Overkill is an American thrash metal band from Old Bridge Township, New Jersey. Formed in 1980, the group was co-founded by bassist Carlo "D.D." Verni and drummer Lee "Rat Skates" Kundrat, with vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and guitarist Robert "Riff Thunder" Pisarek joining afterwards. The current lineup of Overkill features Verni and Ellsworth alongside lead guitarist Dave Linsk (since 1999) and rhythm guitarist Derek Tailer (since 2001).
Overkill was formed in 1980 by D.D. Verni and Rat Skates, with Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and Robert Pisarek joining afterwards. [1] During 1981, Dan Spitz and Anthony Ammendola took over on guitars. [2] In 1982, Spitz and Ammendola were replaced by Rich Conte and Mike Sherry, before Bobby Gustafson took over as the band's sole guitarist before the end of the year. [1] [3] After the band released its first two albums Feel the Fire and Taking Over , Skates left in December 1987. [4] He was replaced by Robert "Sid" Falck, formerly of Paul Di'Anno's Battlezone. [5] The new lineup issued Under the Influence in 1988 and The Years of Decay in 1989, before Gustafson parted ways after an argument with Verni regarding an upcoming show he wanted to play. [6] To replace the guitarist, Overkill returned to a five-piece lineup with the additions of Rob Cannavino and Merritt Gant. [7]
During the promotional tour for Horrorscope in 1992, Falck left the band to pursue other musical styles and was replaced by former M.O.D. drummer Tim Mallare. [8] The new incarnation released I Hear Black , W.F.O. and live album Wrecking Your Neck , before Cannavino and Gant were replaced by Sebastian Marino and Joe Comeau. [9] Marino recorded The Killing Kind , From the Underground and Below and Necroshine , before leaving in March 1999. [10] He was replaced by Dave Linsk, who debuted on the covers album Coverkill . [11] After a European tour in early 2000, Comeau left Overkill to join headliner Annihilator as its new lead vocalist, but returned after the remaining four-piece recorded Bloodletting that summer. [12] [13] By early 2001, Comeau had left again and been replaced on tour by Derek Tailer. [14]
After releasing Wrecking Everything , Killbox 13 and ReliXIV , Overkill changed drummers in May 2005 when Mallare was replaced by Ron Lipnicki. [15] The new lineup remained stable for over ten years, before the band's road crew member Eddy Garcia temporarily replaced Lipnicki on tour from April 2016, after he was "forced to stay home due to undisclosed family issues". [16] By May 2017, Lipnicki had been replaced on a permanent basis by Flotsam and Jetsam drummer Jason Bittner. [17] The new lineup released The Wings of War in 2019. [18] Bittner departed in August 2024 due to scheduling issues. [19] His touring replacement so far, As of November 2024 [update] , has been Jeramie Kling (ex-Venom Inc.). [20]
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D.D. Verni | 1980–present |
| all Overkill releases | |
| Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth |
| |||
| Dave Linsk | 1999–present |
| all Overkill releases from Coverkill (1999) onwards | |
| Derek Tailer | 2001–present |
| all Overkill releases from Wrecking Everything: An Evening in Asbury Park (2002) onwards |
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee "Rat Skates" Kundrat | 1980–1987 | drums | all Overkill releases from Power in Black (1983) to Fuck You (1987) | |
| Robert "Riff Thunder" Pisarek | 1980–1981 | lead and rhythm guitars | none | |
| Anthony Ammendola | 1981 | rhythm guitar | ||
| Dan Spitz | lead guitar | |||
| Rich Conte | 1981–1982 | |||
| Mike Sherry | lead and rhythm guitars | |||
| Joe | 1982 | |||
| Bobby Gustafson | 1982–1990 |
| all Overkill releases from Power in Black (1983) to The Years of Decay (1989) | |
| Robert "Sid" Falck | 1987–1992 | drums |
| |
| Rob Cannavino | 1990–1995 |
|
| |
| Merritt Gant | 1991–1995 | |||
| Tim Mallare | 1992–2005 | drums | all Overkill releases from I Hear Black (1993) to ReliXIV (2005) | |
| Joe Comeau |
|
| all Overkill releases from The Killing Kind (1996) to Coverkill (1999) | |
| Sebastian Marino | 1995–1999 (died 2023) | lead guitar | ||
| Ron Lipnicki | 2005–2017 | drums |
| |
| Jason Bittner | 2017–2024 | The Wings of War (2019) to Scorched (2023) |
