The band has been around since 1980 and the two constants that have remained throughout the plethora of line-up changes have been vocalist Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth and bassist D.D. Verni.  They have weathered the storm of band members, dips in band popularity as well as dips in some of the quality of their albums – I would say after the scorching 1991 Horrorscope, (I saw them headline on this tour at the Ritz in NYC and they destroyed), the quality of albums went downhill until the aforementioned 2010 Ironbound album.

One of the things that have changed over the years is the vocals of Blitz.  Increasingly over the years since 2010 his vocals, while still retaining his signature nasally thrash-oriented vocals, have somewhat morphed into Udo Dirkschneider of Accept fame.  It’s pretty interesting and does not bother me at all since I loved Udo’s work with Accept.

Scorched is 10 songs in 51 minutes and Overkill has never been known to write really short albums, their albums, except for their debut, hover around the 45-minute to hour-plus range and they have some difficulty streamlining parts of their songs/albums-I always wondered if this was maybe the reason for them no gaining the stardom as bands like Slayer/Anthrax or Megadeth? Regardless of this opinion, Scorched continues with the vim and vigor of punishing thrash they’ve been putting out under the Nuclear Blast label.

Opening with the title track, which is the longest song on here, at over 6 minutes.  Starting with a cool guitar solo the song then gets into a killer thrash beat, before slowing down and Blitz’ vocals sounding, as I have mentioned above, and the chorus is too darn catchy alongside the backing gang-styled vocals of the various members.  The thrash and speed is on point and this song is one of the best opening songs in recent memory for Overkill.  I cannot get the catchy chorus outta my head..it’s irritating at times.  The prominent bass guitar tone of D.D. is ever-present and there’s some melodic and atmospheric moments before the guitar solo, from the beginning enters again, almost sounding like the intro to “Thunderstruck” from AC/DC, it has that vibe.

“The Surgeon” was one of the singles released prior to the release of the album and the fast-paced vocals, in the beginning, are excellent and the lyrics: Bleeding for the martyr, we were bleeding for the Pope. We were bleeding for the victim, we were bleeding for the dope  We were bleeding for the felon as he tried to catch his breath. And the motherfucker cried out (Bleed till death).  Super catchy vocal tones and the accompanying music is quite killer as the song vacillates with the thrashy speed and mid-paced crumbling heaviness.

Dave Linsk and Derek Tailer are quite the guitar duo.  Heavy and catchy riffing which helps put Overkill out there as showing them youngins out there the older bastids still have it.  I do want to give a shout-out to the drummer Jason Bittner.  He used to be in an upstate NY death metal band, wayyy back in the day Burning Human.  We played shows with them and he was a cool dude.  I even wore the shit outta the Burning Human shirt on the Voracious Contempt Tour with IB, I still have the pics.  He’s been with Shadows Fall and Overkill now for a number of years so I am glad to see he was able to parlay his abilities to getting into bigger bands, since his drumming is awesome.  Just thought it was all worth mentioning.

“Twist of the Wick” has some devastating drum rolls and killer and catchy vocals choruses and Jason even throws in a blast beat on this song among the punishing thrash speed.  This is definitely one of the more brutal Overkill tunes and this needs to make it into their live set or I will ensure I bring up to Blitz he still owes me $5 for the 2 slices and Pepsi, from back in the fucking day in NY, next time I see him.  Anyway, the song features some cool aria-style vocals in the middle of the song, before the guitar solo erupts over the thrashy speed and the punishing double bass towards the end of the fast part will collapse chest cavities.  This is another song where the chorus refuses to leave my head and is caught in my head days on end..oh boy!

“Harder They Fall” is another good trashy song that erupts pretty quickly with the quick tempo with excellent gang-backing-styled vocals.  This is another one of my favorite tunes on the album.  The band ends the album on one of their more humorous songs, as they have written many of these songs in the, past “Bag o’ Bones”.  It’s a fun and jumpy song that rollicks along, but it’s definitely not the type of song I would end a really good thrash metal album on.

