Overkill

Below you will find a bit of history about Overkill (New Jersey, U.S.), metal band founded in 1980.

Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth – Vocals

D.D. Verni – Bass, Backing Vocals

Dave Linsk – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals

Derek Tailer – Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals

Ron Lipnicki – Drums

discography:

Power in Black Demo 1983

Feel the Fire Demo 1984

Feel the Fire Full-length 1985

Overkill EP 1985

US Speed Metal Attack Split video 1986

!!!Fuck You!!! EP 1987

Taking Over Full-length 1987

The Can Split 1988

Under the Influence Full-length 1988

The Years of Decay Full-length 1989

Sexy Flexi Split 1990

Horrorscope Full-length 1991

Videoscope Video 1991

Live to the Core EP 1992

I Hear Black Full-length 1993

W.F.O. Full-length 1994

Wrecking Your Neck Live Live album 1995

The Killing Kind Full-length 1996

!!!Fuck You!!! and Then Some Compilation 1996

From the Underground and Below Full-length 1997

Necroshine Full-length 1999

Coverkill Compilation 1999

Bloodletting Full-length 2000

Wrecking Everything Video 2002

Hello from the Gutter Compilation 2002

Wrecking Everything - Live Live album 2002

Then & Now Compilation 2002

Killbox 13 Full-length 2003

ReliXIV Full-length 2005

Immortalis Full-length 2007

Live at Wacken Open Air 2007 Video 2008

Bring Me the Night Single 2010

Ironbound Single 2010

Ironbound Full-length 2010

Electric Rattlesnake Single 2012

Wish You Were Dead Single 2012

6 Songs EP 2012

The Electric Age Full-length 2012

Live from OZ Live album 2013

Armorist Single 2014

White Devil Armory Full-length 2014

Historikill: 1995 - 2007 Boxed set 2015

From the band's website:

Nobody opens their favorite beer and wonders what it will taste like.

Experimentation, stylistic departures, overtures toward the mainstream? That’s somebody else’s game. In a time before MTV’s abysmal “Jersey Shore” or HBO’s magnificent “The Sopranos,” New Jersey blessed the world with Overkill. A heavy metal institution established at the forefront of the burgeoning American thrash movement, with one boot in the gutter and one fist railing against the polish of lesser pretenders.

This year’s White Devil Armory is as vital, powerful, aggressive and melodic as any of the albums in Overkill’s ridiculously impressive back catalog, which stretches over 16 slabs of genre defining and redefining molten metal. The crunch is unmistakable. The voice is irreplaceable. Get less than a minute into White Devil Armory and it’s clear it’s Overkill. No pretense, no musical red herrings. This is tried and true, always trusted thrash metal.

“We don’t have an identity crisis,” declares frontman and metal lifer Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth. “We know what we are. We do this because we like it, first and foremost. We’re not sitting there thinking about what’s popular when we’re writing a song, we’re thinking about what kills. It’s not rocket science. It’s about action, rather than reaction.”

New Overkill bangers like thrastastic album opener, “Armory,” the punkish “Pig” and the signature-sound powered “Bitter Pill” pack as hard a punch as ever. White Devil Armory is focused, destructive and catchy as hell, demonstrating the full capacity of a group whose creative work ethic is evident as the new songs blast from the speakers. White Devil Armory continues the blue-collar band’s modern tradition of self-production, with mixing by The Electric Age’s Greg Reely (Fear Factory, Devin Townsend).

Nearly as ubiquitous at a metal show as Eddie, Snaggletooth or Vic Rattlehead, the batwinged-skull known simply as “Chaly” has adorned the backs of many denim vests around the world. And chances are, anybody with Overkill’s mascot on their jacket will proudly display the logos of bands like Destruction, Exodus, Kreator, Death Angel, Helloween and the Big 4 (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax) on their person, as well.

“I’m not just a contributor to that community, but a supporter of it as well,” Blitz confirms. “I can speak for the band when I say we’ve never drawn a line between the bands and the supporters. That’s part of the beauty of all of this and why I’ve been doing it for so long. Bottom line is that we like what we do. It’s not about wandering off to let my ‘artist’ batteries charge,” he adds, laughing. “I’d much rather talk to my buddies about the new Slayer song, drinking an imported beer on the hood of a Ford.”

The massive contribution of heavy metal partners in crime Bobby “Blitz” and bassist D.D. Verni, who cofounded Overkill the same year Ronald Reagan was elected President, is undeniable and remains unchallenged by those in the know. Overkill got going about a year before Slayer and Anthrax and a couple of years ahead of Metallica, and all of them pushed forward a new style of music drawing from NWOBHM, hard rock and punk. Dave Linsk (lead guitar) has dedicated the last 15 years to Overkill. Derek Tailer (guitar) came in just a couple years later. Ron Lipnicki (drums) followed in 2005.

Now more than 30 years into a formidable career filled with international acclaim and fueled by the unrelenting passion of a diehard fanbase, Overkill has not only stood the test of time – their modern creative output continues to shine. Overkill could easily make a career out of playing nothing but thrash classics like “Elimination,” “Rotten to the Core,” “In Union We Stand,” “Electro-Violence” and the Headbanger’s Ball staple, “Hello from the Gutter.” It’s a collection of anthems to make any band as green with envy as the Overkill logo. But the diehards and a new generation alike celebrate it all.

