Overkill is an American thrash metal band from Old Bridge Township, New Jersey. Formed in 1980, the group was co-founded by bassist Carlo "D.D." Verni and drummer Lee "Rat Skates" Kundrat, with vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and guitarist Robert "Riff Thunder" Pisarek joining afterwards. The current lineup of Overkill features Verni and Ellsworth alongside lead guitarist Dave Linsk (since 1999) and rhythm guitarist Derek Tailer (since 2001).
History Overkill was formed in 1980 by D.D. Verni and Rat Skates, with Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and Robert Pisarek joining afterwards. During 1981, Dan Spitz and Anthony Ammendola took over on guitars. In 1982, Spitz and Ammendola were replaced by Rich Conte and Mike Sherry, before Bobby Gustafson took over as the band's sole guitarist before the end of the year. After the band released its first two albums Feel the Fire and Taking Over, Skates left in December 1987. He was replaced by Robert "Sid" Falck, formerly of Paul Di'Anno's Battlezone. The new lineup issued Under the Influence in 1988 and The Years of Decay in 1989, before Gustafson parted ways after an argument with Verni regarding an upcoming show he wanted to play. To replace the guitarist, Overkill returned to a five-piece lineup with the additions of Rob Cannavino and Merritt Gant.
During the promotional tour for Horrorscope in 1992, Falck left the band to pursue other musical styles and was replaced by former M.O.D. drummer Tim Mallare. The new incarnation released I Hear Black, W.F.O. and live album Wrecking Your Neck, before Cannavino and Gant were replaced by Sebastian Marino and Joe Comeau. Marino recorded The Killing Kind, From the Underground and Below and Necroshine, before leaving in March 1999. He was replaced by Dave Linsk, who debuted on the covers album Coverkill. After a European tour in early 2000, Comeau left Overkill to join headliner Annihilator as its new lead vocalist, but returned after the remaining four-piece recorded Bloodletting that summer. By early 2001, Comeau had left again and been replaced on tour by Derek Tailer.
After releasing Wrecking Everything, Killbox 13 and ReliXIV, Overkill changed drummers in May 2005 when Mallare was replaced by Ron Lipnicki. The new lineup remained stable for over ten years, before the band's road crew member Eddy Garcia temporarily replaced Lipnicki on tour from April 2016, after he was "forced to stay home due to undisclosed family issues". By May 2017, Lipnicki had been replaced on a permanent basis by Flotsam and Jetsam drummer Jason Bittner. The new lineup released The Wings of War in 2019. Bittner departed in August 2024 due to scheduling issues. His replacement was Jeramie Kling (ex-Venom Inc.).
Members Current ImageNameYears activeInstrumentsRelease contributionsD.D. Verni1980–presentall Overkill releasesBobby "Blitz" EllsworthDave Linsk1999–presentall Overkill releases from Coverkill (1999) onwardsDerek Tailer2001–presentall Overkill releases from Wrecking Everything: An Evening in Asbury Park (2002) onwardsJeramie Kling2024–present drumsnone to date
Former ImageNameYears activeInstrumentsRelease contributionsLee "Rat Skates" Kundrat1980–1987drumsall Overkill releases from Power in Black (1983) to Fuck You (1987)Robert "Riff Thunder" Pisarek1980–1981lead and rhythm guitarnoneAnthony Ammendola1981rhythm guitarDan Spitzlead guitarRich Conte1981–1982Mike Sherrylead and rhythm guitarsJoe1982Bobby Gustafson1982–1990all Overkill releases from Power in Black (1983) to The Years of Decay (1989)Robert "Sid" Falck1987–1992drumsRob Cannavino1990–1995Merritt Gant1991–1995Tim Mallare1992–2005drumsall Overkill releases from I Hear Black (1993) to ReliXIV (2005)Joe Comeauall Overkill releases from The Killing Kind (1996) to Coverkill (1999)Sebastian Marino1995–1999 lead guitarRon Lipnicki2005–2017drumsJason Bittner2017–2024
Touring ImageNameYears activeInstrumentsDetailsEddy GarciadrumsGarcia temporarily replaced Lipnicki on the 70000 Tons of Metal cruise in 2012, and later from April 2016.Waldemar Sorychta2016lead guitarSorychta stepped in for lead guitarist Linsk on a European tour in late 2016 for undisclosed reasons.Phil Demmel2021–2023Demmel played one show with Overkill in place of Linsk in November 2021, due to scheduling conflicts. He continued to do so their 2022 spring tour with Prong.David Ellefson2024Ellefson played bass for the band on their "Scorching Latin America 2024" tour while Verni was recovering from shoulder surgery.Christian "Speesy" GieslerGiesler joined the band for a European tour.Christian Olde WolbersWolbers joined the band for a North American tour., and again in the Thrash Of The Titans Tour March-April 2026, and also for the European tour June-August 2026.
