Overkill | Artist

Overkill is an American thrash metal band formed in 1980 in New Jersey by D.D. Verni (bass), Rat Skates (drums), Bobby 'Blitz' Ellsworth (vocals) and Robert 'Riff Thunder' Pisarek (guitar). They have gone through many lineup changes, leaving D.D. Verni and Blitz Ellsworth as the only constant members. The current day lineup also includes Dave Linsk (guitar), Derek Tailer (rhythm guitar) and Jason Bittner (drums). Along with Nuclear Assault and Anthrax, Overkill is one of the most successful East Coast thrash metal bands, with their playing style which was influenced by punk rock and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. They were one of the first thrash metal bands to sign to a major label, Atlantic Records in 1986, and rose to fame as part of the genre's movement of the mid-to-late 1980s, along with the "Big Four" Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax, alongside other bands such as Exodus and Testament. Overkill achieved mainstream commercial success with its second studio album and Atlantic debut, Taking Over (1987). They continued with a string of critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums, before their work declined somewhat after 1991's Horrorscope. Overkill's standout albums include Feel the Fire (1985), Taking Over (1987), The Years of Decay (1989), Horrorscope (1991), and the latter period comeback album Ironbound (2010). Out of interest, the band has a notable mascot named "Chaly", a skeletal bat with a skull-like face, horns, bony wings and green eyes, who has appeared on most of their album covers.

Artist Website: wikipedia/Overkill

Featured Albums: Overkill

Related Artists: Anthrax, Nuclear Assault

Video Clips: Elimination, Hello From the Gutter, Hammerhead