The Years of Decay is the fourth studio album by thrash metal band Overkill, released on October 13, 1989 through Atlantic and Megaforce Records.

Musically, The Years of Decay features Overkill's most progressive and diverse work compared to their previous albums.

[6] Ellsworth has cited Black Sabbath as being an influence on the band writing and recording longer pieces, specifically their longest track to date "Playing with Spiders/Skullkrusher".

He called it a "classic by the group's fans", and that it "is often mentioned as the pinnacle of the East Coast thrashers' recording career".

[14] Although the album's only single "Elimination" never appeared on the charts, its music video received regular rotation on MTV's Headbangers Ball,[15] and the song remains a staple in Overkill's live repertoire.

[19] Pantera had reportedly hired Terry Date to produce Cowboys from Hell based on his production of this album as well as Bobby Gustafson's guitar tone, which had influenced Dimebag Darrell and the band's transition away from glam to thrash/groove metal.