Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth - Overkill
It’s hard to pinpoint my favorite Overkill moment. Perhaps it was the first time I held the vinyl of “Feel the fire” in my hands. Or maybe it was when I first heard their cover of “Sonic Reducer” which made me realize why I had a hard time choosing a favorite between heavy metal and punk rock, because they both are awesome. Whatever it was, it made Overkill one of my all time favorite bands. Thrash has always been near and dear to my heart, and Overkill have done it with style and grace for right about 30 years. It was my great honor to hop on the horn for a few minutes with Blitz (Vocals, as if I need to tell you this) to talk a little bit about what’s happening down in The Gutter.
Interview with Bobby ”Blitz” Ellsworth of Overkill
By Rob ”Bubbs” Harris
Metal Exiles: Three decades of Overkill. How stoked are you to know that your band and your music is still very relevant in these fiscal musical times?
Blitz: I think the most important thing there, considering the time frame, is the word “Relevant”. It’s more about what is, rather than what was. If we start only celebrating what was, it sort of becomes novelty at that point. We just released “Ironbound” here in 2010, and it’s a very valid record, with regard to the scene. It is just as contemporary as any of the other releases out there this year, and that gives us what is, in my opinion, credibility. It’s not just about what we have been doing all these 30 years, so I still get very excited to talk about what we are currently doing.
ME: You’ve been around for so long, and you have always tip-toed the line between heavy metal and punk rock. Both of those scenes have undergone several drastic changes over the course of it all. As a fan of both styles of music, what are your thoughts on the current state of both scenes?
Blitz: First and foremost, Overkill has always been a thrash metal band, flavored with punk rock. It’s really the X-Factor when it comes to energy. You know, I think what punk was, was an explosion type movement, with regard to emotion. On the other hand, the thrash movement was pretty much the same, just a little more powerful. We’ve always liked to pepper our metal with punk though. As far as the changes go, there have been numerous, especially within the metal genre. With punk, punk is punk. That’s the beauty of punk rock music; When it’s right, it’s right. With metal, what we’ve seen is the genre get commercialized in a number of different ways. However, the underground always seems to survive this. The reason it survives is technology, and the only reason a band like us has legs to stand on is because there are a whole new breed of metal bands rising up from the underground. They’re kind of the new guard, if you will. Bands like Evile, Gama Bomb, Bonded By blood, etc., are giving us older bands some more credibility because there is this whole new crowd coming in and discovering our music. It’s wonderful! Now the old guard and the new guard can play together because they are both completely viable.
ME: I agree with you there. I think that the new generation of thrash bands are really opening up some cool musical doors for their fans. It also sets the stage for some killer tours.
Blitz: Yeah, that’s the beauty of it. Kids that are into Gama Bomb can come to a show and see Overkill, and they’ll say to themselves “Okay, I see where they get it from”. That’s how we expand. You don’t start incorporating new 40 year old thrash bands. You get new ones. You’re either in or you’re out by 40, usually. It’s very important, though, that these younger crowds of like 18-25 year olds come out to these shows and get exposed to bands like us and what we do. They get to see where it all started. And the bands that started the whole thing are still out doing their thing today; us, Slayer, Exodus, and so forth.
ME: Right. It is cool to see that the older bands are getting some much deserved recognition from a whole new group of fans. It’s not only in a live setting though. Over the past two years, several of the pioneering thrash bands (Artillery, Kreator, Slayer, Overkill, Exodus, At War, and more) have released some great new records.
Blitz: Sure. That’s because we all still have this passion for what we do. This music has been more than good to us.
ME: What I think is cool, is how you not only keep things fast and heavy, but also incorporate a lot of different styles and nuances in your music. When you hear Overkill, you know who it is, but no two albums sound the same.
Blitz: True. With “Ironbound”, I don’t like to call it a best of, but it’s a best of what we do best. That is present power and tight songs, but it also means being able to go off on tangents. Not a lot of bands can open their album with an eight minute song, but that’s what we did on “Ironbound” with “The Green and Black”. What makes it work is the fact that it only seems like a four minute song. I think that comes from understanding your abilities and honing your skills.
ME: There are a few bands out there that have compromised themselves and went against everything that they stand for musically. When the backlash begins, they always try to blame the producer. I myself don’t believe that a producer can have that much sway in a band’s sound. Has Overkill ever had to deal with some dickface hot shot producer that tried to tell you how things were going to go down?
Blitz: That has never happened to us. We have had record labels tell us what singles they thought we should use, and we have either agreed or disagreed, but we have never had anyone try to form us into what their idea of a good metal band should be. When you hire a producer, you are hiring him for his skill and knowledge of production. This leaves some room open for him to have certain input. A good producer helps make a band the best that they can possibly be, but ultimately has no say in how your band should sound stylistically. A band should know their sound and hire the right producer to help them fine tune that sound. I can’t speak for any other bands, but Overkill has certainly never had that problem. However, I think that bands who blame producers for weak albums are just trying to pass the buck on someone else for their mistakes.
