An Interview with Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth from:
OVERKILL

Dateline 03/07/99

Since 1985, when they jumped onto the Metal scene with Feel The Fire, Overkill have been thrashing, putting out some killer Metal music. After ten studio albums including the latest full length record, Necroshine, Overkill have created a unique and instantly recognizable sound. Necroshine continues with the the power and aggression which defines the band.

AG: Are you happy with Necroshine, meaning, did you accomplish what you set out to do with this record?

Blitz: Well, I don't think there was this big huge vision prior to going into the studio. I think there was just a vibe. I think we accomplished the vibe we were looking for. I think the vision actually took form as it was coming together. In hindsight, it came out bigger than I thought it was going to come out. This is due a lot to the production. I don't think this record knocks on the door and somebody says "who's there?" I think it kicks the door right off the hinges. But this is a Metal record, and that's what they're supposed to do. I think to be able to accomplish a vibe through a whole project, and to say that this record Necroshine has got that vibe, whatever that may be, is an accomplishment in its self, because then it doesn't become a track to track record. It becomes a full offering. The whole record contains this feeling as opposed to track 1, track 4, and track 7. So yeah, I'm happy with it. I count my success in days so these days have been good.

AG: A lot of my favorite bands, like Overkill, have a distinct sound yet keep a variation between songs. How important is keeping variety on a record to you?

Blitz: I think it's what keeps us interesting. Overkill, as far as a distinct sound as you say, we kind of carved that out of stone as far back as '87 or '88 when we started realizing what we were doing, but I think we never stopped our evolution. We let the evolution happen. The way we evolved is by kind of peeking around corners, looking at different directions, but never running to far from home. Never running out of the neighborhood but definitely walking around the block. And I think this is what becomes motivational, because to not be able to say I have this record and it's this great... Operation Mindcrime (for example), I have this great concept, this isn't Overkill's method. Overkill's method is to start creating a monster and seeing how big that monster develops by the time your done. This is that evolutionary process and to neglect or negate that evolution negates our progress.

AG: Do you still have contact with former members of the band, especially the original guys Rat Skates and Bobby Gustafson?

Blitz: There's one guy I don't have contact with and that's Sid Falck. Bobby, as far as I know is in Florida, but I haven't talked to Bobby in probably 6 months. We talk usually a couple times a year, go over a few old things, have a few laughs, can you get me a primary cover for my Sportster (laughing). Rat Skates is working in a lumber yard. It has something to do with the real estate boom I guess. He's got three beautiful sons and he's married to the girl he left the band for. I don't think she ever made him leave. It was one of those personal decisions that he wanted to be a Dad at home on a nightly basis and he accomplished that.

AG: It's ten studio records now...

Blitz: Ten Records! Quite a tribe isn't it.

AG: I have them all, love 'em all, but is there anything looking back now that you would say you are disappointed with?

Blitz: Well, I think there's times in our career that were a little unsettling. And if I had to pick two releases that I would say were unsettling... my least favorite release from Overkill is Under The Influence 1988. I don't think that record kicks the doors off the hinges. It never comes across that way to me. I mean there's some unique song writing on it. I think the production is week. I think at that point the band didn't progress the way it should have but this is again in hindsight. I Hear Black was a little strange for me to. This due to the fact that Merrit Gant and Rob Cannavino were in the band for two records and Verni and myself were saying 'hey, why don't you guys contribute to the writing' and it kind of spread me all over the map. I was used to writing with Verni, or Verni and Gustafson, and we would all work on one song. With Gant, Cannavino, and Verni all writing, they were all writing their own songs and I was working with all of them. So I was kind of spread all over the place and I don't think the record ever takes on a direction or actually takes on a vibe. You know, somebody asked me is that your stab at grunge and I said no I wouldn't know what to do with it, with grunge. I think it was our stab at not knowing where the hell we are on the map. But you know, I don't necessarily regret them because I think it kind of brings us to Necroshine. I'm a firm believer that every step on the journey is necessary to get to the end. Quite obviously I'm still on that journey so these are still very important steps in bringing me to '99.

AG: So when you do a new record and get ready to tour are you still excited as you were maybe ten or fifteen years ago?

