Greece’s Rock Overdose caught up with Overkill frontman Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth to promote their upcoming Grinding Wheel album. An excerpt below:

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 suppose 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.”

New Jersey thrashers, Overkill, will release their eighteenth album, The Grinding Wheel, on February 10th via Nuclear Blast. 

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