Scorched is a killer Overkill album and is so darn catchy.  I have listened to this album pretty much non-stop since receiving the promo – thanks Erik!.  The production is on point and one you would expect from a thrash metal band around this long.  Punchy, crisp and in your face.  It’s also a pretty loud recording so please crank this bad boy up in order to blow out car door windows.  This is a terrific thrash metal album filled with plenty of class and killer musicianship.

Seriously, what can really be said about OverKill that hasn’t already been said before, or isn’t plain common knowledge to a devout metal fan. Having been around for 35 years, with their debut full-length rearing its head in 1985, the band continues releasing albums with only a three year gap being the longest interval between any of their full-lengths. If that alone doesn’t qualify OverKill for being THE most consistent, hardest working band in metal music today, then “We don’t care what you say….” uh, you know the rest. The Grinding Wheel itself continues the path of (non)progression that the band is known for. Tracks are of typical ‘Kill length, falling into a 4 to 8-ish minute formula of thrash-tastic, sometimes bluesy, upbeat, anthemic, and epic beatdowns, with the album clocking in at a hour, the bands longest to date.

To plagiarize myself from an OverKill review I wrote for The Electric Age; “the more things change, the more OverKill stays the same.” The founding duo of vocalist, Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth and bassist, D.D. Verni, amaze at how they are able to keep ripping out albums of thrash metal greatness through many different incarnations of the band. Of course they are, and always have been the songwriting core. Stylistically, there isn’t much to truly elaborate on when it comes to the tracks on The Grinding Wheel. If you have ever banged your head to an OverKill song before, then you know what to expect. Having said that, The Grinding Wheel does seem to have a little bit of everything from past ‘Kill albums, achieving not only a classic vibe, but to these ears, a vibe/songwriting feel/mentality that recalls the hugely underrated mid to late ’90’s era of W.F.O., The Killing Kind, From the Underground and Below, and Necroshine.

Fat grooves of thrash excellence rule every track, while Dave Linsk proves, yet again, to be the band’s best lead/solo player ever. The man simply rips and tears. Honestly, the line up OverKill has here, and has had for a bit now, is probably the best ‘Kill incarnation yet. Rhythm guitarist, Derek Tailer is more than adequate at being a top notch riff killer and frankly, drummer, Ron Lipnicki is a fucking beast; while Blitz and Verni both give performances full of exuberance and vitality. From the first track to the last, every song on The Grinding Wheel is a winner. Though the guys probably could have cut “God Damned Trouble” and still maintained the same listening impact that the album achieves, but ultimately, no harm, no foul.

To sum it all up, if you are an OverKill fan, new or old, then The Grinding Wheel is a hands down winner. If you’re just a half-assed thrash listener, then give it a go; you definitely are getting a quality product that you are sure to find something you will like about it. Though if you’ve never liked OverKill, or even thrash metal for that matter; well, as the ‘Kill would say, “We dont care what you say. …. …”

The album starts of with a obligatory intro and just tears into “Armorist”. Holy crap! You got to just love/appreciate the power that Overkill can still put forth. Driving fast paced riffing and the double bass drumming keeping pace. Gotta thank the band for the addition of Ron Lipnicki on drums, he is on album #4 (not counting single, Ep’s and live stuff) with the Kill and he has just gotten better and better. He has added a solid and diverse recording here and plenty of ear candy and air drumming to be had. (Listen to “Its All Yours” for some of this. If you have heard any Overkill albums you know what you are getting into and the formula hasn’t changed too much “Blitz” still has the vitriol and passion in his voice and DD’s playing is heard ( a few little bass moments that I love) Ron and Derek both have the guitars locked down.