ME: Speaking of good producers, you guys worked with Peter Tagtgren on “Ironbound”. How was that experience for you?
Blitz: It was great working with Peter. He is one of those guys that really helps bands get the sound they want, whether it be with Destruction, Pain, Hypocrisy, Arch Enemy, Dimmu Borgir or Overkill. He is an amazingly talented producer and musician that really brought a lot to the party when we were recording this record. We couldn’t be happier with the job he has done for us.
ME: You guys are also re-releasing “Immortalis” this year too. Why the re-release of that one?
Blitz: “Immortalis” was released on a different label, with very little promotion. We aren’t re-releasing it just to make extra dough off of our fans, but to give a chance for the fans who might not have been aware of it to pick it up and check it out. We tossed a few unreleased tracks on there for good measure too.
ME: The unreleased tracks on the re-issue are from different periods in Overkill’s career. Do you guys still have tons of extra tunes sitting around, or have you pretty much gone through all of them by now?
Blitz: We’re pretty much done with the extra unused tracks. There might be one or two songs here or there, but pretty much everything we have ever written has been used in some way. When we go in to make a record, we have ten songs in mind, usually. Sometimes eleven or twelve might be written. Do they always get recorded? No. But we always get back to them eventually. We try not to waste anything.
ME: Overkill has toured and played with so many great bands old and new. Is there anyone that you wish you could have played with, or would still like to play with?
Blitz: The original Judas Priest. No doubt about it.
ME: You earned your nickname from being quite the wild man back in the day. Are you still as much the ‘Blitz’ as you were back then, or are you a much more mild version?
Blitz: Oh, it’s much more toned down these days. My wife calls us going out on the road the Middle Age Boys Club. We still like to have fun backstage, smoking cigars, rolling dice and drinking whiskey or whatever, but if the shows are going to be over the top, the partying can’t; be too intense. It’s definitely not what it used to be, but we still have a lot of fun together. That will never stop.
ME: Thanks for your time, Blitz. It was a pleasure. It’s so nice to talk to a musician who doesn’t act like doing an interview is such a pain in the ass.
Blitz: Thanks to you for the support, man. Bands can’t get too far without guys like you helping to spread the word about stuff. I really appreciate what journalists and photographers do to promote the bands they love, even if they don’t make much money, if any at all. Interviews are never a hassle for me. I’m glad to do it. Thanks!
Buy “Ironbound”
Official Overkill Website
Interview with Bobby ”Blitz” Ellsworth of Overkill
By Rob ”Bubbs” Harris
Metal Exiles: Three decades of Overkill. How stoked are you to know that your band and your music is still very relevant in these fiscal musical times?
Blitz: I think the most important thing there, considering the time frame, is the word “Relevant”. It’s more about what is, rather than what was. If we start only celebrating what was, it sort of becomes novelty at that point. We just released “Ironbound” here in 2010, and it’s a very valid record, with regard to the scene. It is just as contemporary as any of the other releases out there this year, and that gives us what is, in my opinion, credibility. It’s not just about what we have been doing all these 30 years, so I still get very excited to talk about what we are currently doing.
ME: You’ve been around for so long, and you have always tip-toed the line between heavy metal and punk rock. Both of those scenes have undergone several drastic changes over the course of it all. As a fan of both styles of music, what are your thoughts on the current state of both scenes?
Blitz: First and foremost, Overkill has always been a thrash metal band, flavored with punk rock. It’s really the X-Factor when it comes to energy. You know, I think what punk was, was an explosion type movement, with regard to emotion. On the other hand, the thrash movement was pretty much the same, just a little more powerful. We’ve always liked to pepper our metal with punk though. As far as the changes go, there have been numerous, especially within the metal genre. With punk, punk is punk. That’s the beauty of punk rock music; When it’s right, it’s right. With metal, what we’ve seen is the genre get commercialized in a number of different ways. However, the underground always seems to survive this. The reason it survives is technology, and the only reason a band like us has legs to stand on is because there are a whole new breed of metal bands rising up from the underground. They’re kind of the new guard, if you will. Bands like Evile, Gama Bomb, Bonded By blood, etc., are giving us older bands some more credibility because there is this whole new crowd coming in and discovering our music. It’s wonderful! Now the old guard and the new guard can play together because they are both completely viable.
ME: I agree with you there. I think that the new generation of thrash bands are really opening up some cool musical doors for their fans. It also sets the stage for some killer tours.
