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Overkill is an American thrash metal band from Old Bridge Township, New Jersey. Formed in 1980, the group was co-founded by bassist Carlo "D.D." Verni and drummer Lee "Rat Skates" Kundrat, with vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and guitarist Robert "Riff Thunder" Pisarek joining afterwards. The current lineup of Overkill features Verni and Ellsworth alongside lead guitarist Dave Linsk (since 1999) and rhythm guitarist Derek Tailer (since 2001).

History

Overkill was formed in 1980 by D.D. Verni and Rat Skates, with Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and Robert Pisarek joining afterwards. During 1981, Dan Spitz and Anthony Ammendola took over on guitars. In 1982, Spitz and Ammendola were replaced by Rich Conte and Mike Sherry, before Bobby Gustafson took over as the band's sole guitarist before the end of the year. After the band released its first two albums Feel the Fire and Taking Over, Skates left in December 1987. He was replaced by Robert "Sid" Falck, formerly of Paul Di'Anno's Battlezone. The new lineup issued Under the Influence in 1988 and The Years of Decay in 1989, before Gustafson parted ways after an argument with Verni regarding an upcoming show he wanted to play. To replace the guitarist, Overkill returned to a five-piece lineup with the additions of Rob Cannavino and Merritt Gant.

During the promotional tour for Horrorscope in 1992, Falck left the band to pursue other musical styles and was replaced by former M.O.D. drummer Tim Mallare. The new incarnation released I Hear Black, W.F.O. and live album Wrecking Your Neck, before Cannavino and Gant were replaced by Sebastian Marino and Joe Comeau. Marino recorded The Killing Kind, From the Underground and Below and Necroshine, before leaving in March 1999. He was replaced by Dave Linsk, who debuted on the covers album Coverkill. After a European tour in early 2000, Comeau left Overkill to join headliner Annihilator as its new lead vocalist, but returned after the remaining four-piece recorded Bloodletting that summer. By early 2001, Comeau had left again and been replaced on tour by Derek Tailer.

After releasing Wrecking Everything, Killbox 13 and ReliXIV, Overkill changed drummers in May 2005 when Mallare was replaced by Ron Lipnicki. The new lineup remained stable for over ten years, before the band's road crew member Eddy Garcia temporarily replaced Lipnicki on tour from April 2016, after he was "forced to stay home due to undisclosed family issues". By May 2017, Lipnicki had been replaced on a permanent basis by Flotsam and Jetsam drummer Jason Bittner. The new lineup released The Wings of War in 2019. Bittner departed in August 2024 due to scheduling issues. His touring replacement so far, As of November 2024, has been Jeramie Kling (ex-Venom Inc.).

Members

Current

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	D.D. Verni	1980–present	bass backing vocals	all Overkill releases
	Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth		lead vocals
	Dave Linsk	1999–present	lead guitar backing vocals	all Overkill releases from Coverkill (1999) onwards
	Derek Tailer	2001–present	rhythm guitar backing vocals	all Overkill releases from Wrecking Everything: An Evening in Asbury Park (2002) onwards

Former

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	Lee "Rat Skates" Kundrat	1980–1987	drums	all Overkill releases from Power in Black (1983) to Fuck You (1987)
	Robert "Riff Thunder" Pisarek	1980–1981	lead and rhythm guitars	none
	Anthony Ammendola	1981	rhythm guitar
	Dan Spitz		lead guitar
	Rich Conte	1981–1982
	Mike Sherry		lead and rhythm guitars
	Joe	1982
	Bobby Gustafson	1982–1990	lead and rhythm guitars backing vocals	all Overkill releases from Power in Black (1983) to The Years of Decay (1989)
	Robert "Sid" Falck	1987–1992	drums	all Overkill releases from Under the Influence (1988) to Horrorscope (1991) Coverkill (1999)
	Rob Cannavino	1990–1995	lead and rhythm guitars backing vocals	Horrorscope (1991) I Hear Black (1993) W.F.O. (1994) Wrecking Your Neck (1995) Coverkill (1999)
	Merritt Gant	1991–1995
	Tim Mallare	1992–2005	drums	all Overkill releases from I Hear Black (1993) to ReliXIV (2005)
	Joe Comeau	1995–2000 2000–2002	rhythm guitar backing vocals	all Overkill releases from The Killing Kind (1996) to Coverkill (1999)
	Sebastian Marino	1995–1999 (died 2023)	lead guitar
	Ron Lipnicki	2005–2017	drums	all Overkill releases from Immortalis (2007) to The Grinding Wheel (2017) The Wings of War (2019)
	Jason Bittner	2017–2024		The Wings of War (2019) to Scorched (2023)

