Radio Metal conducted an interview with vocalist Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth of OVERKILL, where he talks about their just-released new album “The Electric Age”.
Radio Metal: Since “The Electric Age” was the first album written after [the 25th] anniversary, were you in a special state of mind while writing it?
Bobby: I don’t think so, I mean it’s business as usual. We have a process, we obviously enjoy it, we don’t try to overthink it. I think that is really the key to success. There’s something right now that we have with the band that’s a very positive chemistry. I think a lot of that is due to [drummer]Ron Lipnicki. He’s been the last member to join but he’s been here for seven years and he brought the level of energy to a higher level. He’s the new guy and he brings a higher energy. Everyone has to match that energy or otherwise you’re left behind. And I think that’s where we’re getting our success from. Overthinking would be wrong. D.D. [Verni, bass] and I were sitting around and having a coffee and I said, “What do you think about the new record?” and I think he took a sip and said, “We are not gonna reinvent the fuckin’ weel, are we?” Well, I don’t think so! [laughs] So it’s a very simple process for us. Get the job done, don’t repeat yourself, keep the energy level high.
Radio Metal: The new album is called “The Electric Age”. Is this a way to define the current state of the world?
Bobby: No, not necessarily. This is a really simple way of looking at a time period. I mean, we talked about 25 years early on in the interview, and I think that when you start talking about one period of time, you’re obviously talking about an age. This is not necessarily about electric instruments, but more so about electricity. Overkill is synonymous with energy. I think electricity is a synonymous with energy. I think electricity is that we’ve been able to create between band and public that really makes it one. I think that’s really one of a key of our success: we know when a room is electric, when a record is electric, we know when the energy is on a high level, and we exploit it! And that’s why I think a band like us is still around for a period of 25-plus years. We know when the energy’s there, and we’re taking advantage of it.
You can read the rest of the interview here.