Blitz: Yeah, that’s the beauty of it. Kids that are into Gama Bomb can come to a show and see Overkill, and they’ll say to themselves “Okay, I see where they get it from”. That’s how we expand. You don’t start incorporating new 40 year old thrash bands. You get new ones. You’re either in or you’re out by 40, usually. It’s very important, though, that these younger crowds of like 18-25 year olds come out to these shows and get exposed to bands like us and what we do. They get to see where it all started. And the bands that started the whole thing are still out doing their thing today; us, Slayer, Exodus, and so forth.
ME: Right. It is cool to see that the older bands are getting some much deserved recognition from a whole new group of fans. It’s not only in a live setting though. Over the past two years, several of the pioneering thrash bands (Artillery, Kreator, Slayer, Overkill, Exodus, At War, and more) have released some great new records.
Blitz: Sure. That’s because we all still have this passion for what we do. This music has been more than good to us.
ME: What I think is cool, is how you not only keep things fast and heavy, but also incorporate a lot of different styles and nuances in your music. When you hear Overkill, you know who it is, but no two albums sound the same.
Blitz: True. With “Ironbound”, I don’t like to call it a best of, but it’s a best of what we do best. That is present power and tight songs, but it also means being able to go off on tangents. Not a lot of bands can open their album with an eight minute song, but that’s what we did on “Ironbound” with “The Green and Black”. What makes it work is the fact that it only seems like a four minute song. I think that comes from understanding your abilities and honing your skills.
ME: There are a few bands out there that have compromised themselves and went against everything that they stand for musically. When the backlash begins, they always try to blame the producer. I myself don’t believe that a producer can have that much sway in a band’s sound. Has Overkill ever had to deal with some dickface hot shot producer that tried to tell you how things were going to go down?
Blitz: That has never happened to us. We have had record labels tell us what singles they thought we should use, and we have either agreed or disagreed, but we have never had anyone try to form us into what their idea of a good metal band should be. When you hire a producer, you are hiring him for his skill and knowledge of production. This leaves some room open for him to have certain input. A good producer helps make a band the best that they can possibly be, but ultimately has no say in how your band should sound stylistically. A band should know their sound and hire the right producer to help them fine tune that sound. I can’t speak for any other bands, but Overkill has certainly never had that problem. However, I think that bands who blame producers for weak albums are just trying to pass the buck on someone else for their mistakes.
ME: Speaking of good producers, you guys worked with Peter Tagtgren on “Ironbound”. How was that experience for you?
Blitz: It was great working with Peter. He is one of those guys that really helps bands get the sound they want, whether it be with Destruction, Pain, Hypocrisy, Arch Enemy, Dimmu Borgir or Overkill. He is an amazingly talented producer and musician that really brought a lot to the party when we were recording this record. We couldn’t be happier with the job he has done for us.
ME: You guys are also re-releasing “Immortalis” this year too. Why the re-release of that one?
Blitz: “Immortalis” was released on a different label, with very little promotion. We aren’t re-releasing it just to make extra dough off of our fans, but to give a chance for the fans who might not have been aware of it to pick it up and check it out. We tossed a few unreleased tracks on there for good measure too.
ME: The unreleased tracks on the re-issue are from different periods in Overkill’s career. Do you guys still have tons of extra tunes sitting around, or have you pretty much gone through all of them by now?
Blitz: We’re pretty much done with the extra unused tracks. There might be one or two songs here or there, but pretty much everything we have ever written has been used in some way. When we go in to make a record, we have ten songs in mind, usually. Sometimes eleven or twelve might be written. Do they always get recorded? No. But we always get back to them eventually. We try not to waste anything.
ME: Overkill has toured and played with so many great bands old and new. Is there anyone that you wish you could have played with, or would still like to play with?
Blitz: The original Judas Priest. No doubt about it.
ME: You earned your nickname from being quite the wild man back in the day. Are you still as much the ‘Blitz’ as you were back then, or are you a much more mild version?
Blitz: Oh, it’s much more toned down these days. My wife calls us going out on the road the Middle Age Boys Club. We still like to have fun backstage, smoking cigars, rolling dice and drinking whiskey or whatever, but if the shows are going to be over the top, the partying can’t; be too intense. It’s definitely not what it used to be, but we still have a lot of fun together. That will never stop.
ME: Thanks for your time, Blitz. It was a pleasure. It’s so nice to talk to a musician who doesn’t act like doing an interview is such a pain in the ass.
Blitz: Thanks to you for the support, man. Bands can’t get too far without guys like you helping to spread the word about stuff. I really appreciate what journalists and photographers do to promote the bands they love, even if they don’t make much money, if any at all. Interviews are never a hassle for me. I’m glad to do it. Thanks!
Buy “Ironbound”
Official Overkill Website
