Right then, you thrash fiends and leather-clad lunatics – strap in, crack a PBR, and prepare to get steamrolled. Because OVERKILL ain’t just another thrash band – they’re the fkin’ heartbeat of East Coast metal**, the cockroach kings of the underground who’ve survived every trend, every disaster, and every fashion crime in metal history.
No breaks. No sellouts. Just pure, greasy, green-blooded THRASH. 🤘☣️💚
⚠️ OVERKILL – STILL WRECKING NECKS SINCE ‘80
Genre: Thrash Metal / Speed Metal / Groove / Nuclear Filth
Formed: 1980 – Old Bridge, New Jersey, USA 🇺🇸
Known For: ***High-octane riffs, Bobby Blitz’s razorblade howl, green skulls, and being the hardest working band in thrash.
☣️ WHO THE HELL ARE OVERKILL?
While the Bay Area had Metallica, Slayer and Exodus flying the thrash flag, New Jersey spat out Overkill like a chainsaw-wielding gremlin covered in beer and middle fingers.
And while the others were chasing charts, Overkill were chasing RIFFS.
They never quit. Never softened.
Just album after album of gnarly, fast, pit-ready madness with a voice that sounds like a pissed-off goblin gargling razors.
Yes, we’re talking Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth – a one-man tornado of sneers, screams and sassy middle fingers.
⚔️ THE (MOSTLY INDESTRUCTIBLE) WRECKING CREW:
- Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth – Vocals / Thrash banshee. Sarcastic hurricane.
- D.D. Verni – Bass / Founding member, riff master, permanent scowl.
- Dave Linsk – Lead Guitar / Shreds harder than a lawnmower in a wasp nest.
- Derek Tailer – Rhythm Guitar / Meat-and-potatoes chug specialist.
- Jason Bittner – Drums / *Ex-Flotsam, now bringing blastbeat thunder.
*These lads don’t age. They just get meaner.
💿 DISCOGRAPHY – A GREEN WAVE OF THRASH MADNESS 💚💥
☠️ Feel the Fire (1985)
🎧 Rotten to the Core, Hammerhead
Vibe: Raw, filthy, iconic.
Riff Rating: ☢️☢️☢️☢️
*One of thrash’s grimiest debuts. Pure attitude.
💀 Taking Over (1987)
🎧 Wrecking Crew, Fatal If Swallowed
Vibe: Bigger, better, louder.
Riff Rating: ☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️
*“Wrecking Crew” should be tattooed on your soul.
🧨 Under the Influence (1988)
🎧 Hello from the Gutter, Shred
Vibe: ***Slicker production, same street-level fury.
Riff Rating: ☢️☢️☢️☢️
*Anthemic thrash from the sewers of Jersey.
⚔️ The Years of Decay (1989)
🎧 Elimination, I Hate
Vibe: Thrash goes epic. Blitz goes mental.
Riff Rating: ☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️
Their masterpiece. Easily top-tier thrash history.
🔥 Horrorscope (1991)
🎧 Coma, Thanx for Nothin’
Vibe: ***Heavier, meaner, still Overkill.
Riff Rating: ☢️☢️☢️☢️
*The heaviest follow-up ever.
💣 I Hear Black (1993)
🎧 Spiritual Void, Dreaming in Columbian
Vibe: Groove meets doom. Slower, darker.
Riff Rating: ☢️☢️☢️
*Bit of a curveball – but still stomp-worthy.
⚰️ W.F.O. (1994)
🎧 Fast Junkie, Where It Hurts
Vibe: Fast, fun, feral.
Riff Rating: ☢️☢️☢️
*Back to speed. Back to gut-punch thrash.
⚡ From the Underground and Below (1997)
🎧 Long Time Dyin’, Save Me
Vibe: Groove metal era, but still fierce.
Riff Rating: ☢️☢️
*More Pantera, less Slayer – but with Blitz howling like a banshee.
🧨 Necroshine (1999)
🎧 Necroshine, My December
Vibe: Catchy, doomy, a bit weird.
Riff Rating: ☢️☢️☢️
*Title track = green-blooded anthem.
🔪 Bloodletting (2000)
🎧 Thunderhead, Bleed Me
Vibe: Straight-up speed and spit.
Riff Rating: ☢️☢️☢️
*No nonsense. Just wreckage.
