By Mark Gromen

Fresh from the pre-show meet n' greet, Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth exits the venue, alone, undeterred by the throng waiting to enter, Looking fit and relaxed, with  tinted, Jack Nicholson slimline reading glasses, we head backstage, where Blitz pops a beer and lights a cigarette, as we re-christen a friendship that's closing in on 30 years, or so he tells DD Verni's daughter, who's in the dressing room as we excuse ourselves to the production office. Onstage, the stream of bands is almost as numerous as the line queue outside.

The Trocadero is home to one of the most infamous OVERKILL shows, when someone in a packed house set the sprinkler system system off, frying the soundboard after just one or two songs. Initially, the band were unaware of what was happening, but as Ellsworth, a master storyteller, picks up the thread, "I remember that show, because we followed it up with (a make-up show) where I came out with an umbrella! When it happened, I didn't know (exactly) what had happened. There was a production issue, but when you see how the crowd is moving. We're not necessarily aware of what's happeneing at the front end. We're aware of what's happening on the stage. The crowd wasn't moving any more. They were doing a water slide from the center, from the soundboard down to the stage, because of how the water was collecting! It seemed like a disaster at the minute, but moments later, it was laughable."

What other surreal live moments come to mind after almost 30 years? "As I explained to you the story outside, the person who was smoking crack behind our bus and trying to strangled someone in the front row. That's a pretty memorable night! If we had to count shows, I think we're over 4000, so when they say, 'We're rehearsing this week.' I say, 'Come on, bother somebody else.' I remember when my pants fell off in Cleveland. 'Does he breathe through that thing? It looks sick.'' I remember the first time we did a festival in Europe. It was 10 degrees Celsius. I was sweating like someone in Key West, on the beach in the humidity. My shirt came off and I looked at DD and said, 'This is about live or die, isn't it?' It was Roskilde, a really high profile festival! I remember doing a stage dive at Wacken and not making it! Landing on the barricade. I remember doing a stagedive at a festival in Switzerland, with METAL CHURCH, VICIOUS RUMORS and PAUL DiANNO and I had to start from behind the amps. It was in a hockey arena and they'd cover the floor with plywood. I thought, 'I'm going to make this.' When I was 15-20 feet in the air, the Swiss parted. I was like 'ah?!' When I landed, licking my wounds, one of the Swiss metalheads came by and threw a beer in my face!'

To elaborate on the story from earlier in the evening, "Some years back, I was walking down the street (in Philly's Chinatown), between the tour bus and the venue, when I saw this red haired kid panhandling. He says, "Bobby Blitz?" I talked to him and he claims that we was out of rehab for three months, down on his luck and his wife was panhandling at the other end of the street. I gave him $10 and said, "Go get you and your wife something to eat." (I suspect this was shortly after Blitz had his own life-threatening health scare and bout of sobriety). The guys says, "You know, if I had money, I'd come see the show tonight." I asked him. "You really been out of rehab for three months? OK, tickets to the show, for you and your wife, on me." When I got inside, the drum tech said, "Hey, that was a pretty cool thing you did." I said, "Well, you really weren't supposed to see that, but thanks." The next night, we're in upstate New York and I see this commotion at the front of the stage. These two girls are going at it. One's head is sort of bobbing forward and the other's got the monitor chord around the first one's neck, choking her out. She's got her knee in the other's back, pulling on the chord. I'm trying to kick her, to get her to stop, eventually security gets in there and breaks it up. The drum tech says, 'It was two crackheads. I gave tickets to, like you did.' Yeah, but they're supposed to be off the stuff first!"

Always the jokester, so my line of questioning veers towards the absurd, inside jokes and trying to elicit that distinctive Ellsworth cackle. On their debut, the band thanked Frank Perdue and now, in 'Electric Rattlesnake' he sings "Shake & bake," so what's the obsession with chicken? "It's not my favorite food," confessed the curly haired vocalist, "but in the last couple of years, I;ve become a fairly accomplished cook (I've eaten the man's BBQ hamburgers!). I'm in the (metal) cookbook, Moshed Potatoes. One Christmas my wife brought out this big package. I'm like six years old, wondering what it could be, envisioning something great. It was pots and pans with even heating bottoms! Those lyrics are about as mindless as you can go. I poke a little fun at the religious right in there, but it's really just a rip your face off, rock n roll song. If you think about it too much, you ruin it."

Despite the protest, we delve further into the song, as he says "Here I go again," right before the sludgey break, apparently a coy reference to returning to a sound hear in (and reminiscent of) 'I Hear Black'. It is not a coincidence, confirms its architect. "Purposeful, not necessarily just the 'I Hear Black' section, but us in general. I've actually used it twice on the record, in 'Wish You Were Dead'. There's some value to that, because this thing (OVERKILL) has had value for three decades."

Speaking of longevity, when Ironbound was initially released, it coincided with the 25th anniversary of the debut. Plans were floated about a big celebration, with returning guest, but ultimately, the success of that record made looking back all the less appealing (and unnecessary). as the band were vibrant in the here and now. The Electric Age, will be the second barrel, blasting any notions deader than they were already. "In hindsight, what was celebratory was Ironbound itself. It gave validity to the moment, instead of the past. We've always been rooted in the past and Ironbound was obviously rooted in the past, but it was presented with a contemporary value that people seemed to sucked up. 'Why don't you re-record something with Bobby Gustafson?' Come on, that's historical. Part of the reason why that album was good is because of how shitty it sounds by contemporary standards. I won't say Ironbound gave us a new lease on life, because we always had the attitude and principles to move forward. You don't go into the studio looking to fail."

