Overkill
- GENRE: thrash metal
- COUNTRY: USA
Finely cut riffs and the razor-sharp vocals of Bobby Blitz, a deadly precise autopsy – this is precisely what the veterans from Overkill bring to the thrash table. They do it so well that it’s weird not to mosh it out during their songs. They recorded dozens of records, never took it easy, and live they still knock everyone out with juvenile zest. Prepare your white high-tops and warm up those vocal cords to sing “Elimination.”
History:
Overkill is one of the first thrash bands in history. Founded in 1980, there were many line-up changes along the way, but the two co-founders, the bassist D.D. Verni and the vocalist Bobby Blitz, have remained its unwavering buttress. They have excellent punk roots – lest we forget, they started out covering the genre’s classics, from The Ramones to The Dead Boys. In 1993, they debuted with a demo Power in Black and two years later, released their first EP and then LP – Feel the Fire. Their music landed on the eager ears of the then-up-and-coming thrash scene, and so they didn’t have to wait long for their first big hit. Their sophomore record, Taking Over, debuted on number 191 of the Billboard 200 chart. Since then, the band only ever really left the studio for the tour. Thanks to the string of records from Under the Influence to W.F.O., they enjoyed the status of one of the most consistent and popular thrash bands, blending the aforementioned genre with punk and heavy metal. On the albums from The Killing Kind to Bloodletting, they mixed in elements of groove metal and hardcore, to then on Killbox return to the pure-blooded thrash they continue to play till this day. The 2010 album Ironbound revived their popularity and made success come their way once again.
Discography:
LP:
Feel the Fire, 1985
Taking Over, 1987
Under the Influence, 1988
The Years of Decay, 1989
Horrorscope, 1991
I Hear Black, 1993
W.F.O., 1994
The Killing Kind, 1996
From the Underground and Below, 1997
Necroshine, 1999
Bloodletting, 2000
Killbox 13, 2003
ReliXIV, 2005
Immortalis, 2007
Ironbound, 2010
The Electric Age, 2012
White Devil Armory, 2014
The Grinding Wheel, 2017
The Wings of War, 2019
Scorched, 2023
EP:
Overkill, 1985
!!!Fuck You!!!, 1987
6 Songs, 2012
Last Man Standing, 2018
Demo:
Power in Black, 1983
Singles:
Bring Me the Night, 2010
Ironbound, 2010
Electric Rattlesnake, 2012
Wish You Were Dead, 2012
Armorist, 2014
Our Finest Hour, 2016
Mean, Green, Killing Machine, 2016
Last Man Standing / BatShitCrazy, 2019
Feel the Fire, 2019
Coma, 2023
Splits:
The Can, 1988 (z Dark Angel i Dissension)
Sexy Flexi, 1990 (z The Almighty)
Metal Is Our Middle Name, 1997 (z Judas Priest, Bruce Dickinson i Saxon)
Man in Black / Warrior Heart, 2017 (z Kreator)
Live albums:
Wrecking Your Neck Live, 1995
Wrecking Everything – Live, 2002
Live from OZ, 2013
Live in Overhausen, 2018
Compilations:
!!!Fuck You!!! and Then Some, 1996
Coverkill, 1999
2 Originals of Overkill (From the Underground and Below / Necroshine), 2001
Hello from the Gutter – The Best of Overkill, 2002
Then and Now, 2002
The Complete Albums 87-94, 2005
Devil by the Tail, 2005
Fuck You and Then Some / Feel the Fire, 2005
Wrecking Everything / Killbox 13, 2009
ReliXIV / Killbox 13, 2012
Elimination, 2020