Taking Over
Taking Over is the second studio album by the American thrash metal band Overkill, released on 16 March 1987. It follows their debut, Feel the Fire, from 1985, and it marks a change of footing for the band: it was their first record to come out through Atlantic, alongside Megaforce Records. Atlantic would go on to release every Overkill album up to W.F.O. in 1994.
It also closes a chapter in the line-up. This was the last Overkill album to feature drummer Rat Skates, who left later in 1987 and was replaced by Sid Falck. Next in the story came Under the Influence in 1988. For anyone tracing how the band grew from their early thrash roots into a long-running act, Taking Over is the record where that step up begins.
Taking Over: tracklist, credits and charts
9 tracks · 45:27Tracklist
- 1Deny the CrossEllsworth, Gustafson, Skates, Verni4:42
- 2Wrecking CrewEllsworth, Gustafson, Skates, Verni4:30
- 3Fear His NameEllsworth, Gustafson, Skates, Verni5:23
- 4Use Your HeadEllsworth, Gustafson, Skates, Verni4:18
- 5Fatal If SwallowedEllsworth, Gustafson, Skates, Verni6:44
- 6PowersurgeEllsworth, Gustafson, Skates, Verni4:34
- 7In Union We StandEllsworth, Gustafson, Skates, Verni4:23
- 8Electro‐ViolenceEllsworth, Gustafson, Skates, Verni3:43
- 9Overkill II (The Nightmare Continues)Ellsworth, Gustafson, Skates, Verni7:10
- Produced by
- Overkill, Alex Perialas, Jon Zazula
- Recorded at
- Pyramid Sound Recording Studios, Pyramid Sound Studios (Ithaca, New York)
- Recorded
- September–December 1986
- Engineered by
- Alex Perialas
- Mastered by
- Tom Coyne
- Labels
- SPV GmbH, Atlantic, Megaforce
- Length
- 45:27
Line-up
- Bobby Gustafson · guitar
- Rat Skates · membranophone
- D.D. Verni · bass guitar
- Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth · lead vocals
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 1987 | 191 |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
Released the same week
Also released on 16 March
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia only
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 1 September 1987 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 16 March 1987 | |
| Wikidata | March 1987 | |
| US release | 1 September 1987 | earliest US date |
8 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | XW | — | 075678173561 | other |
| 1987 | DE | SPV GmbH | other | |
| 1987 | DE | SPV GmbH | other | |
| 1987 | DE | SPV GmbH | other | |
| 1 September 1987 | US | Atlantic | 075678173523 | original |
| 2012 | US | Atlantic | 075678173523 | other |
| 2013 | JP | Atlantic | 4943674139347 | other |
| 2024 | XE | Atlantic | 4050538676990 | other |
Cover art sources
deezer · upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| deezer ✓ | 1200×1200 | upscaled: major: best source 1200x1200, upscaled to 1500 (x1.25) |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |
| coverartarchive | 500×500 | upscaled |