Right behind “Elimination,” the title track from 2010’s Ironbound and “Electric Rattlesnake” from 2012’s The Electric Age are the most downloaded Overkill songs on iTunes, with newer tracks like “Come and Get It” outpacing the longstanding hits, too.

“We’ve had success with more recent records, whether it’s Immortalis, Ironbound or The Electric Age. Those were accepted by the metal community at a high level,” Blitz confirms. “They want to hear ‘Skull and Bones’ or ‘Electric Rattlesnake’ from the newer stuff. I think that’s a strong testament to what Overkill means to this community.”

Overkill’s Power in Black demo hit the much-celebrated metal tape trading circuit in 1983, long before the Internet made music as accessible as water. Feel the Fire (1985) and Taking Over (1987) remain two of the most important releases in thrash metal music ever, with their major label debut, Under the Influence (1988), raising Overkill’s profile to new heights. The Years of Decay (1989), the dark and heavy Horrorscope (1991) and the doomy I Hear Black (1993) followed in quick succession. W.F.O. (1994) was one of the most aggressive records of their career. There was no running for cover when grunge squashed so many metal bands, or when nü-metal tainted the sound.

Overkill remained true to themselves and the fans with The Killing Kind (1996), From the Underground and Below (1997), Necroshine (1999), Bloodletting (2000), Killbox 13 (2003), ReliXIV (2005), Immortalis (2007), Ironbound (2010) and The Electric Age (2012).

White Devil Armory cements that legacy. The album is a sonic high watermark and a stylistic crown resting atop the Overkill’s surging modern chapter, which sees the band continuing to tour for a worldwide crowd as they have for over 30 years alongside bands like Slayer, Motorhead, Megadeth, Testament, Death Angel, Nevermore and Jag Panzer.

“I think it was my niece who asked me recently, ‘What do you really do for a living? Are you a Rockstar?’” Blitz remembers with a devilish chuckle. “I told her, ‘I have spent 30 years of my life alienating the masses. That’s what I do. But I endear myself to a small minority. That small minority loves me and I love them. That’s how it works.”

Blitz lets out a big laugh. “I think she’s still at home going, ‘Hmm, I don’t get it!’”

Facebook bio

Although everybody seems to have a different account of who came first in the world of New York/New Jersey area thrash metal, it seems certain that New Jersey’s Overkill have stayed around the longest, and have never let their fans down by remaining musically consistent and true to their roots for over 20.

With a career that launched in 1984 that produced 15 studio albums, Overkill celebrates its 25th anniversary with the release of Ironbound, a new album, on E1 Music and a North American tour with support from Vader, God Dethroned, Wabringer, Evile and Woe of Tyrants. Ironbound is a thrash metal masterpiece that features Overkill’s latest lineup, which, along with founders Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth and D.D. Verni, includes guitarists Derek “The Skull” Tailer and Dave Linsk, as well as the newest member to join the band, drummer Ron Lipnicki.

There are few names as well respected as Overkill, and with the resurgence of metal in the music world, this band is poised to return to the top. Overkill are ready to show mature metal heads they still have it and are geared up to teach the new schoolers exactly how it’s done.

The band gained their first major label deal with 1987’s Taking Over. They signed to Atlantic and remained with the label for 7 years, based on the strength and consistency of their music. Under The Influence (1988) and 1989’s The Years of Decay (1989) brought Overkill to new heights in their career. Sid Falck would replace founding drummer Rat Skates on drums to bring his own brutal percussive assault to Verni’s already powerful rhythm section. The band had already established a rabid fan base with songs like “Rotten ToThe Core” and “Hammerhead” (as well as their infamous cover of D.O.A.’s “Fuck You”), and new songs like “Evil Never Dies” and “Hello From The Gutter” would become Overkill mainstays as well. A video for “Hello From the Gutter” was garnering much fan response when it received play on MTV’s Headbangers Ball.

The band’s W.F.O. album (1994) would be Overkill’s final album with Atlantic, as they would release their first official full-length live assault, Wrecking Your Neck on CMC in 1995. Overkill released 3 more full length albums (Killing Kind, From The Underground and Below, and Necroshine) by 2000.

Bloodletting (2000) was released on Metal-Is, and the band added guitarist Dave Linsk to the fray. The current Overkill lineup would be completed with the release of the live album Wrecking Everything, recorded in Asbury Park, NJ, and the addition of second guitarist Derek Tailer in 2002.

Overkill released Killbox 13, one of their most well-received albums to date, on Spitfire Records in 2003. ReliXIV and Immortalis followed, continuing the Overkill legacy.

On October 30, 2009, Overkill inked a multi-album deal with Nuclear Blast Records. The band's debut album for the label, Ironbound — which was described as a true "thrashter-piece" — was released on February 9, 2010. The album received much acclaim, both critically and fan wise, and described by some as an instant classic.

The band's latest album, The Electric Age, is being set for release on March 27th, 2012

OVERKILL - Armorist (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)

wreckingcrew.com

www.twitter.com/OverkillBand