The songs range from the raging thrashers and mid paced numbers. Also I have noticed has of the last 4-5 albums each have a song that starts in one way sound wise and then mid way changes dynamics where you almost think it’s a different song. I think this is great and offers some variety and sometimes the riffing just grabs you. “Bitter Pill” offers this song structure briefly. “Freedom Rings” is mid paced thrasher with that double bass there again. “King of the Rat Bastards” has a slight Exodus feel with the riffing and the gang style background vocals.

As with Iron Maiden and their mascot Eddy, Overkill has continued with the Charly has cover theme and overall tie in with past albums and has a unifying band visual.  I like, how overtime different artists have interpreted the bat winged skull motif in some stunning visuals. Production has been handled by the band and have created a stellar sounding album. with all instruments sounding clear, loud and with a good guitar crunch, they seem to have learned lessons from past producers well. So yes, Overkill do not disappoint and released a good album to continue to offer stability to my thrash dreams.

Confirmed dates thus far:

Nov. 05 – Rochester, NY – Montage Music Hall
Nov. 06 – Farmingdale, NY – Crazy Donkey
Nov. 07 – Providence, RI – Club Hell
Nov. 08 – Baltimore, MD – Sonar
Nov. 09 – Virginia Beach, VA – Gil’s
Nov. 10 – Charlotte, NC – Amos’
Nov. 11 – Raleigh, NC – Volume 11
Nov. 12 – Jacksonville, NC – Hooligans
Nov. 13 – Orlando, FL – Club Firestone
Nov. 14 – Ft Lauderdale, FL – Culture Room
Nov. 15 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
Nov. 16 – Cleveland, OH – Peabody’s
Nov. 17 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
Nov. 18 – Pittsburgh, PA – Diesel Nightclub
Nov. 19 – Manchester, NH – Rocko’s
Nov. 20 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom

Tickets go on sale today exclusively through EnterTheVault.com until May 28 at which point they will be made available through all regular ticketing systems.

First, I have to mention Mr. Bobby Blitz – he hasn’t sounded this good and venomous since, well, probably ever, and is the perfect match to Dave Linsk and Derek Tailor’s rampaging riffs and leads. Speaking of riffs, you won’t find a dull one in sight – every riff is just a monster. Every lead and solo is full of win. The kit battery of Ron Lipnicki is crushing, and of course the bass work of DD Verni is thunderous, full of energy, and thankfully not buried in the mix. To put it simply, the band is on fire; tight as hell and at the height of their game, even after all these years.

Ironbound opens with it’s longest song, “The Green and Black”, a raucous thrash romp that sets the tone perfectly. This is followed up by the relentless title track and the super hooky “Bring Me the Night”. The latter songs main riff is eerily similar to that of Diamond Head’s classic “Helpless”, but I’d have to imagine this was coincidence rather than by design. No matter either way though, as that riff just flat out kills. They bring it back a few notchs with the mid-paced groovers “The Goal is Your Soul”, “Give a Little” and it’s highly memorable chorus, and the stripped back “The Head and Heart”. “Endless War”, “In Vain” and album closer “The SRC” are high-octane tunes, while “Killing For a Living” is another barn stormer with a twist – Blitz begins each verse with a semi-spoken, semi-sung part before breaking into the song proper, which really makes it standout in a good way.

There’s nothing left to say – it’s Overkill fer fucks sake, and they’re kicking more ass than they have in years here with Ironbound. Dig it.

This is the 25^th anniversary of Overkill.

Yeah! Quarter of a century! The big news is that D.D. [Verni] and I both started the band when we were 11 [laughs]. Twenty five years since Feel the Fire and I knew D.D. almost 30 years now.

Going into the writing and recording of this album, did that milestone weigh on you at all?

I don’t think so. When the 25^th anniversary is really being brought up to me, as opposed to me thinking about it prior to going into the studio… I’d say the reason for longevity of this band has been really about today and making the day big. Love us or hate us, we are what we are and always put as much into it as possible. I think that to some degree that’s the reason of let’s say longevity versus success is that it is really about the day. People have brought the anniversary up as opposed to us thinking about it as a prerequisite to the year or record.

