New Jersey thrashers, Overkill, will release their eighteenth album, The Grinding Wheel, on February 10th via Nuclear Blast. Jimmy Kay from Canada's The Metal Voice recently spoke to frontman Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth about the new album.

In regards to how he goes about writing the lyrics, Ellsworth states: “First and foremost I like to speak about things I know, and probably the thing I know most about is Overkill. I’ve been here for over three decades and most of my principles and good things I have in life have been given to me through Overkill. And I think there are a lot of principles in anybody in a band in that amount of time, in a business or a relationship, it’s what makes me me. So I speak about our principles whether they be commitment, whether they be unity, friendship or betrayal, I’m trying to use broad strokes with regard to how I live my life. In my lyrics I would speak like I am having a conversation and then apply that to content."

The Grinding Wheel can be ordered in the following formats:

- CD Digipak
- Green Cassette
- Orange Vinyl
- Swamp Green with Black Splatter Vinyl

Order your copy of the new album digitally on either iTunes or Amazon (widget below) and receive the tracks “Mean, Green, Killing Machine” and "Our Finest Hour" instantly.

The Grinding Wheel was produced by the band and mixed by Andy Sneap (Testament, Exodus). The artwork was created again by Travis Smith (Nevermore, Opeth, etc.).

The Grinding Wheel tracklisting:

“Mean Green Killing Machine”
“Goddamn Trouble”
“Our Finest Hour”
“Shine On”
“The Long Road”
“Let's All Go To Hades”
“Come Heavy”
“Red White And Blue”
“The Wheel”
“The Grinding Wheel”

“Mean, Green, Killing Machine" lyric video:

“Our Finest Hour” lyric video:

Track-by-track #1:

Track-by-track #2:

Track-by-track #3:

Trailers:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

 

 

Overkill’s 2017 North American trek with Egyptian themed technical death metal champions and labelmates, Nile (pictured below) will kick-off on February 14th at The Trocadero in Philadelphia, make stops in Chicago, Anaheim, and Washington, DC before ending at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ.

Bobby "Blitz Ellsworth comments, "Can't wait to roll 'the wheel' down the road. This February & March, USA, coming to a stage near you! Let's make it another one to remember!  Onward! Upward!"

“All of us in Nile are really looking forward to the upcoming USA Tour with Overkill. This Tour is going to be Metal as Fuck,” comments Nile mastermind Karl Sanders.

Joining Overkill and Nile for select shows are melancholic progressive metallers Amorphils and melodic doom/death merchants Swallow The Sun.

Tour dates:

February
14 - Trocadero Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
15 - Agora Ballroom (with Lordi) - Cleveland, OH
16 - Park Street Saloon - Columbus, OH
17 - Concord Music Hall - Chicago, IL
18 - The Cabooze - Minneapolis, MN
19 - Granada Theater - Lawrence, KS
20 - Gothic Theatre - Englewood, CO
22 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA
23 - Hawthorne Theater - Portland, OR
24 - Slim's - San Francisco, CA
25 - City National Grove - Anaheim, CA
26 - Club Red - Tempe, AZ
27 - Sunshine Theater - Albuquerque, NM
28 - Trees - Dallas, TX

March
1 - Scout Bar - Houston, TX
2 - Alamo City Music Hall - San Antonio, TX
3 - Southport Music Hall - New Orleans, LA
4 - The Ritz Ybor - Ybor City, FL
5 - Variety Playhouse - Atlanta, GA
6 - The Fillmore - Charlotte, NC  **
7 - The NorVa - Norfolk, VA **
8 - Howard Theatre - Washington, DC **
9 - Upstate Concert Hall - Clifton Park, NY **
10 - Palladium - Worcester, MA
11 - Starland Ballroom - Sayerville, NJ **

** with Amorphis, Swallow The Sun