Timeline
Lineups PeriodMembersReleases1980–1981D.D. Verni – bass Rat Skates – drums Bobby Blitz – lead vocals Riff Thunder – guitarsrowspan="3" 1981D.D. Verni – bass Rat Skates – drums Bobby Blitz – lead vocals Dan Spitz – lead guitar Anthony Ammendola – rhythm guitar1981–1982D.D. Verni – bass Rat Skates – drums Bobby Blitz – lead vocals Rich Conte – guitars Mike Sherry – guitarsLate 1982 – December 1987D.D. Verni – bass, backing vocals Rat Skates – drums Bobby Blitz – lead vocals Joe – guitars (1982) Bobby Gustafson – guitars, backing vocalsPower in Black (1983) Rotten to the Core (1984) Feel the Fire (1985) Metal Hammer Roadshow 1 (1986) Taking Over (1987) Fuck You (1987) Live to the Core (1992)December 1987 – late 1990D.D. Verni – bass, backing vocals Bobby Blitz – lead vocals Bobby Gustafson – guitars, backing vocals Sid Falck – drumsUnder the Influence (1988) The Years of Decay (1989) Sexy Flexi (1990)Late 1990 – March 1991D.D. Verni – bass, backing vocals Bobby Blitz – lead vocals Sid Falck – drums Rob Cannavino – guitars, backing vocalsMarch 1991 – summer 1992D.D. Verni – bass, backing vocals Bobby Blitz – lead vocals Sid Falck – drums Rob Cannavino – guitars, backing vocals Merritt Gant – guitars, backing vocalsHorrorscope (1991)Summer 1992 – summer 1995D.D. Verni – bass, backing vocals Bobby Blitz – lead vocals Rob Cannavino – guitars, backing vocals Merritt Gant – guitars, backing vocals Tim Mallare – drumsI Hear Black (1993) W.F.O. (1994) Wrecking Your Neck (1995)Summer 1995 – March 1999D.D. Verni – bass, backing vocals Bobby Blitz – lead vocals Tim Mallare – drums Sebastian Marino – lead guitar Joe Comeau – rhythm guitar, backing vocalsThe Killing Kind (1996) From the Underground and Below (1997) Necroshine (1999) Coverkill (1999) Spring 1999 – spring 2000D.D. Verni – bass, backing vocals Bobby Blitz – lead vocals Tim Mallare – drums Joe Comeau – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Dave Linsk – lead guitar, backing vocalsCoverkill (1999) Mid – late 2000D.D. Verni – bass, backing vocals Bobby Blitz – lead vocals Tim Mallare – drums Dave Linsk – guitars, backing vocalsBloodletting (2000)Late 2000 – early 2001D.D. Verni – bass, backing vocals Bobby Blitz – lead vocals Tim Mallare – drums Dave Linsk – lead guitar, backing vocals Joe Comeau – rhythm guitar, backing vocalsEarly 2001 – May 2005D.D. Verni – bass, backing vocals Bobby Blitz – lead vocals Tim Mallare – drums Dave Linsk – lead guitar, backing vocals Derek Tailer – rhythm guitar, backing vocalsWrecking Everything (2002) Killbox 13 (2003) ReliXIV (2005)May 2005 – May 2017D.D. Verni – bass, backing vocals Bobby Blitz – lead vocals Dave Linsk – lead guitar, backing vocals Derek Tailer – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Ron Lipnicki – drumsImmortalis (2007) Live at Wacken Open Air 2007 (2008) Ironbound (2010) The Electric Age (2013) Live from Oz (2013) White Devil Armory (2014) The Grinding Wheel (2017)April 2016 – May 2017D.D. Verni – bass, backing vocals Bobby Blitz – lead vocals Dave Linsk – lead guitar, backing vocals Derek Tailer – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Eddy Garcia – drums Live in Overhausen (2018)May 2017 – August 2024D.D. Verni – bass, backing vocals Bobby Blitz – lead vocals Dave Linsk – lead guitar, backing vocals Derek Tailer – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Jason Bittner – drumsThe Wings of War (2019) Scorched (2023)August 2024 – presentD.D. Verni – bass, backing vocals Bobby Blitz – lead vocals Dave Linsk – lead guitar, backing vocals Derek Tailer – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Jeramie Kling – drumsnone to date
References
External links Overkill official website