OVERKILL Frontman Talks 'Ironbound'

On December 1, Sheila Doki of the metal webzine Metalholic.com conducted an interview with vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth of New Jersey thrash metal veterans OVERKILL. An excerpt from the chat follows below.

Metalholic: OVERKILL is going to be coming out with their new record, "Ironbound", in February and it has been labeled as a "thrasherpiece." I listened to it and it's definitely incredible. How would you describe the the new album's sound and how does it differ from previous OVERKILL work?

Blitz: It's a life-changing work. (laughs) You know what I think about this — we've been around for quite some time, obviously, and every year — or every couple of years — we get the opportunity to, let's say, reinvent ourselves. And I think the beauty of "Ironbound" is that it's rooted in the old, but if you add reinvention to that, it becomes kind of a contemporary work. So, rooted in the old with contemporary kind of production, it makes it almost like a contemporary history lesson. So it really has this "why the revolution started" feel to it, which is unique within itself. It's not a rehash, but again, a reinvention.

Metalholic: It retains the classic sound, but at the same time sounds like something completely new. What are some of your favorite songs from the album?

Blitz: You know, one of the things I like about this record — I kind of think when I first got into this — you know, we've been around 25 years, so prior to those 25 years, 10 or 12 years prior to that, I played air guitar in my bedroom at my parents' house to BLACK SABBATH records. And the thing I liked about the vinyl I owned as a kid was that they always felt like cohesive records to me: that the first song depends on the second, the second depends on the first and the third, and so on. So I think one of the cool things about this record is that it's cohesive. It starts hitting, and it continues to hit and hit and hit. And the idea is that it almost becomes an increase of intensity from, let's say, when you press play 'til when the record ends fifty-five minutes later. So I can't really say what's my favorite song on it because I'm always thinking in terms of, "Wow, it's really finally a complete work from us," with regard to that cohesive feeling that I have.

Metalholic: That's true, it all flows really well, and like you said, one song is not complete without the next.

Blitz: And I think that's necessary, you know. It's great to have good songs and it's hard, I think, for bands to write good songs. But I think it's even harder to come up with a full work that is positive. And that's really — you can't set that as a goal. I mean, you want that as a result, but that comes from, let's say, everything lining up correctly. The correct chemistry in the studio, the correct chemistry with writing. Everyone learns a little bit more. I think this is a band that's not afraid to learn, regardless of, you know, how long we've been around. I sat down with an engineer prior to recording the vocals, and I said, "Listen, it's our first time. I'll tell you this, really simply. I'm not thin-skinned. Tell me if it's wrong." (laughs) You know? I want it to be better. So I think you take those attitudes into a studio and you go with the opportunity to create something, let's say, bigger. Bigger than what you'd done last time, or at least a chance. At least a chance to do it.

Metalholic: One of my favorite songs, I have to say, is "The Head and Heart". And I was wondering, is that a guest vocalist doing the harsh growls at the beginning?

Blitz: That's your humble host, Bobby Blitz. (laughs) I started working on that — and that's my point about learning — I started working on that a few years back, and I've been using it as… well, I don't know. A support vocal. I did a side project called THE CURSED a few years ago, it's kind of a rock and roll, kind of a doom/swing record. I mean, there's saxophone solos and death-metal vocals. It's really kind of a strange record, but a lot of fun. And I started studying some death guys — some more contemporary artists. Randy Blythe, I worked with — from LAMB OF GOD. I'm a big Johnny Cash fan — to understand the low end of the voice. And I thought it was time. So, on "The Head and Heart", instead of it being just a nuance, it took the position of the lead vocals. So it was a lot of fun for me.

Read the entire interview from Metalholic.com.

"Ironbound" (song) audio stream: