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)
Let It Burn
Overkill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fear-fear, got the in to let it out
So near, feel its breath all over me
Everything is inside, nothing going out
I hear you, I see you, I put you out
I hate you, I love you, I burn you down
Got the need, right here to let it out
Got the need, light the match and let it burn
Listen here to the fire, as it burns up your back
Take your heart, gonna let it burn listen here to the fire
You're sure lookin' tired with a knife in your back
Through your heart, man that's gotta burn, listen here to the fire
Unclear where to start and where to end
I know what the need is all about
So near I can feel it eating me
Everything upside, upside down
I smell you, I taste you, what you're about
I loath you, I adore you to the ground
Got the need right here to let it out
Got the need, light the match and let it burn
[CH]
[BR]
I don't seek the answers to the questions that I learn
I don't start the fires I lay back and watch them burn
I see ashes floating transformed the way they used to be
I see ashes floating down they come to cover me
The lyrics to Overkill's song Let It Burn are enigmatic and can be interpreted in a few different ways. The song seems to be about an intense internal struggle, where the singer is wrestling with their own desires and demons. The first verse talks about feeling trapped, with everything inside but nothing coming out. The second verse describes a more intense feeling, where the singer seems to be consumed by their feelings and desires, with everything turned upside down. The chorus makes repeated references to fire, with the singer needing to "let it out" and "light the match and let it burn."
The bridge of the song is particularly interesting, as it seems to suggest a detachment or fatalism on the part of the singer. They "don't seek the answers to the questions that they learn" and "don't start the fires" but instead watch them burn. This suggests a resignation to a fate that cannot be controlled. The final line "I see ashes floating down they come to cover me" seems to reference a final surrender to whatever uncontrollable force is consuming the singer.
Overall, the lyrics to Let It Burn are intense and enigmatic, with a lot of room for interpretation. The repeated references to fire and burning suggest a deeply internal struggle, but the detachment and fatalism in the bridge suggest a sense of resignation or acceptance.
Line by Line Meaning
Here-here, got the lock-down cover me
I feel trapped and need protection from what's about to happen.
Fear-fear, got the in to let it out
I'm afraid of what's inside but I need to let it out.
So near, feel its breath all over me
What I'm afraid of is so close I can almost feel it.
Everything is inside, nothing going out
All my emotions are bottled up and I can't express them.
I hear you, I see you, I put you out
I acknowledge your existence and I'm getting rid of you.
I hate you, I love you, I burn you down
I have mixed emotions towards you but I'm destroying you.
Got the need, right here to let it out
I have a strong desire to release what's inside me.
Got the need, light the match and let it burn
I'm ready to unleash my emotions and let them consume me.
Listen here to the fire, as it burns up your back
Pay attention to the destruction caused by this fire.
Take your heart, gonna let it burn, listen here to the fire
I'm going to destroy your emotions and you need to understand why.
You're sure lookin' tired with a knife in your back
You look exhausted and hurt due to my actions.
Through your heart, man that's gotta burn, listen here to the fire
I'm hurting you emotionally and you need to realize it.
Unclear where to start and where to end
I'm unsure about how to deal with my emotions.
I know what the need is all about
I understand why I feel the way I do.
So near I can feel it eating me
What's inside me is consuming me.
Everything upside, upside down
My emotions have turned my life around.
I smell you, I taste you, what you're about
I am aware of your presence and I know what you stand for.
I loath you, I adore you to the ground
I have conflicting emotions about you.
Got the need right here to let it out
I can't keep my emotions inside any longer.
Got the need, light the match and let it burn
I'm going to release my emotions and let them consume me.
I don't seek the answers to the questions that I learn
I'm not looking for explanations or solutions to my emotions.
I don't start the fires I lay back and watch them burn
I'm not intentionally causing destruction but I'm not stopping it either.
I see ashes floating transformed the way they used to be
I see the remains of destruction and how it's changed things.
I see ashes floating down they come to cover me
The destruction caused by my emotions is affecting me.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: CARLO VERNI, ROBERT ELLSWORTH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Vinay Seth
One if the best songs I've ever heard in my life- and yet it took me two days of searching to find this masterpiece! What a tragedy.
GMZ
From the year 2000 till this day and i still listen and crave for this song ...O.verkill N.ever D.ies
NoneBuriedDeeper
I'll give Bobby a 100 bucks to play this fucking song live!!!!
Kenju Hitryule
Greatest band ever
Tim Sorenta
Dude, your videos are awesome. You have single handedly brought me back to an extreme appreciation of Overkill's mid era groove metal greatness. Thank you for that.
NoneBuriedDeeper
This just might actually be my favorite Overkill song. I never tired of it
Alonna Gallow
bought tape the day it was released. Love all 20 overkill albums. Really only changing production over the years and not their actual sound is what has made them one of my favorites of all time. They didnt write one bad album. They are thrash metal. THe closest thing to a commercial sound would be I Hear Black, (which is ten times heavier then Metallica Black album ). It is also one of my favorites.
Living For The Kill
@theMETALDOVE I was listening to an interview with Bobby the other day and the question of the drive behind "I Hear Black" was asked. Bobby pretty much replied that like "Skullkrusher", they wanted to touch on more of their Black Sabbath influences with the album.
theMETALDOVE
@Living For The Kill
i love "i hear black". i don't know what the motive was behind it, but it's a killer record. to me it just sounds like part of the ever changing and evolving OVERKILL sound and style.
Living For The Kill
@Alonna Gallow I love "I Hear Black" and while it's true that it's their closest thing to commercial it's still heavy and deep. I'm not sure if the album was them doing something they really wanted to do or if it was them trying to get out of the shit deal with Atlantic.