Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth (OVERKILL) on Rock Overdose:”We are still thrashing the world!”

The mighty Overkill are soon releasing their 18th album ''The Grinding Wheel'' and Rock Overdose didn't lose time and came in touch with the band's vocalistBobby Blitz:   Elsworth, who praised the Greek fans and their passionate approach to music, stated his belief that the new album is going to be one of the best the band has done and finally commented on the impact of Suicidal Angels on the new thrash scene, by saying they're the once to lead the things in the future. Smiling and cheerful, Blitz proved once more what a great guy he is.

 

 

Rock Overdose: Hello Bobby , and welcome to Rock Overdose , Greece , which are the latest news of the band these days?

Bobby Blitz:  My pleasure to be here , everything's well at the Overkill camp , our new release is coming up on February 10th and that will be ''The Grinding wheel'' our 18th record , 18th can you believe that? Soon to be followed by a US tour with Nile , Amorphis will join us for some shows , so it's business as usual in New Jersey , still banging our heads , still thrashing the world .

 

 

Rock Overdose: Great. So how do you feel about the new release?

Bobby Blitz:  Well, I'm obviously excited, I mean that's part of this. I think that the people in this band are opportunists and look an opportunity to make the most of it , this is what I'm getting at .
I think of this record as many of the elements that make us what we are , from the past , but I think it's for the fresh pace , I think it's for the fresh production , it shows the energy of the thrash, it shows the classic and traditional heavy metal, the punk rock we loved as kids, the rock'n'roll we love to this day and the epic kind of feeling on songs like the title track ''The Grinding Wheel''. So I think it's gonna be something special, that once the smoke's clear I think that it should be one of the best Overkill releases today.

 

Rock Overdose: We hope so. Is there any song or video available in order to check out your new album?

Bobby Blitz:  Well, there are some lyric videos from ''Mean Green Killing Machine'' which is the opening track and also our ''Finest Hour'' , you can find them on Youtube , what we've done for other promotional tracks, we did one for '' Shine On'' and one for ''Goddamn Trouble'' which will be released in the next couple of weeks. These are the four videos where the band performs in them and is actually a concept. So it's a good promotional stand for us right now and it seems that the promotion machine is starting to work, is starting to gear up to get this out to everyone.

Rock Overdose: So what about the touring plans?

Bobby Blitz:  I see that we start on the 14th of February the U.S. tour with Nile and also Amorphis joining us for a few shows, there's gonna be some European festivals this summer, we have an agent right now booking shows in Australia, trying to add Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand maybe, the second European tour will happen at the end of 2017 and it looks like it's going to be a Headbanger's Ball Tour and should take us most of the Western Europe. So it's really business as usual, it's relase/tour, release/tour, it's something we've been doing for three decades.

 

Rock Overdose: What about Greece? Is it going to be in your touring plans?

Bobby Blitz:  Well, it's just a matter of the promoters and a mutual agreement for both. It's always considered, we always try to get the correct offer, so it's up to the promoter on this one. But it's never been neglected from the band stand point, maybe it is from the promoter's stand point, but never from the band. We check every territory for the headbangers that want to see us.

 

Rock Overdose: Of course. I suppose that as a band you want to play in every corner on this planet. You don't have a problem.

Bobby Blitz:  Hm, there's only a few we haven't played, I just found a guy who wants us to play in India, India is not a place we've gone to, I'd like to go there, I'd like to go to South Africa, I'd like to go to Iceland, and some of the Pacific countries in Asia. But most other places we've been through at least once and in many of them, many times.

Rock Overdose: What about the Greek fans and the memories from your previous visits here?

Bobby Blitz:  Oh, fantastic stuff, we've been through once with Destruction for instance, we played Thessaloniki and Athens, last time we came to Greece we did it as a headline, we came through on our own, good shows in both cities, always a passionate scene which is something I really enjoy, I always like countries that make good wine and good olive oil. Good food and good metal!

 

Rock Overdose: And good women...

Bobby Blitz:  Ha, ha, ha... You're a dirty man! No, it just means you're normal!

 

Rock Overdose: So, 18 albums so far and the band releases better albums each time. How do you manage to do that?

Bobby Blitz:  I think a big part of it is our pride. I think we're very proud men, we don't take this lightly, we'd like to be known for what we're doing, not for what we've done. So I think it always gives the motivation to try to do better, and to try to do better means that sometimes you succeed on this. And the ways to do better is to push the individuals and the individual pushes himself. For instance, myself, trying new harmonies on this record, singing melodically, singing almost high vocals sometime, trying to do them with energy, creating new ways for the hook. If I'm learning new things, I'm gonna be excited for what I'm doing, the other guys are doing the same thing and when it all comes together we're going to get good results. So I think it's about pride and still considering ourselves the students, not the teachers. And that gives you the opportunity to create fresh pace releases time after time.

 

Rock Overdose: I supporse it's due to experience, evolution of the band, too many facts. Is it easy for a band with a history of more than thirty years to have inspiration, so as to write each time new good material?

Bobby Blitz:  I think the inspiration is the opportunity, we've done 18 records and it's still hard on humanity for people to have record deals, have to work hard to keep these record deals to search them out. So because of these opportunities in these special moments and making the most out of these opportunities, that becomes inspiring in itself. Each time that we have fresh material, we know we're a metal band. And we know we've been that way in so many tunes we can use, wether it be a punk rock influence, or a rock'n'roll influence, or a groove influence, a hardcore influence, epic influence etc. If we can apply all these influences on the record, this is where the inspiration comes from, a motivation to continue writing records.

 

Rock Overdose: Talking about the band you're going to tour with, Nile, I suppose you know that their drummer is Greek. George Kollias!