🔥 Killbox 13 (2003)
🎧 Devil by the Tail, No Lights
Vibe: They’re baaaaack. Classic thrash reborn.
Riff Rating: ☢️☢️☢️☢️
*The comeback before the comeback.
☣️ Ironbound (2010)
🎧 Ironbound, The Green and Black
Vibe: Holy crap, they’ve levelled up.
Riff Rating: ☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️
*One of the best thrash albums of the 2010s.
💀 The Electric Age (2012)
🎧 Electric Rattlesnake, Drop the Hammer
Vibe: Modern thrash greatness.
Riff Rating: ☢️☢️☢️☢️
*Still hungry. Still dangerous.
⚰️ White Devil Armory (2014)
🎧 Armorist, Bitter Pill
Vibe: Slick, sharp, crushing.
Riff Rating: ☢️☢️☢️☢️
*Proof that Overkill doesn’t age.
💣 The Grinding Wheel (2017)
🎧 Mean Green Killing Machine, Goddamn Trouble
Vibe: Thrash’n’roll baby.
Riff Rating: ☢️☢️☢️
*Still slamming skulls into speakers.
🔥 Scorched (2023)
🎧 Scorched, Wicked Place
Vibe: Modern production, old-school menace.
Riff Rating: ☢️☢️☢️☢️
*Another chapter in Overkill’s nuclear saga.
🎧 THE RIFF REPORT’S OVERKILL BANGER PLAYLIST:
🎸 Wrecking Crew – Jersey pit anthem
🎸 Elimination – Chant this at the gym or the gates of Hell
🎸 Hello from the Gutter – Thrash’s sleaziest groove
🎸 Ironbound – The modern Overkill masterpiece
🎸 Mean Green Killing Machine – They ARE the machine.
💚 WHY OVERKILL ARE THE COCKROACH KINGS OF THRASH:
Because they:
- Outlived EVERYBODY
- Stayed filthy, fast, and fun
- ***Never followed trends – just destroyed them
- ***Deliver live sets louder than nuclear war
- ***Are the East Coast’s loudest export
And because Blitz still sounds like he gargles sandpaper and rage – and we love him for it.
🎤 FINAL VERDICT FROM THE RIFF REPORT:
**Overkill aren’t just thrash veterans – they’re the iron-fisted survivors.
They’ve ***outlasted scenes, survived cancer, dodged trends, and STILL drop face-melting albums.
Want thrash with grit, bite, and green-blooded swagger?
Want speed metal for dive bars and biker brawls?
Want the REAL underground kings of thrash?
***Then WRECK YOUR NECK WITH OVERKILL. ☣️⚠️🔥
Michael is the founder, editor, and chief riff wrangler behind The Riff Report, an independent Welsh rock and metal publication built by fans, for fans. With a lifelong passion for loud guitars, unforgettable live shows, and the incredible community that surrounds rock and metal, he created The Riff Report to celebrate everything that makes the scene special—from legendary headline acts and grassroots venues to rising bands that deserve to be heard.
A familiar face at festivals across the UK, Michael spends much of the year covering events including Download Festival, Bloodstock Open Air, Steelhouse Festival, Firevolt, Plumpton Revival, and many more. Whether he’s battling the Welsh weather on a mountainside, surviving a weekend in a muddy campsite, or squeezed against the front barrier with thousands of fellow fans, he’s always searching for the next great story to share.
As editor of The Riff Report, Michael writes festival guides, breaking news, album reviews, gig reviews, interviews, opinion pieces, nostalgia features, and behind-the-scenes stories from across the rock and metal world. His writing combines honest opinions, humour, and a genuine love for live music, bringing readers closer to the bands, festivals, venues, and people that keep the scene alive.
Michael is particularly passionate about supporting independent artists, local venues, charities, and the wider UK rock and metal community. He believes every band deserves a chance to be discovered and every festival has a story worth telling. Through The Riff Report, he aims to shine a spotlight on both the biggest names in rock and the future stars waiting to break through.
When he’s not writing or interviewing artists, you’ll probably find him exploring festival campsites, photographing live shows, chatting with fellow fans over a pint, or planning the next road trip in search of more riffs, bigger crowds, and unforgettable moments.
Above all, Michael believes rock and metal are about more than music—they’re about community, friendship, and creating memories that last a lifetime. That’s exactly what The Riff Report exists to celebrate.
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. Always chasing the next great riff. 🤘
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