It’s not often that Perth gets a taste of the US east coast thrash sound when it comes to the live shows, predominantly it’s usually a west coast affair with the likes of Slayer, Megadeth and coming soon, Death Angel making the rounds down under. So it’s a nice change of pace when a legendary veteran band like Overkill who grew up on the New Jersey and New York metal scene make their way to the west for the first time ever and boy did they show the fans in Perth some serious thrash metal on Sunday night.
Overkill have been around for a seriously long time and many may not know that they even pre-date the likes of long time thrashers Metallica and Slayer who are widely known as the forefathers of thrash. Overkill were based on the east coast of the US with the likes of Anthrax and Nuclear Assault which never gained quite the same reputation as the Bay Area scene but was in a league of their own, borrowing influences from the same pool of earlier metal bands but with a New York hardcore and punk twist. It’s that difference between the two sides that gave bands like Overkill a whole style that catered to a different type of crowd even if it all ended up ultimately within the same circles once thrash took off. Overkill have always been a fairly consistent band too even with the less thrashy era of the 90’s where it wasn’t just Metallica and Anthrax who adopted a more groove oriented sound but there was something in Overkill’s DNA that kept the band on a path that’s never strayed too far from their roots. They finally brought their sound to Perth for the first time ever and it was everything you expected from the veteran thrash outfit.
Before they hit the stage, two locals on the form of Cold Fate and Entropy opened the show and it was a mixed bag in all honesty. The always reliable Cold Fate were the perfect openers with their brand of West Aussie thrash metal and they were tight as fuck, probably the tightest performance I had seen them yet. With new material making it’s debut along with some regulars in their set, Cold Fate set things alight early on to make sure the old school thrash vibe was in the air.
The following band however, Entropy were something a little outside the box for a show that was really an old school thrashers delight. A style of metalcore meets extreme prog groove was maybe not the best fit for this type of show and as heavy and great as their actual performance was, one couldn’t help but feel they were a little out of place on the bill. Thrash bands are a little harder to come by in Perth compared to a lot of places but this just didn’t fit the show, however if punters enjoyed it, then that’s all that matters I suppose.
A little intro set the mood for Overkill’s appearance as they ran on stage and proceeded to unapologetically get straight to business opening with the brilliant “Mean Green Killing Machine”, the opener to their latest album “The Grinding Wheel”. It’s hooky riffs and headbanging groove really capture everything that Overkill does best and shows a testament to the strength of their more recent material.
From here on the band mixed up the set with a healthy dose of 80’s material like “Rotten To The Core” and the classic signature “Wrecking Crew” making it’s way early on. Singer Bobby “Blitz” Elsworth, ever the commanding frontman of the 4 piece made his stage presence felt all through the show, theatrical and animated in performance, hilarious and off the cuff in interactions with the crowd who were trying their best to grab a handshake or fist bump through out the show. Drummer Jason Bittner who recently joined the ranks was flawless in his delivery, tight and on point with double kicks flailing at every opportunity while keeping perfect time during some truly blistering speeds.
On each end of the stage, guitarist Dave Linsk flew solo on the axe due to the absence of rhythm guitarist Derek Tailer but held up brilliantly on his own, taking care of riff and solo duty while longtime original member and bassist D.D. Verni stayed in the pockets and providing the backbone of Overkills groove and sound. Collectively it was a well oiled machine as the band ripped through a vast catalogue, picking tracks from virtually most of the albums aside from a few from the much ignored 90’s material.
The new tracks were also blazing, the Black Sabbath inspired speed metal captivating punters across the room and forcing the dedicated upfront to sweat it out amongt the moshers and crowd surfers. “Goddamn Trouble” was a highlight as was much of the tracks from the epic “The Electric Age”. The obligatory encore rounded things off as the band pulled out a couple of covers including Subhumans “Fuck You” and the pummeling double kick driven “Overkill” from the mighty Motorhead. It was the perfect ending to a perfect show from the veterans who showed that the old dogs of thrash have still got a huge bite that rivals any newcomers looking to take the throne.
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Tammie Molotov – Molotov Enterprises & Photography