Bobby Blitz:  Oh yes, I didn't know. Super! Actually I had seen before we went to road them in 70.000 tons of metal, it would be cool to have some new introduction to their metal.

 

Rock Overdose: Are you aware of any other Greek musicians?

Bobby Blitz:  Yes, the Suicidal Angels, I've toured with those guys, I know Nick and the other boys, we've played in festivals, we've had them out on the road with us twice, I think the first time was 2007, great boys and great approach to things, really good band, very thrashy!

 

Rock Overdose: You may know Gus G. who is the guitar player of Ozzy.

Bobby Blitz:  Of course, I don't know him personally but I was aware.

Rock Overdose: What do you like to do when you don't play music.

Bobby Blitz:  I think this is a multi-faceted project. D.D. (Verni) and I manage the band and have been doing for now since the '90s, 1994. So Overkill is an everyday process fo me. I spend every day of the year doing something for Overkill, performing, writing, recording, something needing management or decision making, it's a full time job or process. So it's blocking everything else I have, be it my home, my hobbies, my relationship, other businessess and I think of another business, I'm doing my hobbies which is motorcycles and cars or I do some managing with Overkill. So it's kind of a simple life but it all comes from the centre or the core of that life, is running or preparing with Overkill, so it's kind of cool that it's not just one dimension but three dimensions of write, record and perform and we also understand the business of the band, so it's just as interesting as the other part, it's the business that works correctly to be able to give me the most, and that's performing and singing.

 

Rock Overdose: So I suppose metal is your life...

Bobby Blitz:  Pretty much metal! The thing I enjoy the most is big engines, I like big motorcycles, Harleys and big old Chevrolettes, I have an old Chevrolette Civelle and an old Chevy Corvette. So I like playing fast and I like driving fast. The Corvette is nearly 4.000 pounds, it's really heavy, almost 2.000 kilos.

 

Rock Overdose: And what music do you like listening to while you're driving?

Bobby Blitz:  Well, it depends, it comes into different moods for me, I like singers that are SINGERS singers, what I mean by that is guys that an eclectic view of things, I'm a big Rod Stewart fan, I like Miles Kennedy, but I also like Lemmy Kilmister, I like this kind of style. I also like Tom Araya, I like Animals As Leaders. I even go back to jazz and big bands, or I listen to Frank Sinatra sometimes, so it really depends on the mood I think. I think that for me I work at music as kind of universal, I know I'm part of the metal community, but my taste for music extends beyond that. And I think it's nice to not eat steak every night, but to also have pasta, I think life is about different tastes and I believe this stands for music too.

 

Rock Overdose: Did you listen to the latest Metallica album? And what's your opinion?

Bobby Blitz:  I think it's a great record. One of the things I always admired about Metallica, regardless of liking their releases or not liking it, is that they redefined what music was, they became the biggest band in the world by doing it by their own rules and changed the definition of what music was. When it comes to ''Hardwired...'' record, it shows me that once you have the pissing vinegar in you, you can take the boy out of thrash metal. You can never get the thrash metal out of the boy. I think it's a really awesome fucking release from these guys, I've always been a fan all through the years, but this is one of my favourite releases they've done, I'd say ever since the ''Black Album''.

 

Rock Overdose: I have to agree with you!

Bobby Blitz:  Really good record, a lot of energy and it seems it has an old time feel, really a fresh stuff.

 

Rock Overdose: What about other metal bands nowadays? We see a lot of old bands to continue making music and releasing good records.

Bobby Blitz:  And it's a good point. I mean, experience brings values, when a guy like me does it, or the guys in Exodus, in Testament, Megadeth, Anthrax. But I always thought this music always needed the voice of youth in. That's how it started and that should never be neglected or forgotten, and I think young bands for instance Suicidal Angels, for instance Lost Society, Desecrator from Australia, I think these bands are the ones who can take it to the next step, because many of the young bands play a blueprint that was created in the '80s, but there isn't a blueprint in 2017. The youth gives it life, it gives it lights. Creativity is the next thing to show itself, which I'm excited about seeing. So I enjoy the experience of the old bands, but I'm always excited for youthful energy to be injected in it.

 

Rock Overdose: So what's the next steps for the band?

Bobby Blitz:  In the meantime we're working on a DVD that we recorded in Germany, last April. That edit will be ready for release somewhere in the fall of 2017, it was two records of hours recorded in one night, in Oberhausen, Germany. Those records were ''Feel The Fire'' and ''Horrorscope'', so we thought it was cool that it was actually two hours with our music on this DVD, that was a great show, we had a line-up input with regarding to planing the show, right down to the lights and sound we brought in, the size of the stage, the painting in the background, a lot of cabinets on the stage, I like being involved in it, the other guys as well, not just playing but being a whole part of it. And that's when it becomes a type of endeavor, or project, or business, we take pride on this business because it's us presenting us, not someone else's ideas. That DVD will be out after U.S. tour and probably on summer we'll get it ready for release somewhere October 2017. There are also many other shows that we added after U.S. tour like I spoke earlier, so it's kinda like a clock, we have a work ethic, it's good for us understanding that next comes the tour, so we're prepared, we're ready!

 

Rock Overdose: Would you like to leave a message to your fans, especially here in Greece?

Bobby Blitz:  Oh, of course man. It's always great being there, I enjoyed it all, I enjoyed the moussaka, and I enjoyed the passion you have for music, I always say that when you make wine and make olive oil, passion is higher. I look forward to coming back to Greece.

 

Rock Overdose: I'm sure you will come!

Bobby Blitz:  I hope so my friend! Thank you so much for your time, I'll see you in Greece somewhere in 2017. Thank you Zisis and thank you Rock Overdose.

For Rock Overdose,
Zisis Petkanas

 

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