Blitz: Oh F#*#*# 'eh. You know, you find something you love to do and you never work a day in your life. I am living proof of that. And I am very grateful for that. Not to say that we don't work at this because we do and we do put a lot of time into it. I think that that's also obvious that we couldn't be sitting around here saying let's just write ten songs and we'll go on the road and sell a few T-shirts every year. I think that this band has always been quite visible regardless of trends. When it was uncool to be Metal we really didn't have an identity crisis. We live and we die with it. This is what we are... It's who we are. Yes I still get excited. It's indescribable unless you've actually experienced it. People ask me what could you compare it to and I say that probably the closest thing I could compare it to is giving birth. You're helping to create it, you're nurturing it through, you're trying to make sure it's strong, and better than the last, hey you learn from your mistakes. It's a great process and I wouldn't change a day... there's a couple of teeth I'd like back though (laughing)

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AG: With a large catalogue of music how do you determine which songs you are going to play on the tour?

Blitz: I take the CD covers, I set them up on the wall, darts man. I think naturally there's songs that define Overkill. They're definitive Overkill songs. I think one of the songs that describes the early era of Overkill would be Wrecking Crew. I think it's necessary that this stays in the set somewhere. I think somewhere around that middle version of Overkill there's Elimination and songs off of Horrorscope, Coma for instance. These define a certain era of Overkill and I think there's songs that define the more contemporary era of Overkill. Naturally we'll be picking stuff off Necroshine, but stuff even as recent as off the last record, Long Time Dying is I think a fantastic 1998 Overkill offering. These are the songs that remain. The rest of the time when we have to fill the other ten slots or eight slots, what we do is we try not to let those era's fade to obscurity. This time around we're going to be throwing in Deny The Cross from Taking Over, Evil Never Dies from The Years of Decay. So we're going to be doing some stuff that was fading away or fading into that obscure era and dragging it back to the forefront.

AG: Will you be doing stuff off the first record like Feel the Fire?

Blitz: We're actually doing Overkill. We figured that would be a cool twist because we have done Feel The Fire in recent years but Overkill has kind of disappeared after Bobby Gustafson left the band.

AG: You should do all the Overkill's (I, II, III)?

Blitz: (laughing) Well then half the night's gone.

AG: On tour, what do you do to keep your voice going?

Blitz: Well, I used to drink (laughing). It's funny because we were connected with the management in New York who also managed White Lion and they said it was such a different approach to things because Mike (Mike Tramp), White Lion's singer, would be very very diligent about protecting his voice. Certain temperatures couldn't be around this guy, nobody smoking in the room, scarves, certain amount of warm ups, somebody to relax him before he went out and sang, like a masseuse or something, and I used to say 'the more beer the more coating.' That's kind of changed for me. I've been sober now for four years and I really don't do anything except warm up. I kind of let nature take it's course. I consider it more of a muscle than I do as something that's delicate. I think in my head that after a hundred shows my voice sounds better than at show one. I think with that in my brain it gets me through the hundred or a hundred and a half shows a year.

AG: What other Metal bands are you listening to now?

Blitz: It's so hard to figure out who's a Metal band anymore. So few people admit it. I'll tell you some new stuff I have. I have Temple of The Absurd, a German band which I like, I have the new Nevermore, which I like. I like Machinehead. I like some of the Fear Factory stuff. I love Limp Bizkit's rendition of Faith. George Michael is probably rolling over in a men's room right now (laughing). These are probably the Metal bands I've been listening to that are of a newer or more contemporary type feel. But you know I'm always into that kind of standard thing to, where I find value in the first Black Sabbath record, and it really doesn't spend a lot of time out of my CD player. It's in there three or four times a year for seven to ten days at a pop. So there's stuff I go back and listen to like Sad Wings of Destiny and Stained Class. I listen to The Who and Jethro Tull and John Coltrain and you know... Harry Connick (laughing). So you know, it's a very different kind of approach to things.

AG: Do you think that Metal is going to stay kind of underground for a while or do you see the major labels getting back into it?

