On July 15th, 1994, New Jersey thrash titans OVERKILL released their seventh studio album, "W.F.O.," known among fans by its cheeky full title, through Atlantic Records. Recorded at Ambient Recording Co. in Stamford, Connecticut, it was the first album the band produced entirely themselves, with Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth, bassist D.D. Verni, guitarists Merritt Gant and Rob Cannavino, and drummer Tim Mallare fusing thrash aggression with groove metal muscle. The album climbed to number nine on Billboard's Heatseekers chart, one of the band's highest chart placements, and included "R.I.P. (Undone)," an instrumental tribute to slain SAVATAGE guitarist Criss Oliva. AllMusic later called it "one of the band's best, and last, thrash juggernauts." "W.F.O." proved to be OVERKILL's final release for Atlantic and the last to feature guitarists Gant and Cannavino, closing out a turbulent chapter before the band's long run of independent-label releases in the 2000s and beyond.
