OVERKILL

w/ Mortal Sin

The Metro Theatre, Sydney – 25th September, 2010

30 years have passed since the inception of legendary US thrash band Overkill. With 15 studio albums, 3 EPs, 4 live albums, 2 live DVDs, and a plethora of greatest hits albums, it’s beyond belief that such a long running and hard working band hasn’t made their way down under throughout their lengthy career. Well, back in April Australia was finally hit with the news that Overkill were to finally make their way down and tour our nation for a brief run of shows through our east coast cities.

I’ve got to admit, after seeing so many bands through my travels over the last decade, I rarely get genuinely excited to see an international band unless it’s one of my all-time personal favourites. With Overkill though, while not a band I’ve followed closely over the years, I’ve been incessantly keen to see them again ever since seeing them at Wacken in 2005. And after hearing their latest release ‘Ironbound’, which I rate in my top 5 albums of 2010, I was more excited than ever!

All tour dates were supported by Australian thrash metal veterans, Mortal Sin, who has had an extensive touring relationship with Overkill ever since they supported them throughout Europe back in 2008. I arrived just after Mortal Sin kicked into their opening track. In Australia, I’ve only ever seen this band perform on smaller stages, although in 2008, I was lucky enough to see them play on the main stage at Wacken. Seeing them now on a large stage once again, I must say that these guys definitely suit this environment. They know how to move around, how to work the audience, and most of all, how to play a great set. Mortal Sin played a great mix of their older and newer tracks, which created the perfect balance that catered to both new and old fans alike. Crowd favourites like Lebanon received the greatest attention, with the pit turning into the chaotic mess that you’d only expect to see during a headlining band’s set. Kudos to Mortal Sin for putting on an amazing show and showing the crowd that Australian metal bands can put on just as good a, if not better, show than many of the internationals out there.

And with that, we come to the mighty Overkill! As the room filled with people everywhere, the stage became covered in smoke and the lights darkened, the beginning of the opening track from their latest album played over the PA. And then three members of the thrash legends appeared among the smoke, bassist Carlo “D.D.” Verni, guitarist Dave Linsk, and drummer Ron Lipnicki, each picking up the reins to their instruments and kicking in to the heavier part of the opening track The Green and the Black. As just as the crowd became a tumult of bodies moving to and fro, singer Bobby Ellsworth basically glided across the stage to his microphone with an energetic prowess that one would not expect to see from a 51 year old.

And from there, the show never lost any of its energy. From start to finish, the band managed to keep their vigour and enthusiasm high and in a more impressive point, managed to keep the audience entertained without break the whole set. A few things I should point out. First of all, rhythm guitarist Derek Tailer was missing from the fold tonight due to a family member being ill. I thought this may have an impact on their performance as lead guitarist Dave Linsk would be performing two roles. But to tell you the honest truth, you would not know that they were missing a member. Linsk performed his duties amazingly and the guitars sounded full all night! An extreme testament to that man’s guitar playing abilities! Secondly, it became apparently during the night that the band was filming the show for an upcoming DVD, as there was numerous cameras positioned around the venue, including a few in the photo pit. So keep your eyes out for that release!

Overkill played a great collection from their lengthy career. There were three tracks from the new album, and the title tracks Ironbound was definitely one of my highlights of the night. It was just pure bliss to finally hear this track live, and it’ll go down as one of my favourite concerts moments of all time. Tracks such as Rotten to the Core, Hello from the Gutter, and Elimination drew an immense crowd response as the sing-a-long moments were deafening. But nothing can come close to the ultimate metal anthem sing-a-long, In Union We Stand, which I’m pretty sure all of Sydney could hear that night.

All in all, I think Overkill would go down as my gig of the year. They put on a performance that’d put to shame any new band calling themselves thrash, as well as many that have been attempting it for years. People may know of the ‘Big Four’, but in all honesty, I think Overkill is just as good, if not better, than any of the bands in that category. Let’s just hope Overkill throw us on all future tours, as I’ll be at every single one.