Touring

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Details
	Eddy Garcia	2012 2016–2017	drums	Garcia temporarily replaced Lipnicki on the 70000 Tons of Metal cruise in 2012, and later from April 2016.
	Waldemar Sorychta	2016	lead guitar	Sorychta stepped in for lead guitarist Linsk on a European tour in late 2016 for undisclosed reasons.
	Phil Demmel	2021–2023		Demmel played one show with Overkill in place of Linsk in November 2021, due to scheduling conflicts. He continued to do so their 2022 spring tour with Prong.
	David Ellefson	2024	bass backing vocals	Ellefson played bass for the band on their "Scorching Latin America 2024" tour while Verni was recovering from shoulder surgery.
	Jeramie Kling	2024–present	drums	Kling joined the band, starting with a European tour.
	Christian "Speesy" Giesler	2024	bass backing vocals	Giesler joined the band for a European tour.
	Christian Olde Wolbers			Wolbers joined the band for a North American tour.

Timeline

Lineups

References

1. ^ Leslie, David (May 3, 2008). "Interview with Rat Skates". Metal-Rules.com. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
2. Baphomet, Elpida (July 29, 2015). "Tributes: Overkill – Feel The Fire". Metal Invader. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
3. Dovgy, Timothy. "Interview with Bobby Gustafson". Voices from the Darkside. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
4. "Update". Modern Drummer. Vol. 11, no. 12. Cedar Grove, New Jersey: Modern Drummer. December 1987. p. 9. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
5. Coly (July 16, 2018). ""I never really intended to return to the metal scene"". Rattle Inc. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
6. EvilG. "Ex-Overkill Axeman Bobby Gustafson Returns To Metal With New Band Response Negative". Metal-Rules.com. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
7. Henderson, Alex (March 16, 1991). "Ch-Ch-Changes" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. 54, no. 31. New York City, New York: Cash Box. p. 6. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
8. "Overkill reutgivelser". Eternal Terror. November 10, 2009. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
9. Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Bish Bash Books. ISBN 978-1846098567. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
10. "Overkill". metalupdate.com. March 9, 1999. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
11. "Discography". Dave Linsk. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
12. Ehrhardt, Claudia (July 14, 2004). "Overkill - November, 16th 2000 - Bochum (Germany), Matrix". Ice Vajal. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
13. Thelen, Christopher (November 17, 2000). "Overkill: Bloodletting". Daily Vault. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
14. UltraBoris. "Concert Reviews – Overkill". Metal-Rules.com. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
15. "It's Official: Drummer Tim Mallare Quits Overkill". Blabbermouth.net. May 13, 2005. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
16. ^ "Overkill Taps Pissing Razors Drummer Eddy Garcia For European Tour, DVD Shoot". Blabbermouth.net. April 16, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
17. "Overkill Joined By Shadows Fall And Flotsam And Jetsam Drummer Jason Bittner". Blabbermouth.net. May 4, 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
18. "Overkill Singer On Lineup Changes: 'New Blood Is A Good Thing'". Blabbermouth.net. October 26, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
19. "Drummer JASON BITTNER Announces His Departure From OVERKILL". bravewords.com. August 5, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
20. ^ "OVERKILL Recruit Former VENOM INC. Drummer JERAMIE KLING For Upcoming European Tour". bravewords.com. August 24, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
21. "Overkill Taps Ex-Grip Inc. Guitarist Waldemar Sorychta For European Tour". Blabbermouth.net. November 9, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
22. "Former Machine Head Guitarist Phil Demmel Fills In For Dave Linsk At Overkill Concert: Video, Photos". Blabbermouth.net. November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
23. "DAVID ELLEFSON To Play Bass For OVERKILL On 2024 Latin American Tour". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2024.
24. "OVERKILL Recruits Ex-KREATOR Bassist CHRISTIAN 'SPEESY' GIESLER For European Shows". blabbermouth.net. September 13, 2024. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
25. "Former FEAR FACTORY Bassist CHRISTIAN OLDE WOLBERS Joins OVERKILL For North American Tour; Video". bravewords.com. October 23, 2024. Retrieved October 23, 2024.

External links

• Overkill official website

• Lists of members by band
• Overkill (band) members