PHOTOS: RICHIE DOWNS | For over three decades, Overkill has been beating audiences into submission with their merciless brand of thrash metal. Last Thursday night at Empire in Springfield, VA, they proved to be like a vintage bottle of bordeaux, only improving with age.
Formed in 1980, Overkill was part of the first great rise of thrash metal. While Slayer, Metallica, and Exodus, among others, were putting the Bay Area on the metal map, Overkill, along with bands like Anthrax and Nuclear Assault were rising out of the New York/New Jersey area. Many years later, they are back on the road supporting their latest release, the critically acclaimed White Devil Armory.
There was no national support for this show, as Overkill are playing headlining off-dates while touring with Prong throughout the fall. I didn’t catch the name of the first band, a trio of nervous teens, made up of two guitars and a drummer. A personal note: you’ve gotta have some bass, fellas. I need to feel it, not just hear it. They kicked off with a cover of the classic “Die By the Sword” by Slayer, and unfortunately rookie nerves took over, and they found themselves victim of hecklers. Personal note number two: when someone heckles and yells out “FREEBIRD!”do not actually try to play “Freebird.” No one ever said cutting your teeth was easy.
They were followed up by a local cover band called Nomad. With great stage presence and a solid set of covers, they started out with a precise cover of “War Pigs.” These young guys have the talent, and it will be interesting to see them as they transition into more originals. The unique spin on Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” was a treat. They began the song in a slow, sludgy yet crisp version of the song, and in the second verse sped it up to almost double speed, while still maintaining the integrity of the original.
The strongest opener of the night proved to be Maryland’s Blunt Force Rebellion. Decked out in tactical vests, fatigues and camouflage face paint, they looked well-prepared for battle. The demonic wails of vocalist John Wayne led the troops who were unyielding in their attack. The floor filled up and quickly devolved into a frenzied circle pit as the band unloaded their breakneck assault of groove metal. The parallels to Lamb of God were noticeable, yet they were distinctive enough to stand on their own. No sooner was that last statement running through my mind, and they played “Laid to Rest” while boasting pride in Virginia metal. Riffs cut with precision and hardcore breakdowns that got the pit even more fired up made them a standout of the evening, especially on socially aware songs like “The American Scheme.”
Unfortunately the momentum that had built from the previous band was severed when Virginia’s GI9 began. The focused, synth-tinged metal was more along the lines of Godsmack or Alice in Chains and gave the spirited crowd a respite in the pit before Overkill came on. “War Machine” (a vastly overused song title) displayed strong lead vocals from vocalist Ron Thayer and was accented with eerie synths throughout. The repeated tributes to the armed forces throughout the set drew meritorious applause from the crowd, although dedicating almost every song seemed like a bit of overkill (see what I did there). This is a band who, while cohesive and good at what they do, just seemed a little misplaced as direct support to the intense thrash of the evening’s headliners.
The lights went down, and the stage was bathed in light tinted with the band’s trademark green. The fog machine bathed the stage in ghostly smoke…and continued to spew fog until the drums were not even visible. Remember this, it will be a recurring theme of the evening. Diving right in with their latest single, “Armorist,” the crowd responded like they had spent the set break chugging Red Bulls. Vocalist Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth’s signature high-pitched scream was like the wail of a banshee, and carried all the punch it did back on Feel the Fire in 1985. After just one song, he sounded pleased with the reaction, especially for this being the first show of the tour. After “Electric Rattlesnake,” the set would alternate with a pleasing mixture of old and new songs, with both fitting in seamlessly in the setlist. When “Wrecking Crew,” began—the song so dear to them that it would become the name of the band’s website—the pit turned up to eleven and the crowdsurfing began in earnest.
As “Bring Me the Night” began, the smoke began to billow from the front of the stage once again. The club filled up with the murky fog, so much so that one might expect Jack the Ripper to appear out of it into the London night. The band played on, furiously rampaging through the set. The evil sneer of rhythm guitarist Derek Tailer menaced the crowd, while lead guitarist Dave Linsk resembled Theoden, King of Rohan seemingly blazing crushing riffs and killer solos while defending Middle Earth. Overkill’s sound would not be complete without the distinctive bass tone from founding member D. D. Verni, whose intense gaze could have burned a hole through a cinderblock. Rounding out the lineup was drummer Ron Lipnicki—at least we were pretty sure he was back there, with us being unable to see through the fog. The rapid-fire bass drums were felt more than heard, rumbling loud enough to loosen a few fillings.
As they went into “End of the Line,” the smoke cleared and the band were fully visible again—for a moment. Not content with good visibility, the man with his finger on the button pressed it with all his might, and once again the stage and club were bathed in smoke. This went on, until an Empire staff member went over and voiced his opinion on the stage effect, and the deluge of fog ceased. Overkill ended their set with the raging “Ironbound,” where Bobby Blitz, in an apparent nod to fans of the band, declared that “…all my friends are green and black.” The lights stayed down, and after a repeated loud chant of “O-VER-KILL!,” the band returned to the stage.
Starting off into the encore with the new song “Bitter Pill,” both the crowd and the band caught a second wind and put their all into it. That was followed up by a scorching rendition of their most commercially successful hit, the warp-speed “Elimination.” From the first utterance of the lyrics, the pit resembled a pack of hungry dogs fighting over a t-bone, fists raised and bodies flying. As the fans caught heir breath, Bobby asked if they wanted one more, and thrust his middle fingers into the air, and the crowd responded in kind. Leading in with a call-and-response of the final songs’ lyrics, Bobby wailed “We don’t care what you say!” The entire crowd instantly responded with a boisterous, “FUCK YOU!” The night ended with a ferocious version of the Subhumans’ punk classic “Fuck You,” made famous by Overkill in 1987 and becoming a staple of their live set.
The band exited, the dust settled, and the smoke (literally and figuratively) cleared, and fans old and new left the club with hearts and heads ringing with metal. Overkill is continuing to show that older definitely does not mean softer or slower, but simply getting better and better.
OVERKILL
GI9
BLUNT FORCE REBELLION
