OVERKILL w/ Mortal Sin

It has taken 25 years and 15 studio albums to get New Jersey Thrash-Stars OVERKILL to Australia. The highly anticipated tour has been wrecking the necks of fans world-wide with the execution of the 25th Anniversary world tour, now finally it was Australia’s turn to experience the living legends on home turf. With Mortal Sin now approaching 25 years of mayhemic destruction it seemed only fitting that they support long time friends Overkill during their east coast visit.

Being such a momentous occasion for both bands and fans it was hard to not to be taken in by the energy and excitement that was circulating feverishly through the Metro Theatre. Mortal Sin was the only support act for the night, enhancing the atmosphere perfectly with a solid set. The volume of the kick drum unfortunately overpowered a lot of the lead guitar work but it was clear the audience weren’t too bothered by it. The crowd were thrilled by the inclusion of tracks from the 1986 album "Mayhemic Destruction", many becoming quite vocal as old favourites such as "Into the Fire" rang through the auditorium.

Frontman "Mat Maurer" showing the younger generation how it is done by head banging belligerently whilst keeping complete control over his vocals chords. Impressively not so much as the smallest unwanted quiver was heard. After almost 25 years Mortal Sin has proven they can still kick it with the best of them, they show no sign of slowing down with yet another album currently in the works.

As this was my first chance to witness Overkill in the flesh, I was not sure what to expect from their live shows. I presumed I would be positioning myself at a safe vantage point away from the contingent of sweaty gents clad in their favourite patch covered Denim jackets, instead like a moth to a flame I found myself instinctively gravitating towards the centre of the pit amongst thrash lovers young and old.

The drum work of the band’s newest member "Ron Lipnicki" begins to sound over a restless crowd, bass guitarist "D.D Verni" promptly steps out on to the stage and joins in alongside lead guitarist "Dave Linsk". With still no sign of front man "Bobby 'Blitz' Ellsworth", eyes begin to pan anxiously. Then moments later a well built figure clothed in a wife-beater darts across from side of stage, Bobby emerges just in time to belt the first line of "The Green and the Black". The crowd gushes with uncontrollable exhilaration and erupts into mass sing-a-long. Unfortunately "Derek 'The Skull' Tailer" was not able to make the trip out due to a illness in the family, in his absence "Dave Linsk" did a excellent job at carrying the brunt of the guitar work without detracting from the overall sound. Throughout this colossal setlist we are treated to an avalanche of 80-90’s classics including "Rotten to the Core, Hello from the Gutter, Horrorscope, In Union We Stand, Elimination" but it was new track "Ironbound" that had the greatest response, provoking mass hysteria to an already over-excited horde of thrash Junkies.

This was possibly the friendliest group of punters I have ever encountered at a metal gig; it was almost like everyone had reverted to their childhood selves as they shared this nostalgic journey with each other. It wasn’t until the encore began that the entire front section of the Metro became a treacherous battlefield, many of us are still proudly wearing the bruises from the chaos. I do however feel rather sorry for the guy whose skull made good friends with my bony kneecap during his not so graceful plummet to the floor. Just to exasperate the pandemonium a shirtless "Bobby Ellsworth" decides to launch himself into an unsuspecting cluster of the mob, to my disbelief the bodies beneath Bobby collapse and he rapidly descends to the floor. I’m still not sure if the spectacle of Ellsworth falling is what prompted every man in relative proximity to sprint towards him or if it was more so just a reason for opportunists to make direct contact with the ripped 51 year old, regardless it was an incredibly amusing sight to see.

Just when the night appeared to have climaxed the 4 piece round off the set with "Fuck You", the masses retort by raising their middle fingers and singing along at a deafening decibel. As a special treat the band audaciously breaks into "Dirty Deeds (Done Dirt Cheap)" mid way through before reprising with "Fuck You" to finish.

OVERKILL are one of the few bands that regardless of the times are still able to stay relevant and connected to their audience while still remaining true to their roots. With the impressive reception that was given to "Ironbound" (the title track from their new 2010 album) it is clear that this band still has a lot to offer to both long-time followers of the band as well as the new generation of metal heads. Their popularity has remained constant over the years, right from the very inception of the thrash metre genre. It’s easy to see why after witnessing a live performance, even if you are not big fan on this style of metal this is definitely a show no self-respecting metal lover should ever pass up seeing for themselves.