Even without thinking about the 25^th anniversary there is an aggressiveness inherent on this album that is even more intense than what I’ve heard over the past several albums. That’s one of the main vibes that really jumped out at me.

You know what it is? We came off the road and started assembling this. We didn’t start writing it as soon as we came off the road. It was being written in pieces as we were on the road with riffs being collected, etc. We finished the last shows in March 2009 and started assembling in April, so I really think that when you transfer that energy from the road into the assembly of the record and you start pressing the record button the X factor is that you were just on the road with everybody. So that’s a huge dependency that a band has. It’s got that all for one feeling, it’s got that “hey, I’ll watch your back” feeling, it’s got that “if you fall, I’ll pick you up” feeling. I think when a band records under that philosophy you can’t discount that X factor of energy in there. So for us Immortalis touring was a thrash and bash ‘em up year with Exodus and some of the newer bands like Gama Bomb, Warbringer, and then we’re assembling a record, so I think it really transferred.

Right, as opposed to not doing anything for six months and then going into the studio.

Sure! Then you’re really more meticulous and calculated about what you’re doing, whereas coming in off the road it’s more about feel, and I think that just really put all the chemistry for five individuals in focus and all in the right place.

In addition to D.D. it seems like this lineup has been pretty stable for quite a while now, hasn’t it?

Yes. D.D. and I from the beginning. Dave Linsk is the longest standing guitar player in this band, over 10 years now. Derek [“The Skull” Tailer] for eight and Ron Lipnicki since 2005 and this is his second recording, so he’s a youngster I think at 37 [laughs]. We always call him “the kid.” [Laughs]. But it has for sure gelled. There has always been a generalization about us that those who are in this band always understand the definition, which is that live gelling, that over the top thing, and the people who have been here have wanted to play live. This band has gelled live. With the completion and offering of Ironbound, we’ve gelled in the studio too.

The title Ironbound would seem to indicate some level of long term toughness. Was that the idea about choosing it as a title?

Well, it’s twofold. Yes, obviously bound or being tied to, not as a complaint, but as an acceptance of being tied to the scene. I think the scene itself is one of community and that many within it right from the beginning with that revolutionary feel back in the 80s. It felt tied to the scene and it’s become a lifestyle as opposed to necessarily just the love of the music. And the other is really quite simply is that Ironbound is a neighborhood in New Jersey [laughs]. So it’s a common expression to us and the neighborhood was an immigrant neighborhood, European, and it’s in the Port of Newark and it’s very close to the port. If you look at the neighborhood from the sky, from a helicopter or a plane, there are so many railroad tracks through it that it looks like it’s tied to the earth by iron ribbon [laughs]. So let’s just say that there is a correlation with us being tied to the scene by iron ribbons.

I can’t imagine you have many interviews where someone doesn’t bring up the power of D.D.’s bass lines on an Overkill album. They are really pronounced on this album as well, that big iron clanging sound.

It’s really probably one of the unique things when thought about this band and I think it has made us identifiable with regard to not just my vocal presentation, but to some degree more so D.D.’s prominence in the mix. I think that is what Overkill is about. Motorhead said “everything louder than everything else” and D.D. actually listened [laughs].

Kicking off the album with “The Green and Black,” there is obviously significance to that song with regard to the essence of Overkill. That sounds to me like one of the next Overkill anthems. And it’s eight minutes!

It’s a pretty intense song.  When we were putting this together and you go into the studio and songs have titles that are working titles, and this was always called “opener.” I was talking to D.D. and I said “wow, eight minutes plus” and he said “I know, that’s a set of nuts if we pull that off” [laughs]. To open a song with something so epic.

It doesn’t feel long though; you don’t even think about the running time.

