BOBBY "BLITZ" ELLSWORTH (Overkill)

10/27/00

By Brian Coles

Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and Overkill have survived the trends for 15 years. Unlike other speedsters from the 80s, they remain true to form and as vibrant as ever. With a loyal following and record deal with the strong metal label Sanctuary, the band appears to have no plans for slowing down. With new guitarist Dave Linsk, Overkill unleashes one of their most powerful efforts to date, Bleed Me. Ellsworth, lead vocalist and eccentric, leads us through a whiplash interview.

BRIAN COLES: I can't believe you guys! Another new album. You are so prolific. You just crank these fuckers out.

BOBBY ELLSWORTH: Yeah, we're like Irish Catholics!(laughs)

BC: (laughs)

BE: I said that on MTV once. They said, "Tell the curly headed kid you can't say that!" I said, this is perfect. This is exactly what it has come down to. I am now referred to as "The curly headed kid."(laughs) I said "I am an Irish Cathloic you sonofabitch!" In any case, yeah, this is what it is all about for us. New music for us is fresh, it isn't worked on for years. Its about action versus reaction.

BC: You were in the studio just a couple months and the album is ready to go. That's impressive these days.

BE: We were also touring until March. Also April. It wasn't a full tour but we did some cleanup shows in the New York area in April. And we were in the studio in June. This is all based on the writing process never really stops for us. DD Verni is more of a machine than "let me get my creative juices flowing." What helps us is that you get a record that is really from the gut as opposed to thought out. Let's be serious here, on the money, this is a metal record. It's about action reaction, its not about thinking. It's about the way it makes you feel. Quite obviously its vicious and bludgeoning.

BC: Although you guys still have a ton of straight ahead material, I noticed in recent years the band has been experimenting with different, fresh rhythms, such as on "Thunderhead." Is this an effort to break out of the 80s speed metal mold? What's the philosophy behind that?

BE: I don't really think there is a philosophy. I think that things change for us but they change at a slower rate. You can see the influx of these as far back as the Horrorscope record when we discovered there was such a thing as groove, such as "Thanks For Nothin'"...that was all about groove. It was experimental for us at that time. We crawl at a snails pace with our evolution. I think that has become part of our arsenal of writing. I think [the new album] is more expanded from [that period]. What I hear on this record is a marriage between what is traditional and what has always been experimental for us.

BC: How'd you decide on Dave Linsk?

BE: He walked in and he had a Harley shirt on you know. A lot of guys come in with Harley shirts on, so I asked him, "Do you have the bike or just the shirt?" He said, "I got both." I said, "You're in!" (laughing) He said "I didn't play a fuckin' note." I said, "At least you're honest!" (laughing) But what Dave brought to the band is something I don't think we ever had before and that's that little extra when it comes to the guitar playing. I think we've always been that sort of straight ahead kind of thing but he adds an element to the band that is not necessarily typical Overkill. We've had shredders in the band. We've had great rhythm players and had some guys who play fantastic leads. I think Dave is musically head and shoulders above anything we've had in the past. He adds a new dimension to the band. One of the things I hear on this new album, trying to be objective about it, is that he adds the little extra ear candy things and pieces of musicality...and an extra dimension.

BC: Why do you think you guys have survived the 90s when other 80s speedsters have crashed and burned? Your following is still with you.

BE: I think first and foremost we know what we are. We've never had an identity crisis, where as a lot of people who started in this genre had a feeling that they were going to be left behind because people wouldn't like them anymore. And I think we that we've always said we really didn't give a rat's ass whether we were liked or not. We just like to do this. And that is really paying attention to your house as opposed to paying attention to what people are doing in there house. It's also not about some huge plan. It's about what it is for us. It's not about how we rank. We rank okay with us. If your that thinking type of person, the band will endear itself to you. If it's all about trend, fashion or video, that's always fleeting. There some that will laugh at me all the way to the bank and having a good time doing it but that's there own business. But I count success more so on days. I know how to make that happen based on that I know who I am. Maybe in someone's mind I'm an asshole, but that's okay with me. (laughs)

BC: This album is loaded with ass kickin' titles like "I, Hurricane", "Let It Burn", "Death Come Out to Play" etc. Now I can tell you are a fun guy, so is this your dark side, your therapy so to speak?

BE: In the last 15 years, you have no idea how much money this has saved me! (laughs) And it actually keeps me in reasonable balance. I've always been attracted to the sicker, darker side of things. That's always been a part of me I always wanted to know about. I am not unique in the world, I just happen to admit.

BC: One of my favorite lines is "All hope is slain" from "I, Hurricane". (laughs) It must be a blast to write this stuff.

BE: (laughs) It's like having creative license to be as extreme as you want to be. Not for the sake of being extreme for the sake of being extreme. There is one thing about shock value and there is another about something that actually has a certain amount of depth to it and you go "Oh oh!" There is really is threads of sickness that run through this whole thing and are exposed. And when it's exposed it's only dangerous on the record as opposed through the person. I always looked at it as a great vehicle to not just expose that dark side but make it identifiable to other people...Also, this is the era of instantaneous gratification. As soon as you're exposed to any type of advertisement, this person is always doing better than you and extremely positive. You know, with their fuckin' Beamer with their fuckin' haircuts (laughing)...She looks fantastic. I would love to be with her. I bet she good suck a gold ball through a garden hose. My wife sucks! (laughing) But this is life. We've been conditioned that we are always doing the wrong thing and never had enough money. They've let us know we can buy happiness and none of us can really actually do it. Some people take that whole dark end of it and try and suppress it. But I am like, you are gonna like me stand or fall! It doesn't matter (laughs) Someday we are all gonna be equalized. By exposing it, it has given me the opportunity to go through life with that sideways, sarcastic smile that says "Maybe I know something you don't." (laughs)

BC: That cues me to your picture in the CD. You look like Norm McDonald on crack!

BE: (laughs) I never thought of it that way!

BC: (laughs) Well, at least you can leave the interview with something!

BE: That's gonna be the title of the article right? (laughs)

BC: Yeah, "Norm McDonald on Crack!" (laughs) Hey, you are going to tour with Halford in Europe. How'd that come about?

BE: We actually haven't been an opener in years except for a festival situation. It's gonna be cool. I have come to believe the package works especially in circumstances like the European market where it's fuckin' over saturated. I think to be politically correct in this business you have to say you like everything that is out there. I don't particularly care to say I like every bit of music that is out there. I think the European labels have poisoned that scene with so many fuckin' bands. As a fan, I'd have to buy 350 CDs a year to support them and I would be in a card board box. So as far as the package tour, it's good to give people more bang for their buck.

BC: When will you hit the States?

BE: Probably in January. With the Sanctuary/CMC merger we are seeing more opportunities, like with the Haflord tour. So it could be a package with us and whoever else [on the label]. We haven't toured the West Coast in years. [This time] We'll go anywhere from Seattle to Tijuana [laughs].

BC: Is there actually a place to play there?

BE: There used to be a place called Iguanas. It was fantastic. It was a three story warehouse. It was one of the nuttiest places. There would be people coming from the third floor balcony and hitting the concrete floor!

BC: Well, I'll leave you on that bludgeoning note! Seems fitting! (laughs) Good luck with the tour and thanks for the time.

BE: You bet. Hopefully we'll see ya out there!