Blitz: I think you get quality releases when it's underground. It keeps out the hawks. It keeps out the vultures. Nobody is really interested in the underground from a financial or business perspective because there's not a lot of money to be made down here, but that kind of keeps it pure. We have certain things we have accomplished with all of our ten records and one of them is dignity. One of them is commitment. I thinks it's because we've always had this underground attitude that we're kind of uncomfortable anywhere but (underground). When people start coming in and messing with what we know works that's when I think it gets f#*#* up and I'm really protective of this because when somebody waved the Metal is dead flag back five or six years ago and all these real committed Metal bands, not all but a good majority of them, packed their bags and left the underground in f#*#*#* droves, saying we're not a Metal band, Metal's for the immature, we were just immature then, well we lived and died by it. It never really mattered to us and there were other bands that stayed down here also. It's not an identity crisis with bands like that and I think that you get a true real offering, you get a great representation of what a Metal scene is about when you have that perspective. As soon as the record companies start saying this is popular they start over saturating it with everybody that's got a certain guitar tone and the next thing you know you can't even support the f#*#* scene and you end up with some guy like Rikki Rachtman, who's actually talking about the scene like he had some sort of a clue. So the point is I really really enjoy this period. I hope it doesn't go to the level where Sony music is trying to get their fingers into my pocket.

AG: The major labels are also pushing bands like Korn or Zombie as the new Metal. How do you feel about that?

Blitz: I think there's value in everything. I think it's always courageous to try something new. I don't think there's anything wrong with change. I don't like the second wave. It always makes me a little nauseous. You get somebody like Korn who strikes a chord with a generation, and this is a good thing, they've reached people, even Rob Zombie when he was with White Zombie struck a chord with people. I remember doing shows with this guy back in L'amours. It was a good band then and it was apparently a good f#*#*# idea. Then you see this second wave come out that the record companies sort of spawn and it's all based on Greek. It's not necessarily the bands fault but record companies fault and all of a sudden you've got twenty Rob Zombie's out there and it sounds just like Korn. Well if it sounds just like Korn I'll just go listen to f#*#*# Korn. That's the way I feel about it, because then it becomes un-courageous or un-brave, it's not brave to be taking a chance on someone else's idea just to cash in. I do like the fact that bands will come out and try to do different things and I think Korn was one of them. Their idea really did stick and kudos to them, hats off, standing ovation.

AG: What kind of reaction to Necroshine do you expect from your real hardcore fans?

Blitz: Well, we're selfish bastards. That's what gets us through this. There's no two ways about it. This is ours when we're writing it and we're very protective about it but then we naturally have to release it to actually do something with it. So when it gets out to people I think it becomes theirs to, or it becomes ours collectively, the supporters of this band and the listeners of this band and that's a real special bond. I don't think there's a hit on this f#*#*# thing... Overkill, The Hits (laughing). But I mean, that's an Overkill record and I think that's what people appreciate from us. This records got a vibe. It's got a vibe from the beginning of Necroshine and it ends on the last notes of Dead Man. That is what's important and that's what I want and I think that when we're willing to share that with other people that's what they also want. So I expect a thumbs up from it. Can I be objective and say it's a great Overkill record? I know we did the best we could under the circumstances. That's the way we've always worked for the nine studio records that proceeded this one. The idea is it is up to people who listen to it. I don't expect anything different but I could be surprised.

AG: You guys have one of the best band sites on the web. Are you actually involved with building the site and maintaining the site?

Blitz: I maintain the little quips and the quotes and I make sure it's updated with tour information, send merchandise in. If there's really important email I'll answer them. I wouldn't turn my back on anyone who says this is life or death whether it came in through our Website or didn't. I'm not going to answer every "can you give me information on the band?"... "Hi, this is Bobby. We've been around since..." (laughing). But we are involved in it. As far as the construction, It was done by a guy named Lou Parmalee who we knew from working shows in upstate New York. He did everything from sound to road dog work. I think he promoted some shows and he came up to me at a show we did in Elmira and said I'm putting together this business that's going to build Websites and I want to use Overkill as a proto. He did this for us and we were just blown away by it. He maintains it for us on a daily basis and he's actually built a big business around using this as proto, It's called World Wide Productions.

AG: Anything you'd like to add or say to your fans?

Blitz: It's been a hell of a ride due to you.