That’s the beauty of it. If you create something that’s eight plus minutes, but it feels like you want to hear more at the end of it, then that’s success. With regard to this song I think it’s really a declaration of those who support “it” as well as those who do “it,” and therefore we all do “it.” And I think lyrically to some degree I’ve become celebratory more so since the late 90s, as opposed to negative, through personal changes in myself. It may sound nasty, dull, and stabbing, but I think the idea is that there is always recognition and props to those who deserve it and I think this is anthem-like with regard to that.

Speaking of the 90s or any period where there may have been ups and downs, and having lasted 25 years, were there points during the life of the band where you considered hanging it up?

It really never came across our desk like that. When grunge came in and kind of stomped all over this we became self-managed at that time. It wasn’t really for lack of interest from our management. We were kind of looking at how things were changing and we learned from some really good managers and they said “yeah, you’re ready to do it on your own if you’d like.” So during that tough time it really became more exciting because it widened that scope of the value for us because now we had to separate it into the guys in the band versus the guys who managed the band. So that became this new kind of horizon, new mountain to climb, so it was really interesting, even though the time presented itself as being tough. In reality what ended up happening was as grunge was putting the boot print on metal all it really was doing was forcing it back underground and as many bands went home and worked for mom and dad the bands that stayed became very successful during that period because there was a crowded room in ’92 of a hundred touring American bands and by ’95 there was nine of us [laughs]. So it’s kind of cool that the scene still exists, it’s just underground. I remember back in that era we’re starting to manage and we’re getting more and more offers because there are less and less metal bands that are touring. We’re selling out the mid-sized venues when grunge is getting the headlines, so who gives a fuck? It was always about being an underground scene, so for us to start managing at that time and to have those kinds of successes I think just prepared us to go into the next phase, which was the digital age and understand that things can be accomplished, regardless of what the local climate is.

Yeah, my promo of Ironbound is digital and more and more of what I get are digital downloads to review.

It’s a difference scene, man. Before Al Gore declared that he discovered the Internet I was putting flyers under windshield wipers [laughs]. And that’s what promotion was about, as well as writing letters and sending the faxes. With this digital age it’s instant information and I think, again, being self-managed from the mid 90s on it prepared us to say hey, you have to be current and to keep your finger on the pulse you don’t necessarily have to take a forecast of what the market’s gonna do; you have to be able to adapt to what the market is gonna do. That’s what’ll keep us more than just alive, but successful.

Going back to the album, in addition to the aggression there is a ton of memorable songs, like “Bring me the Night.” “Give a Little,” which is arguably the catchiest track on the album has a brief melodic singing part in there. Who does that?

Oh, the crooning! That’s Bobby Blitz [laughs].

Wow! It almost sounds like Danzig, man. I didn’t have any liner note information, so I really didn’t know.

I actually just saw Danzig. He played a one-off in Jersey. It’s kind of cool. There are a couple of things that I do on this record. There is a death metal voice too in “The Head and the Heart.” I started fuckin’ with the death metal voice probably eight or ten years ago and I’ve always used it as support and every now and then it shows up and people always thought it was someone else, but it was me. A few years ago I had done a side project called The Cursed and there was some crooning a little bit here and there because the guy I wrote it with I told him it’s got to be different than Overkill. I went out and bought a double CD called The Essential Johnny Cash and I sang it for three months [laughs], not to sound like Johnny, but to understand the low end of my voice. What came out was this crooning thing. So I used it in The Cursed so I thought why the hell not because I actually got ok at it [laughs]. Dynamics, that’s really what it’s about. That song comes across as a punky hardcore kind of a thing. You can almost pogo to it, as opposed to head bang. That’s one of the dynamics that was added specifically for flavor, but I agree, I love that little crooning part in there.

Are there any guest musicians on the album then?

No there’s not. It’s the five of us playing as a unit.

What about “The SRC?”

