I Hear Black

I Hear Black is the sixth studio album by American thrash metal band Overkill, released on March 9, 1993 by Atlantic Records. It was the band's first to feature drummer Tim Mallare.

I Hear Black
Studio album by
Overkill
ReleasedMarch 9, 1993 (1993-03-09)[1]
Recorded1992
StudioPyramid Sound Studios, Ithaca, New York
GenreGroove metal, thrash metal
Length51:38
LabelAtlantic
ProducerAlex Perialas, Overkill
Overkill chronology
Horrorscope
(1991)		 I Hear Black
(1993)		 W.F.O.
(1994)

Overview

Produced by Alex Perialas (Anthrax, Testament), I Hear Black was the first Overkill album released directly through Atlantic Records. The album once again presented a change in style for the band, from the up-tempo thrash of Horrorscope to a more groove metal style. The result was a metal album which had a much darker feel to it. The European leg of the 1993 "World of Hurt Tour" featured Savatage as a support act. A music video was made for the track 'Spiritual Void' but it saw very little airplay due to the decline of metal in the mainstream. This album and W.F.O. were re-released on Wounded Bird Records in 2005.

At the beginning of the supporting tour the band played eight songs from the album live. However, the songs were quickly dropped from the setlist, and none have been performed since 2002.[2]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [3]
Rock Hard7.5/10[4]

AllMusic's Jason Anderson gave the album a positive review, awarding it three stars out of five and stating, "After releasing perhaps the finest, most musical recording of the band's already considerable thrash metal career in 1991, Overkill followed up Horrorscope in 1993 with I Hear Black, a slightly more dense, ambitious recording, and the band's first for Atlantic Records." Anderson then added, "While not an important release for its genre or even for the band, Overkill's I Hear Black is still a respectable post-thrash offering."[3]

I Hear Black was one of Overkill's most successful albums to date, as it got their fourth-highest chart position (behind three of their 2010s albums The Electric Age, White Devil Armory and The Grinding Wheel),[5] debuting at #122 on the Billboard 200 charts. The album also gave Overkill their highest ever chart position on the Billboard Heatseekers, peaking at number three.[6]

Track listing
  • All tracks written by Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and D.D. Verni[7] except where noted.[8]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Dreaming in Columbian"Ellsworth/Verni/Gant4:00
2."I Hear Black" 5:37
3."World of Hurt" 5:19
4."Feed My Head" 5:36
5."Shades of Grey" 5:19
6."Spiritual Void" 5:13
7."Ghost Dance" 1:46
8."Weight of the World" 4:07
9."Ignorance and Innocence" 5:00
10."Undying" 5:25
11."Just Like You"Ellsworth/Verni/Cannavino4:13
Total length:51:38
Japanese Bonus Tracks
No.TitleLength
12."Killogy"3:11

Usage
  • "World of Hurt" was featured as an unlockable song on the heavy metal-themed game, Brütal Legend.[9]

Personnel

Charts
Chart (1993) Peak
position
Billboard Top Heatseekers 3[6]
U.S. Billboard 200 122[6]
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References
  1. "Overkill - I Hear Black - Encyclopaedia Metallum". The Metal Archives. Retrieved 2013-06-26.
  2. "Overkill Tour Statistics - songs played total". setlist.fm. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  3. "I Hear Black - Overkill". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2014-03-02.
  4. Kühnemund, Götz (1993). "Review Album: Overkill – Horrorscope review". Rock Hard (in German). No. 71. Retrieved 2017-01-04.
  5. "Overkill - Awards". Allmusic.com. Archived from the original on 2015-10-09. Retrieved 2017-01-04.
  6. "I Hear Black - Overkill : Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2016-03-14. Retrieved 2017-01-04.
  7. "BMI: Songwriter/Composer: VERNI CARLO". Repertoire.bmi.com. Retrieved 2013-06-26.
  8. "The Only Overkill Interview You Ever Need To Read". invisibleoranges.com. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
  9. "Brutal Legend Soundtrack Revealed [Update] - IGN". M.ign.com. Retrieved 2013-06-26.
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