Overkill frontman Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth spoke to Metal Asylum in New Jersey about the band’s latest album Ironbound, longevity, plans for the tour and anniversary shows, and remastering their back catalog.

Metal Asylum: In Overkill’s 25 years of making music the band never stopped making thrash metal, but Ironbound is your thrashiest release since say Horrorscope and W.F.O. Did you try to achieve what has happened on Ironbound on previous albums or would you say it’s a happenstance?

Ellsworth: "I would say it’s a happenstance but I think there is reasons. This is the first time in a long time we did a lot of touring, we did two European legs, one at the beginning of the Immortalis tour with a band called MORTAL SIN, and we did one with Exodus. The American runs were with WARBRINGER and EPITHERION, so it was kind of a thrash year for us concerning Immortalis. So when you come off the road with Exodus your cut from the same cloth, same era, friendly but still competitive with each other, hahaha, you know, and you take that vibe in when you start assembling the record. That’s where that happenstance becomes, the X factor, because that’s what we have done all that time prior, being around all that thrash music, and you can’t help not be influenced by it when your recording an album. And this past weekend we shot a video for 'Bring Me The Night' with director Kevin Custer who also shot AND directed the 'Skull & Bones' video. Kevin really has a great vision for how to film a video for this kind of music and he came up with some great lighting effects for ‘Bring Me The Night’. I can’t wait for everyone to see this video."

Metal Asylum: Do you think Killbox 13, Relix IV, and Immortalis had to be made in order to get back even more to your roots on Ironbound?

Ellsworth: "I’m a firm believer in that, that every step you make is necessary to get to your successes and I do think that those records have their successes but are not as cohesive as Ironbound. Killbox to me is really a valuable part of real estate for Overkill, there’s a lot of cohesion in it but not a real blend of all the elements that make up Overkill where Ironbound is from start to finish, with all its dynamics, it really is a hard hitter. Killbox maybe just wasn’t as hard of a hitter. "Ironbound" is just up their flailing away. I think the unique qualities that give Ironbound its dynamics is Dave’s (Linsk) work, the guitar work is really out front and I think he is one of the best guitar players Overkill has had, in the top three. The guitar lines are a fabric through the whole album, its that feel that you can’t really put your finger on and almost has a progressive feel at times. Everything from this surf rock n roll stuff to this intense orchestrated stuff, so if we are banging it up with these unusual arrangements but still thrashin' up and this guitar line that weaves through the whole thing it becomes that extra dynamic that ties it all together."

Metal Asylum: Well now that you mention it, speaking of a progressive feel, when I first listened to Ironbound I immediately heard the albums Under The Influences because of its weird time/tempo changes, and Years Of Decay. Do you hear that as well?

Ellsworth: "Sure, I hear it. I suppose since that’s part of our makeup its always possible to revisit that period without compromising your integrity, it gives you license to I’m not going to say re use, but re invent, because even though this record has that feel which is a great thing, its not those records. And it doesn’t have those formulas on it. So reinvention is the key word here really. Its necessary not to rehash things because then it becomes 'what once was', you know. I think this record is different and Overkill in 2010 while still captures those moments from the earlier albums."

Metal Asylum: Where do you hear the albums Killing Kind, From The Underground And Below, and Necroshine on Ironbound since those albums were a little more groove based in the music?

Ellsworth: "Hmmm…interesting, that’s the first time I’ve been asked this. DD (Verni, bassist) is really the master of the breakdown, he understands a riff but he also understands the dynamic of a breakdown. So when you have a song like ‘The Green and Black’ off "Ironbound" and that heavy groove section in the center, same with the title track, these are probably the elements of that era so there isn’t an abandonment of the groove because its obviously their and a big part of what we do and are. There is a big stomp in what we do, a song doesn’t just have to fly along like a speeding bullet or the speeding train on fire, its also got to be a sledgehammer. When we put together a setlist together we always talk about dynamics, and the speed versus the hammer, hills and valleys. But DD really is the origin where these songs start, like on the ‘S.R.C.’, the Subterranean Resistance Cult, hahaha, the revolution, the fire still burns, hahaha."

Metal Asylum: You have the 25th anniversary of the band this year. What type of setlist do you prepare for the live show and will it include any surprises?

Ellsworth: "You know I think a big part of our survival has been understanding opportunity and understanding the day. And not necessarily resting on laurels, I’ve never considered us to have laurels and maybe that’s probably a good way to look at it because you then compete in the day and I think competing in the day is more important than what we plan for an anniversary show. Now when we go on the U.S. tour in April, we are not planning a Feel The Fire event its gonna be an "Ironbound" event. But obviously later in the year we are gonna do a few one off events where we will celebrate our existence, and that’s a testimony to those who bleed green and black (Overkill’s colors), but I think why people like this band, why I like this band, is because we really squeeze the day, and that’s a hell of a lot more important than what we did yesterday, you know."

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