Overkill Songs Ranked
Overkill is the second studio album by British rock band Motörhead, released on 24 March 1979. It was the band’s first album with Bronze Records. Kerrang! magazine listed the album at number 46 among the “100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time” Overkill was an unexpected success, reaching No. 24 on the UK Albums Chart. It is considered by many to be a vast improvement over the band’s debut and the album where they laid the foundation for their classic sound. AllMusic: Motörhead’s landmark second album, Overkill, marked a major leap forward for the band, and it remains one of their all-time best, without question. In fact, some fans consider it their single best, topping even Ace of Spades. It’s a ferocious album, for sure, perfectly showcasing Motörhead’s trademark style of no holds barred proto-thrash – a kind of punk-inflected heavy metal style that is sloppy and raw yet forceful and in your face.” Here are all of the Overkill songs ranked.
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10. I’ll Be Your Sister
“I’ll Be Your Sister’ is something very unusual for the band; it has a good-time feel to it that’s certainly nothing too special for the band. It’s a strangely feminine song, just read the lyrics – it may well be played at the same volume as the rest of the album but it’s such an oddity in the Motörhead canon.”
9. (I Won’t) Pay Your Price
“It took me a few listens to get into this one; mainly because it doesn’t quite sound like the Motörhead we all know and love. But eventually I was able to latch onto it and it is definitely one for the books.”
8. Capricorn
“‘Capricorn’ is another one of the band’s strangest numbers; all mystical, astrological and spacey. It’s another one of Lemmy’s “I’m this, I act like this and you’re fucking against me” songs. He does them well.”
See more: Motörhead Albums Ranked
7. Limb from Limb
“I think this element of Overkill is best represented by Limb from Limb, which closes the album with the most overt blues segment, that deteriorates into a barking, sex-driven thunder.”
6. Tear Ya Down
“Motorhead had ditched Chiswick Records for the large Bronze Records by 1978. Bronze sent them into Wessex Studios in London to record a single of Louie, Louie and their own song Tear Ya Down. The single did modestly well.”
5. Stay Clean
“‘Stay Clean’ is not an anti-drug hymn, it’s not about finding salvation through Jesus and abstinence, in fact it’s about how the humble rock ’n’ roller – every WI mother’s worst nightmare – occupies a higher moral ground than the politician and the preacher.”
See more: Motörhead Songs Ranked
4. Metropolis
“Metropolis feels different. Feels like Deep Purple. Hmmmm. Catchy. Limb From Limb is great. Very Sabbathy. Love the lyrics. Brutal. Eddie Clarke is on point. Damn. Brutal. The remaster deluxe ultra whatever gives us three different versions of Louie Louie which is fun.”
3. No Class
“No Class is classic Motorhead. What a thrashy opening riff. Busy song, Feels like something awesome. Just plain rock’n’roll. Pretty sure that riff has been ripped off 1000X since this album came out.”
2. Damage Case
“Damage Case is probably one of my favorite Motorhead songs ever. It’s pure genius. Move over for a damage case… Like a slowed-down punk song or just a really killer rock song. Classic Motorhead. Epic. Necessary. Tear Ya Down is what you would come to expect as a signature Motorhead song.”
1. Overkill
“Infectious would be one of the first words I think when I think of Overkill. I can’t imagine the title track not sweeping you up in all of it’s pummeling, bluesy, loudness. The double-bass beat has been endlessly discussed but it really is a fantastic way to sell someone on this album, and Motörhead as a whole, given this album was so sound-defining for the band.”
