The following are some of Overkill's albums. Click on the thumbnail for CD information.

Overkill (84)	Feel the Fire (85)	Taking Over (87)	Under the Influence (88)	Years of Decay (89)	Horrorscope (91)

I Hear Black (93)	W.F.O. (94)	10 Years of Wrecking Your Neck (95)	The Killing Kind (96)	Fuck You and Then Some (97)	From the Underground and Below (97)

Necroshine (99)	Coverkill (99)	Bloodletting (00)	Extended Versions (02)	Hello from the Gutter (02)	Wrecking Everything Live (02)

Kill Box 13 (03)	RELIXIV (05)

BooLive Review

Overkill Live at the Jaxx Night Club in West Springfield, Virginia - January 26, 2007. Review by: The Metal Master Special Agent to The MotherMetal Team

Live Overkill photos courtesy of Tony DiLorenzo.

New Jersey's own Overkill has been a stalwart of the thrash metal scene since the early 1980s. The longevity of their career and sterling reputation as road warriors is matched only by the prodigious output of new material, as they have released 14 studio albums since 1984 (not including the requisite 'Best of' and live compilations.) 2007 promises to be another productive year for the band, as they are putting the finishing touches on yet another new CD.

Overkill has been a favorite at Jaxx Night Club for many years, and was booked for a special two-night engagement. Since I live three hours away from the club, I chose to attend the first night, as Vancouver, Canada's Stress Factor 9 was slated to open. SF9 released their debut album 'Mindwarp Brainspin' in 2006, and it is a gritty hybrid of punk/metal/thrash/hardcore. Fronting the band is former Annihilator vocalist Randy Rampage, who also played bass for the legendary punk group D.O.A. Drummer Ray Hartmann, another Annihilator alum, pounds the skins for the band.

I arrived at the club early and caught Overkill in the middle of their sound check. The band was relaxed as they blasted through scorching versions of "Damned" and "Necroshine", after which they indulged in a steak dinner. While the band was eating, Jaxx Night Club management informed me that Stress Factor 9 had cancelled their performance. Words cannot adequately describe my disappointment at the cancellation, as I was looking forward to seeing Rampage and Hartmann back in action. Adding insult to injury, I had an interview booked with them. My tape recorder will have to wait for another day.

The reason given for the cancellation was that Homeland Security detained Randy Rampage in Vancouver for six hours, at which time he was released with a minimum 36-hour freeze on his ability to obtain clearance to enter the United States. Homeland Security did not find anything on Rampage (who has entered the USA many times before without incident), but by that point, it was too late for him to make the gig. Fans of the band were obviously disappointed, but think of the three band members and two roadies who drove all the way from Vancouver, only to be denied the chance to play.

After witnessing the solid sets of Eden Burns and Go Smack Alice, I prepared for the brutal onslaught that Overkill is famous for. The house lights dimmed, some London-grade pea-soup fog rolled from the stage, and the strobe lights flickered on and off with intensity as the band opened with the semi-industrial machinations of "Necroshine." The band went from zero to 60 in no time, and proved to be one heavy machine. Lead singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth is clearly the straw that stirs the drink, as he took command of the stage with a rare combination of energy, passion, and charisma.

Overkill played a solid set that included classics such as "Rotten to the Core", "Hello From the Gutter", and "Deny the Cross."
"Elimination" featured the most raucous crowd response of the evening, as they screamed right along with Blitz note-for-note. The band got a little help from their friends on "Old School", as a member of Lamb of God and his son lent some back up vocals to the tune. All was well until "Coma", when a PA stack fell off the stage onto an Overkill roadie, prematurely stopping the show. The audience quieted down in rapt confusion, as everyone strained to see what happened. At that point, the announcement was made that the show was over. Outside of the club, the wailing of sirens and emergency vehicles dominated the scene.

Fortunately, the roadie turned out to be ok, and was able to work the following evening's show. Fans who had a ticket stub from the Friday performance were let in for free on Saturday. It was a nice gesture, but one that I was unable to take advantage of.

This was one of the strangest nights in my many years of going to concerts. Despite the cancellations and near disasters, Overkill overcame it all. Their stellar performance showed that they are still amongst the greatest thrash bands of all time.

I would like to thank Jay Nedry and Jaxx Night Club for their hospitality. Special thanks also go to Jaxx webmaster Tony DiLorenzo, who provided the pictures for this review, and to Overkill singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth, who (unprompted) took some time to chat with me after sound check.

Click any of the live photos to visit Overkill's official Web site.