"Got a lot of mouth for a Jersey white boy" as 'Old Wounds, New Scars' proclaims, certainly sounds like something that's been thrown the singer's way (Hell, I've known the guy forever. If this DIDN'T happen, I'd be surprised). "To some degree it's autobiographical, but also describes a lot of friends I know. I've heard it and used it, but never as an insult. The guy whose got a lot of mouth, if used correctly, is usually someone standing up for themself."

Speaking of biographical pieces, anyone whose seen either Get Thrashed or the Rat Skates (original OVERKILL drummer) documentary, Born In The Basement, will see a younger, more aggressive/attitude ridden Ellsworth. "My favorite one of all time, pre-Internet, is a black and white photo of me in a fanzine, from Belgium, maybe Switzerland, in the dressing room, holding a beer, in my underwear, with blood dripping out of the corner of my mouth, looking like a wreck, and the caption, if you translate it,  says something like 'Will he make it to 30?' The cockiness is to some degree necessary. It wasn't about self-elevation. It's more about me being the mouth of the band. The band, to some degree, is the insignia for the crowd, so the cockiness is really about us, collectively. I think to some degree I'm a good spokesman for it, because I don't like taking shit. I'll say it like it is. I'm not into the ass kissing scene, "I really wish we'd be in the Big 4. I don't give a shit!"

So what would that 20-something adrenaline jockey say, seeing his older self, facial close-up and hairy armpits being the sole cover of Germany's Rock Hard magazine? The loquacious frontman can only cackle as he's temporarily dumbfounded at the thought/visual. "When I run into people into people from throughout the years and they say, 'Boy, you were a pain in the ass,with your opinions.' I always say, 'But I was a gentleman, wasn't I?' So I suppose there's a degree of victory in that (mag) cover, that this many years later we can still have an impact on the scene."

The stage is a throwback, 3x3 stack of amps either side of drummer Ron Lipnicki. Tonight (and presumably for most, if not all, of the tour) they'll play sixteen songs in 90 minutes, including four tracks (played for the first time ever!) off The Electric Age and a pair from Ironbound, although I'd like to see 'Black Daze' fitted in there, somehow. What's interesting is that this go-round, the focus seems to be leaning towards 90s era material: no 'Feel The Fire', 'Hammerhead', 'Powersurge' nor 'In Union We Stand'. In their place are the likes of 'It Lives', 'Necroshine' and 'Gasoline Dream', but fret not old-timers, there's still plenty of vintage standards in the mix, including 'Wrecking Crew', 'Hello From The Gutter' and 'Elimination', which is not only separated from the requisite 'Fuck You' sign-off, but aired third overall! The encore is all old school (not the song, that pops up elsewhere), 'Deny The Cross', 'Rotten To The Core' and the aforementioned finale.

'Come And Get It' fittingly kicks things off, a fitting tune to get the mosh pit moving, Blitz franticly darting around the stage, balancing atop the monitors. 'Bring Me The Night' follows, two in a row from the last pair of releases, proving OverKill's best material is not restricted to golden oldies. As surprising as those choices, 'Elimination' placed third, instead of dovetailed with 'Fuck You' at the end of the set, is a monumental shift. The band, all in black, is a lethal combo. First single, 'Electric Rattlesnake' sees bassist DD Verni splitting between being lunched over the monitors or near the backline, next to Lipnicki. For the "Her I Go Again" lyric, Blitz is highlighted in red light and a big cheer erupts for the SABBATHy breakdown. The song allows guitarist Dave Linsk strut his stuff too. The singer is absent for large portions of 'Hello From The Gutter', Verni taking over, front and center. The crowd sings the chorus, en masse and it ends with the biggest applause yet.

2/3 of the Troc is dedicated to those over 21, even the floor, usually reserved for the moshers, has been subdivided to provide a second bar, downstairs. Guitarist Derek Tailer is the first (and ultimately only) member to lose his shirt, prior to a revved up 'Save Yourself'. While it's the new disc's fastest option, other than those pressed against the rail, most remained motionless (guess they've not downloaded The Electric Age yet). A flood of white lights shine down for 'Necroshine', while fog shrouds the stage for 'Wish You Were Dead'. Aware some were watching the Flyers playoff game in the corridor, Blitz asked if they'd won. Despite the loss, he dedicated 'Wrecking Crew' to the hockey team, Linsk flailing with hammer-ons throughout.

All returned for the encore, the singer managing to keep his black tank top on for the entire show. 'Deny The Cross' felt a little more energetic and backed with 'Rotten To The Core' brought a tear to many a middle-aged man's eye. Not content with leaving the sports talk yet, Blitz (a New Jersey Devils fan) told the Philadelphia faithful that he too "Hate(s) the Penguins as much as you do," dedicating the closing 'Fuck You' to Sidney Crosby and crew. Dave Linsk trotted out a double-neck guitar for this one.

I don't care what you say...OVERKILL (still) rock harder than bands half their age!

More photos can be found in a gallery here.