Overkill

Live at The City National Grove

Anaheim, California

February 25th, 2017

Review and Photos by Travis Baumann

Overkill have been doing what they do unapologetically for over thirty years and doing it well. This month saw the release of their eighteenth album, "The Grinding Wheel". Consistent with their well-established sound, it proves to be a powerhouse of Thrash influenced Metal from the New Jersey quintet.

In tandem with the release, they have embarked on a headlining tour and on this night are playing mere blocks from Disneyland, bringing the "Wrecking Crew from the Gutter" to within spitting distance of the Mouse House.

I have been listening to the new record on repeat since I got a copy of it, and was more than excited to see them in person again with the added bonus of getting to see some of it played live.

Overkill's old school team of musicians focus around their dynamic front man, Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth. Joining him on stage are D.D. Verni on bass guitar, Dave Linsk on lead guitar, Derek "The Skull" Tailer on rhythm guitar, and Ron Lipnicki on drums.

They opened the set with the highly anticipated "Mean, Green, Killing Machine" from the new album. It is a driving monstrosity that lives up to its name. The crowd was ready for it, amped up, and hollering right from the get go.

Overkill have a hard core fan base that go back to their original releases and they like to cater to their "Wrecking Crew", as they call their fans, by doing favorites from throughout their entire career. "Rotten to the Core" always brings the action, the pit going crazy as they dished out one for them.

I always love "Electric Rattlesnake" and tonight was no exception. Bobby has a catch phrase, "I got one rule! I'm in charge! Come watch us shake and bake!"

Bouncing back to another oldie-but-goodie, they did "Hello From the Gutter" before returning to the recent album for "Goddamn Trouble", a new take on the familiar subject of rabble rousing and carousing.

We got "Feel the Fire", "Nice Day... For a Funeral", and "Infectious" with the entire venue still raging hard. After traveling around the back catalog, they brought it back to the here and now with another new song, "Our Finest Hour", one of my favorites from "The Grinding Wheel". I would be lying if I said there was a single song on it that I didn't love though.

Trading off for another old favorite, and one that they love to do live, we got "Hammerhead" followed by the awesome "Armorist" off of 2014's "White Devil Armory" release.

The main set was drawing to a close but to make it an even dozen they did a cover of Thin Lizzy's "Emerald" before departing the stage. Chanting and shouts ensued but they did not leave us hanging for long and emerged for a few more songs.

I have seen these guys a number of times now and there are certain songs that always make their way into their set list. "Ironbound" is most definitely one of them and the audience sang along as if anticipating it the entire evening.

"Elimination" was another fan favorite that kept the energy going all the way to the end of the night. As the clock drove near midnight, the end was in sight.

Every time I have seen Overkill over the years, they always end the same way: a cover of The Subhumans U.K. song, "Fuck You". With hundreds of voices singing along and twice that number of middle fingers in the air, they closed out the night with a resounding "We don't care what you say! Fuck You!"

It was an awesome show, Overkill have never let me down. They are consummate performers with a heavy hand on the Metal incorporating layers of Thrash, Doom, Classic Rock, and a penchant for the dark side of life.

I would have loved even more material from the latest album but at the same time, I knew I would get to hear all the favorites from previous albums and that is part of the fun. I highly recommend listening to the new album as well as catching them when they circle through your neck of the woods.

They are touring with direct support from Egyptian based Death Metal veterans, Nile which some pointed out as being an odd lineup choice but I thought Nile were really cool as well, and definitely got the crowd tenderized with their brutal assault. This is certainly a tour to get in on.

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