Overkill

New Jersey thrashers Overkill pioneered heavy, speedy music inspired by punk as much as it was by metal trailblazers like Black Sabbath and Motörhead. Formed in 1980 in Old Bridge Township, NJ, Overkill cut their teeth on cover songs by the likes of Ramones and Judas Priest, with the strong, sometimes yelped lead vocals of Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth helping them stand out. After toiling around the New York area’s metal circuit, they released their first demo in 1983 and followed that up with their debut, Feel The Fire, in 1985. Overkill’s second album, Taking Over, followed in 1987; that record’s anthemic “In Union We Stand” became a cult favorite on MTV’s Headbangers Ball. Since then, they have consistently released heavy, technically complex albums full of apocalyptic imagery driven home by Ellsworth’s unmistakable vocals. Overkill have remained a going concern for four-plus decades, with members cycling in and out; while Ellsworth and bassist D.D. Verni are the only two who have been in the band the entire time, their collective commitment to loud, pummeling music has only grown stronger.