''W.F.O. (Wide Fucking Open)'' is the seventh full-length studio album by

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

band Overkill, released on July 15, 1994, on

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most ...

. The album contains "hidden songs" on track 98 the songs start at 10:00, featuring the band warming up in the studio, playing " Heaven and Hell" by

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped de ...

, "The Ripper" by

Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in th ...

and "

Voodoo Child (Slight Return) "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" is a song recorded by the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1968 that appears as the final track on the '' Electric Ladyland'' album released that year. It contains improvised guitar and a vocal from Jimi Hendrix, backed ...

" by Jimi Hendrix. The instrumental song "R.I.P. (Undone)" was written as a tribute to

Criss Oliva Christopher Michael Oliva (April 3, 1963 – October 17, 1993) was an American musician who was the lead guitarist and co-founder of the heavy metal band Savatage. During his lifetime, he released seven studio albums and one EP with the band. ...

, co-founder of the band

Savatage Savatage () was an American heavy metal band founded by brothers Jon and Criss Oliva in 1979 in Tarpon Springs, Florida. The band was first called Avatar, but, shortly before the release of their debut album ''Sirens'' (1983), they changed t ...

, who died nine months before the release of the album. ''W.F.O.'' is the last Overkill album released by

, who released their previous five albums, and their last album with guitarists Rob Cannavino and Merritt Gant. ''W.F.O.'' and '' I Hear Black'' were re-released on

Wounded Bird Records Wounded Bird Records is an American compact disc only re-issue record label that was founded in 1998 in Guilderland, New York. They re-release lesser known albums from popular and lesser known artists, including Paul Butterfield, Cactus, Herbie ...

in 2005.

Production and musical style

''W.F.O.'' was the first album Overkill produced themselves. On the making of the album, frontman

Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth Robert Ellsworth (born May 3, 1959), best known as Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth, is an American singer who is the lead vocalist of New Jersey thrash metal band Overkill. He has been the vocalist of Overkill since its inception in 1980, and he and b ...

explained to ''

Gavin Report The ''Gavin Report'' was a San Francisco-based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs. The ...

'': While ''W.F.O.'' was said to be a return to the band's "good ol' thrashin' ways", it continued the traditional heavy metal sound previously used on '' I Hear Black'', but eschewed most of that album's influences from stoner and

doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...

in favor of a

groove metal Groove metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that began in the early 1990s. The genre achieved success in the 1990s and continued having success in the 2000s. Inspired by thrash metal and traditional heavy metal, groove metal features rasp ...

influenced sound.

Reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

's Jason Anderson gave the album a positive review, awarding it four stars out of five and stating, "''W.F.O.'' probably represents the formal beginnings of a '90s commercial swoon for the thrash metal band." Anderson then added, "By the time of this 1994 release, the group's popularity might have been waning a little due to rock fashion trends leaning heavily away from thrash or anything that reminded listeners of the '80s. That's not to say that ''W.F.O.'' isn't a fine recording. It is probably one of the band's best, and last, thrash juggernauts." ''W.F.O.'' reached number nine on the ''Billboard'' Heatseekers chart in 1994, making it Overkill's third-highest chart position (after '' I Hear Black'' and ''

Ironbound The Ironbound is a neighborhood in the city of Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. It is a large working-class multi-ethnic community, covering approximately of well maintained streets and homes. Historically, the area was cal ...

'', which peaked at number three and number four respectively). Unlike many of their previous albums, it did not chart on the ''Billboard'' 200.

Track listing

* All songs written by

and D.D. Verni.

Hidden tracks

*Tracks 12 – 95 are all silence for 0:03-0:04 *96 (blank) – 2:56 *97 (blank) – 9:00 *98 " Heaven and Hell", "The Ripper" and "

" in rehearsals – (Starts at 1:00) – 4:55 *99 (blank) – 0:04

Sampling

"The Wait/New High in Lows" samples a quote from the 1993 crime film ''

Carlito's Way ''Carlito's Way'' is a 1993 American crime drama film directed by Brian De Palma, based on the novels '' Carlito's Way'' (1975) and '' After Hours'' (1979) by Judge Edwin Torres. The film adaptation was scripted by David Koepp. It stars Al Pac ...

''.

Personnel

– lead vocals * D.D. Verni – bass, backing vocals * Merritt Gant – guitars * Rob Cannavino – guitars, backing vocals, acoustic guitar * Tim Mallare – drums

Additional personnel

* Produced by Overkill * Keyboards by Doug Cook * Engineered by Tom Bender and Doug Cook * Mastered by Howie Weinberg at Masterdisk,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

, USA

Charts

References

External links

Official OVERKILL Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:WFO Overkill (band) albums 1994 albums Atlantic Records albums