Subterranean Resistance Cult. “The Green and Black” starts it and I can tell you where I got the title of that one. In the Ironbound is where the New Jersey Devils play, I’m a big fan. They start their promo commercials off like this, really simple: “For those who bleed red and black” [laughs]. Now the SRC is the other end of that, meaning that it’s the successful end for everything you do. It is a sense of community and with that community we collectively see what we want and we collectively can get what we want. It’s just about resistance and I always likened this scene from the beginning to that of a revolutionary feel and it’s had impact that has transcended more than three generations at this point. So the SRC to some degree grows and grows.

I recently reviewed the new Exodus DVD [Live at Wacken and other assorted Atrocities] and you made a few appearances on that one. It looked like you were having a good time.
Sure, it was fun. I’ve known Gary [Holt] since the beginning of Overkill and I think we released Feel the Fire and they released Bonded by Blood or something like so. It was that sense of community and when the West Coast guys came east you went out and saw them and when the East Coast guys went west they came out and saw you. I became close with Rob Dukes and Rob actually rented a small theater where he lives in a town I own a business in and he debuted the uncut version of that Exodus DVD. It was fuckin’ great! [Laughs] We really enjoyed touring with them last year. It’s funny; we were shaking our heads saying we should have done this years earlier, being cut from the same cloth. You know what’s cool about that too is that there is competitiveness in this, friendly obviously, and I think the people who win over their competition are people that buy tickets. If Gary Holt comes off the stage, holding his guitar and sweating his ass off and giving you that sideways grin saying “beat that,” then I’ll say “my pleasure” [laughs]. The only one who is going to win is the guy in the front row [laughs].

Did you watch the thrash documentary, Get Thrashed?

Sure, I own it.

What did you think? I thought it really captured the essence of thrash metal.

I think so. I think the timing of it was impeccable. There is obviously a new wave of this and I attribute the new found popularity of this older genre to a lot of the younger bands. There are a lot of the same social and political themes that are going on now that happened when this all started and I think that is part of the reason that it carries weight. When there is a voice in the dark, the voice of angst, it should be noticed, especially under these circumstances. So there is a young thrash fan out there who can go see Warbringer, Suicidal Angels, and they also see Overkill and they see where it started, so I think it gives value across the board. I don’t know if Get Thrashed really lit the fire, but I think it gave the newer generation the resource to understand a little bit more the reason for that revolution.

Some of the younger bands were talking about bands from the 8os that I barely even remember from that time.

[Laughs] They’re real historians.. Somebody said to me how funny it is that they actually, to a very large degree, dress like that of the 80s – the high top whiteys and the drain pipe pants and the stretch pants and the leather jacket with denim vest over it. And I said I e-bayed all my white high tops to the Warbringer guys [laughs] because they wanted to be so authentic that they wanted the originals [laughs]. So it’s kind of cool that it’s had that impact to write down the details.

You’ve got a few tours coming up; Europe, South America, and then North America.

That’s correct and then after that we’re doing about 15 festivals over the summer. I recommend that to anybody that’s looking for something to do for a summer vacation and is not strapped for cash. Get over to Europe for a good weekend and figure out where to go. Over the course of nine days you could be in France to see one, two in Germany, etc. And they’re awesome. They go from 15,000 people to almost 100,000 and it’s rockin’ and the beer flows and there is not one fist fight, which is kind of cool. The touring starts February 6^th in The Netherlands and runs through Europe for a month and then South America after that. In Europe we’re taking a band called Suicidal Angels, which is a new great band on Nuclear Blast. It was originally configured differently, but the co-headline we had booked dropped out, but we are going to do that rerun in autumn. Through the U.S. we’re going with Vader and Warbringer, God Dethroned, and Evile. That goes into May, ending at the Nokia Theater in New York. It’s funny too, after 25 years we’re getting bumped up to bigger venues. Go figure, eh?

www.myspace.com/overkill

www.wreckingcrew.com