Formed in 1986, Over The Top (aka OTT) burst into the southeastern Virginia metal scene like a hurricane touting influences from Slayer, Metallica, Exodus and local brethren At War. OTT quickly solidified their place in the local scene by playing a ton of shows which were always intense. Their eponymous 1987 demo and 1989's Lighting of the Pyre demo hold up as some of the most underrated thrash classics that you've likely never heard. They continued to dominate the local thrash scene and showing a lot of maturity in their playing and song writing. The band had the riffs and solos from Joe Green (RIP) and Dave Gray, intense drumming from Chris Brown and solid bass work from Charles Miller who also shared vocal duties with Joe. The live shows were always intense, full of stage dives and circle pits. This compilation of the first two demos shows the world that OTT could have and should have been a household name of the thrash world. - Sean W.
