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)
Time to Kill
Overkill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let me out of prison
I'm just killing time
Every time I turn around
I start to hear familiar sound
Counting down as time stands still
Yes I think it's time to kill
All the mental anguish
Speaks a common language
I have yet to lavish a chance to walk away
Every time I turn around
I start to hear a familiar sound
Counting down as time stands still
Yes I think it's time to kill
Unknowing, unseeing
Revelations unfold before your eyes
Relenting, repenting.
No time to think or compromise
Time falling, time calling
Into a void and seal the past
You're waiting, annihilating,
Making it real, making it last
Worn out compromises
Must be out of rises
See through all the lies
We don't walk away
Every time we turn around
Start to hear that familiar sound
New beginnings time stands still
Yes I think it's time to kill.
The lyrics of Overkill's "Time to Kill" address the concept of violent indecision and the surge of mass religion, where the singer is metaphorically imprisoned and is simply killing time as they listen to the familiar sounds of time counting down. The mental anguish of the singer seems to speak a common language, one that has yet to give them a chance to walk away. As time stands still, the singer contemplates the idea that it might be time to kill.
The song talks about revelations that unfold before the listeners' eyes, leaving them with no time to think or compromise. Time falls and calls into a void, sealing the past. The singer waits and annihilates, making it real and making it last. The worn-out compromises must be out of rises as they see through all the lies. The singer and the listeners don't walk away; they start to hear the familiar sound again, but this time, it's new beginnings. Maybe it's time to kill, and time stands still.
The song's lyrics are open to interpretation, but some suggest that it's a criticism of mass religion and violent fundamentalism. The singer finds themselves metaphorically imprisoned by their beliefs, and the only way out is to kill off those ideas that constrain them. It's also possible that the song is a commentary on the cyclical nature of violence, where violence begets violence, but regardless of its interpretation, it's a powerful and thought-provoking song.
Line by Line Meaning
Violent indecision, surge of mass religion
There is a wave of conflicting and aggressive opinions, driven by a powerful collective belief system
Let me out of prison
I want to escape the mental and emotional confinement I'm experiencing
I'm just killing time
I'm not doing anything productive, just waiting aimlessly
Every time I turn around, I start to hear familiar sound
I keep hearing the same warning or prompting that I've been ignoring
Counting down as time stands still, Yes I think it's time to kill
As time seems to slow down, I feel like I need to take violent action to resolve my inner conflict
All the mental anguish, speaks a common language
This inner turmoil is familiar and universal to many people
I have yet to lavish a chance to walk away
I haven't given myself the opportunity to escape this situation
Unknowing, unseeing, revelations unfold before your eyes
Even though you are unaware and blind to it, there is knowledge being revealed to you
Relenting, repenting, no time to think or compromise
There is no way to back down or apologize, you must act quickly and without hesitation
Time falling, time calling, into a void and seal the past
Time is fleeting and urging you to leave the past behind and move on
You're waiting, annihilating, making it real, making it last
You are preparing to destroy something or someone, and you are determined to make it a permanent solution
Worn out compromises, must be out of rises, see through all the lies
Attempts to make peace have failed and it's time to face the truth
We don't walk away, every time we turn around
Even though we know we should leave, we keep returning to the same situation
Start to hear that familiar sound, new beginnings time stands still
Despite feeling stuck, there is a sense of a new start approaching
Yes I think it's time to kill
Despite the potential consequences, I believe that a violent solution is necessary
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@raphaelfritzler7799
3:22 , one of the heaviest riffs ever. I was a teenage mess back then, and this music saved my life. 🤘💀⚔️
@yucatansuckaman5726
Were still a mess and listening to this
@yearginclarke
Gustafson's guitar tone is killer.
@jasonstewart2590
Killer ain't the word!
@tomsawyer5736
Underrated player.
@JjsWorld77
Didn't he join the Biker Babes From Hell or some crazy like that. He shouldn't have ever left
@yearginclarke
@Benjamin Hymer Yeah I've read about that but never heard any of his work with them. He was perfect for Overkill, too bad it didn't work out for him.
@Basssotti
Shure one the best Thrash guitar tones ever !! :)
@WingZero75
Ah yes, the music of my teen years. This shit still kicks fucking ass.
@josephromano7305
Now that's pure thrash metal! Heavy,fast, Bobby screaming in this song is awesome!