death, and the devil is submerged in evil dreams while rulers meet their maker.
As the song progresses, the perspective shifts to that of the killer, who lives for the kill and does it at will. The weak are left to cower in fear while the leather and steel of the killer rule the day. Blood runs and heads roll, and the enemy is left with nothing but fear as their soul is taken. The killer is filled with adrenaline as they strike first, thirsting for the blood of the dead.
The last verse is a reflection on the aftermath of the violence. The gilded warrior wonders why his fear has become new life, and looks down at the dead who won't reveal the secrets of the afterlife. The spirit lives on in a life that knows no end, and many pass before him and are lost to the wind. The lyrics ultimately create a picture of mindless violence and killing, leaving behind nothing but death and destruction.
Line by Line Meaning
They came to the land, to kill on command
A group arrived with a mission to execute murder wherever called for.
They ride through the dark of the night
The murderers travel through the cover of darkness.
Metal warrior stands over victims whose hands
A warrior made of metal towers above victims who with their hands reach out for help.
Grab for their last chance of life
The victims desperately try to hold onto their last breaths.
Bright shields! sharp swords
Holders of bright shields and sharp swords advance towards enemies.
March forward for their Lord
The warriors march forward under the instruction of their leader.
Set the bow, rulers come
Weapons are ready for use, because a threat approaches.
Meet your maker
Get ready to meet your end creator.
Battle cries silent screams
Cries from both sides are met with silence, then the horror begins.
Submerge the Devil in evil dreams
The actions will banish the Devil to his worst nightmares.
Feel the blade, rulers come
Experience the pain of the weapon as your end is here.
I live for the kill, I do it at will
It's a way of life to take out lives without restraint.
Let the weak ride back to the lair
Individuals perceived as weak can flee back to their hiding places.
Now they will kneel to leather and steel
Those who remain will bow to those with leather and steel weapons.
Gasp for the last breath of air
The victims struggle for their final moments of life.
Blood runs heads roll
Blood spews while heads detach from their corpses.
Enemy fear, take the soul
Those who pose as enemies, let their souls out of their physical form.
Lash out strike first
React fast and strike the enemy first.
Blood of the dead quench my thirst
The blood of those killed satisfy the murderous instincts of the singer.
Feel the pain, rulers come
Suffer the grievous consequences, the end is upon you.
A gilded warrior wonders why
A warrior decorated in gold questions the purpose of the killing.
His fear becomes new life on high
The fear experienced by the warrior led to a new existence up high after death.
Looking down... the dead won't tell
As the warrior looks down, the killed can't give up any information.
Why his soul existence lives on in Hell
The soul of the killed one still lives in hell beyond their biological body.
Long live the spirit
May the spirit remain alive in a world beyond death.
In a life that knows no end
The spirit will live on in a life that never sees an end.
Many pass before him
A large number of people die and cross this warriors path.
Many in the wind
A lot of those killed, their internal essence moved on in the wind.
Contributed by Penelope D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Dominon92
They came to the land, to kill at command
They ride through the dark of the night
Metal warrior stands over victims whose hands
Grab for their last chance of life
Bright shields, sharp swords, march forward for their Lord
Set the bow, rulers come, meet your maker
Battle cries, silent screams, submerge the Devil in evil dreams
Feel the blade, rulers come, meet your maker
I live for the kill, I do it at will
Let the weak ride back to the lair
Now they will kneel to leather and steel
Gasp for the last breath of air
Blood runs, heads roll, enemy fear, take the soul
Set the bow, rulers come, meet your maker
Lash out, strike first, blood of the dead quench my thirst
Feel the pain, rulers come, meet your maker
A gilded warrior wonders why his fear becomes new life on high
Looking down, the dead won't tell why his soul existence lives on in Hell
Long live the spirit in a life that knows no end
Many pass before him, many in the wind, oh
Arcane Master
That album is mad ! that entire album is fucking badass ! pure raw energy ! Speed Metal, Thrash Metal influenced by NWOBHM and Punk...Venomous vocals...high speed guitars and bass...drums that kill...One of the best metal albums ever
metaluke17
Seriously, Overkill is one of those band that never stopped, they have been around for more than 30 years. It's certainly in the top 10 biggest name of 80's Thrash with Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Testament, Exodus, Kreator, Sodom and Destruction.
akathasamurai
THIS IS STRAIGHT FUCKING THRASH! This is what Metal is all about, thanks for posting.
TheGroumpfy
Dat fucking solo. Bobby G is one hell of a guitarist.
Adolf Mendi
Me encanta! esta historia..
Roshan Gupta
Great song! Puts me in the mood for more 80's speed and thrash metal!
Henri Tervo
This is it!!!! One of diamond that time record collection. Masterpiece trash song !!!!!!
Dominon92
They came to the land, to kill at command
They ride through the dark of the night
Metal warrior stands over victims whose hands
Grab for their last chance of life
Bright shields, sharp swords, march forward for their Lord
Set the bow, rulers come, meet your maker
Battle cries, silent screams, submerge the Devil in evil dreams
Feel the blade, rulers come, meet your maker
I live for the kill, I do it at will
Let the weak ride back to the lair
Now they will kneel to leather and steel
Gasp for the last breath of air
Blood runs, heads roll, enemy fear, take the soul
Set the bow, rulers come, meet your maker
Lash out, strike first, blood of the dead quench my thirst
Feel the pain, rulers come, meet your maker
A gilded warrior wonders why his fear becomes new life on high
Looking down, the dead won't tell why his soul existence lives on in Hell
Long live the spirit in a life that knows no end
Many pass before him, many in the wind, oh
Slayer Dkuban
Their best album
Germanchica84
Of course!!!!