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eddy Garcia |
| drums | Garcia temporarily replaced Lipnicki on the 70000 Tons of Metal cruise in 2012, and later from April 2016. [16] | |
| Waldemar Sorychta | 2016 | lead guitar | Sorychta stepped in for lead guitarist Linsk on a European tour in late 2016 for undisclosed reasons. [21] | |
| Phil Demmel | 2021–2023 | Demmel played one show with Overkill in place of Linsk in November 2021, due to scheduling conflicts. [22] He continued to do so their 2022 spring tour with Prong. | ||
| David Ellefson | 2024 |
| Ellefson played bass for the band on their "Scorching Latin America 2024" tour while Verni was recovering from shoulder surgery. [23] | |
| Jeramie Kling | 2024–present | drums | Kling joined the band, starting with a European tour. [20] | |
| Christian "Speesy" Giesler | 2024 |
| Giesler joined the band for a European tour. [24] | |
| Christian Olde Wolbers | Wolbers joined the band for a North American tour. [25] |
| Period | Members | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| 1980–1981 |
| none |
| 1981 |
| |
| 1981–1982 |
| |
| Late 1982 – December 1987 |
|
|
| December 1987 – late 1990 |
|
|
| Late 1990 – March 1991 |
| none |
| March 1991 – summer 1992 |
|
|
| Summer 1992 – summer 1995 |
|
|
| Summer 1995 – March 1999 |
|
|
| Spring 1999 – spring 2000 |
|
|
| Mid – late 2000 |
|
|
| Late 2000 – early 2001 |
| none |
| Early 2001 – May 2005 |
|
|
| May 2005 – May 2017 |
|
|
| April 2016 – May 2017 (temporary touring lineup) |
|
|
| May 2017 – August 2024 |
|
|
| August 2024 – present (temporary touring lineup) |
|
|
Overkill is an American thrash metal band, formed in 1980 in New Jersey. They have gone through many lineup changes, leaving bassist D.D. Verni and lead vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth as the only remaining original members. The band's current lineup includes Verni, Ellsworth, Dave Linsk on lead guitar, Derek Tailer on rhythm guitar, and Jeramie Kling as a touring drummer. Along with Nuclear Assault and Anthrax, the latter of whom would feature one-time Overkill lead guitarist Dan Spitz, the band is one of the most successful East Coast thrash metal bands, and they are often called "the Motörhead of thrash metal", based on their unique playing style, which was influenced by punk rock and the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM). The band has a notable mascot named "Chaly" who has appeared on many of their album covers.
The Years of Decay is the fourth studio album by thrash metal band Overkill, released on October 13, 1989 through Atlantic and Megaforce Records. It is the last Overkill album to feature guitarist Bobby Gustafson, who either left or was fired by the band amid a feud between himself and its founding members Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth (vocalist) and D. D. Verni (bassist). The Years of Decay was also the first of two Overkill albums produced by Terry Date, who took on the same role for their follow-up album Horrorscope (1991).
Under the Influence is the third studio album by thrash metal band Overkill, released on July 5, 1988 through Megaforce Records and Atlantic Records. This was Overkill's first album to feature drummer Sid Falck, who had replaced Rat Skates when the latter left the band in 1987 during the Taking Over tour.
Horrorscope is the fifth studio album by thrash metal band Overkill, released on September 3, 1991, through Atlantic and Megaforce Records. It was the first Overkill album to feature the duo of guitarists Merritt Gant and Rob Cannavino, and the last to be released through Megaforce, although they remained on Atlantic until 1995. Like its predecessor, The Years of Decay (1989), Horrorscope was produced by Terry Date. The album's cover was also the first to display the band's logo in a different color, to which it is orange instead of green.
The Killing Kind is the eighth studio album released by thrash metal band Overkill in 1996. It was the first album to feature new guitarists Joe Comeau and Sebastian Marino, and was released on CMC International, whereas their previous studio albums were released by either Megaforce or Atlantic Records.
Necroshine is the tenth studio album by thrash metal band Overkill released on February 23, 1999, on CMC International records.
