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Overkill need no introduction, having been around for almost 30 years.  The predecessor "ReliXIV" was pretty badly received - I was one of the few who did find some good stuff in there.  "Immortalis" does away with some noted annoyances, steering away from the more "modern" influences and sounding more old school this time around.  This is it right there:  Annoying who has had some decent exposure to Overkill in the past will instantly recognize almost every song here as an Overkill track, save maybe for "Skull and Bones" which showcases Lamb of God's vocalist on guest vocals.  I don't know what's up with that, but the song is still pretty good.  While this is not a return to the band's most classic and respected sound, it often gets pretty close.  Some passages are a little lackluster, like the first half or so of "Head On" doesn't sound all that great - in fact pretty boring - but then all of a sudden the speed picks up and one can't help but think "hell yeah, that's Overkill alright."

Overall the album is slightly (and somewhat expectedly) more mellow than their most revered albums, sometimes dragging a little too much, but you get a good slab of more or less tame Thrash Metal, with the band's signature groove, razor-sharp guitar work and some, pardon the expression, pretty fucking cool solos.  I haven't revisited their most recent material in a while, instead focusing on some older releases that I had just acquired, but I could swear that Blitz sounds better on "Immortalis" than he has in years, maintaining his raucous style but also kicking in with the melodic vocals when the music calls for it.  I was a bit worried when I ordered this album that maybe Overkill would keep sliding down a slippery slope, but "Immortalis" has thankfully proved me wrong.