Coverkill is a cover album released by thrash metal band Overkill in 1999. The album consists of cover songs by artists that influenced the band, including Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Motörhead, Kiss, Judas Priest, Jethro Tull, Ramones, Sex Pistols, the Dead Boys, and Manowar. This was Overkill's first release with guitarist Dave Linsk.
Bloodletting is the eleventh studio album by American thrash metal band Overkill, released on October 24, 2000, by Metal-Is. It is the first after the departure of guitarists Joe Comeau and Sebastian Marino and the addition of Dave Linsk. Bloodletting also marked the first and only time since 1989's The Years of Decay that Overkill had recorded together as a four-piece.
Killbox 13 is the 12th studio album by thrash metal band Overkill, released in 2003. It is the first album with rhythm guitarist Derek Tailer. The name stems from the fact that the band considers this to be their thirteenth release because they include the Overkill EP as their first, or that they had released the covers album Coverkill, which would have been their eleventh studio album. "Well, it is the thirteenth, but it's only really the thirteenth for people who followed the band. There was an EP called Overkill back in '84...", said Bobby Ellsworth.
ReliXIV is the 13th studio album by American thrash metal band Overkill, released in spring 2005. The reason the Roman numeral 14 is included in the title is because the band includes the Overkill EP in their lineup of studio albums, which would make this album the 14th by their chronology. It can also be because Overkill released the covers album Coverkill, which would have been their eleventh studio album. While this diction left it unclear how the title was to be pronounced, Blitz just mentioned it as "Relics" when announcing songs from the album on stage. The album produced the popular "Old School", which has been played at every Overkill show since it was first released. As of late 2007, ReliXIV sold over 16,000 copies in the U.S.
Immortalis is the 14th studio album by American thrash metal band Overkill. It was released in 2007 on Bodog Records. It is a pun of "Immortal15", and was preceded by Killbox 13 and ReliXIV. The album sold over 2,800 copies in its first week of release in the U.S and as of 2009, Immortalis sold over 15,000 copies in the U.S.
Live at Wacken Open Air 2007 is a video by the American thrash metal band Overkill, released on February 5, 2008 through Bodog Music.
Carlo "D.D." Verni is an American musician, best known as a founding member, bassist and songwriter of the thrash metal band Overkill. He and vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth are the only two original members who have remained with the band throughout its entire history. In addition to his work with Overkill, Verni has recorded four albums with his side project the Bronx Casket Co. and released several solo projects. He is also the composer of The Bronx Casket Co.... A New Musical.
Ironbound is the 15th full-length studio album by American thrash metal band Overkill, which was released on January 29, 2010 in Europe on Nuclear Blast and in the U.S. on February 9, 2010 on eOne Music. It was their first studio album in more than two years since the release of Immortalis in the fall of 2007, and their first release on their current label Nuclear Blast.
Robert Wayne Gustafson is an American musician, best known as the former guitarist of the New Jersey–based thrash metal band Overkill from 1982 until his split with the band in 1990. He was also the rhythm guitarist for thrash metal band Vio-lence from 2020 until 2022.
The Electric Age is the 16th studio album by the American thrash metal band Overkill, which was released on March 27, 2012 in the U.S. on eOne Music and in Europe three days later on Nuclear Blast.
White Devil Armory is the 17th studio album by the American thrash metal band Overkill. It was released on July 18, 2014 in Europe through Nuclear Blast and July 22 in North America through eOne Music.
The Grinding Wheel is the 18th studio album by American thrash metal band Overkill, released on February 10, 2017. It is the last Overkill album with drummer Ron Lipnicki, who left the band shortly after its release and was replaced by Jason Bittner for the album's tour and its follow-up The Wings of War (2019).
The Wings of War is the 19th studio album by American thrash metal band Overkill, released on February 22, 2019. It is the band's first album to feature drummer Jason Bittner, making it their first one without Ron Lipnicki since ReliXIV (2005), as he had left Overkill shortly after the release of its predecessor The Grinding Wheel (2017).
Scorched is the twentieth studio album by American thrash metal band Overkill, released on April 14, 2023. It is the band's first studio album in four years, following The Wings of War (2019), the longest gap between studio albums for the band. This is also the last Overkill album to feature drummer Jason Bittner, who left the band in August 2024.
