“As you said, some records hit you and some don’t, but every step is necessary to be able to get to this point and to realize what your shortcomings are,” he offers. “I come from an age when, as a kid, I wanted to make actual records, something I could hold in my hand. If I think back to what my favourite vinyl is, they were cohesive records that when you put the needle down, from that first note to whatever that last note or scream was, that was The Record. It wasn’t just a collection of songs. It was about a feeling that it left you with after the 50 minutes or the 90 minutes or sometimes the 30 minutes (laughs).”
“That’s always been our method because we come from that school of the 10 song or the eight song record,” he continues. “My favourite records don’t have 17 songs on them. It becomes filler to me after a while when records run that long. I’d rather have quality. It’s like, are you a WalMart shopper or do you want something that’s fucking great (laughs). Sure, you’re got to drive the Ford Focus sometimes because of the affordability but I’d rather be in that fucking Z4.”
Ironbound not only celebrates 25 years of rip n’ tear, it marks Overkill’s first album with heavyweight metal label Nuclear Blast. A very good place to be in light of the band’s short-lived arrangement with Bodog Music, and with luck a permanent home. It also boasts the production skills of Hypocrisy / Pain mastermind Peter Tägtgren, who added his magic to already solid material.
“When you’re around for this amount of time there’s a certain notoriety that come with it.” Ellsworth says of the Nuclear Blast relationship. “We’re able to go out and tour with or without a record, so the last album gave us the opportunity to keep ourselves visible even if it wasn’t promoted that well. With regards to the record itself, it’s a completely different world working with Nuclear Blast. Now we’re working with a promotion machine rather than a company interested in branding its name. We did the new record without the deal being signed. I’ve known some of the Nuclear Blast guys for a while, we had contact with them from when we did the Exodus tour last year through Europe, but our plan was to do the record regardless of what did or didn’t happen.”
“Ironbound has a … let’s call it a refreshing of the angst, an approach that is intrinsically ours, yet Peter’s mixing abilities give it this fresh and modern feel to what’s traditionally Overkill. We knew we had that, and Nuclear Blast took the chance on that. Everything worked out well, but the reason I’m even more proud of Ironbound is that there was nothing inked when we did it. When artists don’t have a deal, some of them crumble under that kind of pressure. Ironbound a no-compromise all out approach to what Overkill is. There are many elements that make up the band, and I think this record contains the best of those elements.”
Ellsworth isn’t shy about giving Tägtgren well-deserved credit for his efforts. If anything the final result that became Ironbound was Christmas come early
“This is the first time we haven’t been in the room twisting knobs for ourselves, after 25 fucking years, and it was weird waiting for the download going ‘Jeez, I wonder what he did today…’ (laughs). My wife would say ‘You’re still down there?’ and I’d be ‘It’s not in yet! I’ve gotta wait!’ (laughs). I think it’s pure objectivity, with Peter mixing the record from the perspective of an old school fan. That’s real objectivity, and in my opinion the result is more than we could have hoped for.”
Overkill’s album-to-album success or failure rate ultimately comes down to Ellsworth and Verni. Unlike certain better known and better paid veteran songwriting duos who can’t agree from one day to the next on whether they still have a band, the pair have maintained a solid working relationship since Day 1 because at the end of the day they’ve always had same goal in sight.
“First and foremost, just to add to that comparison, we stay away from the collagen treatments (laughs). I really think it’s about priority. For us the bottom line is that decades ago we found something that we love, and love the record or hate the record it represents us at that point in time. I think the goal we’re always trying to attain is chasing and reliving that original high. That will show itself. When all the stars align and the moon is full and whatever else happens – Peter doing the mix, some great tours, the numbers are up – boom! It comes out like a fucking slab of lead. Ironbound is a heavy offering from people who obviously have it in them, who obviously know what they are and obviously love what they do.”
“It’s an understanding. It’s a bassist and a vocalist doing the writing but it comes down to the point on the arrowhead. Both of us realize that good metal songs are guitar and drum driven. These are the things that are paid attention to the most when these songs are going down. Whenever I mix an Overkill song I drop out and keep my mouth shut until the end, and I think that’s fair. I’ll throw in an opinion here and there because I’ll be completely objective when these guys are totally into this to the point that they can’t see the light of day, but the reality is it means much less where I am compared to where they are. All I am is the roof on the house, but if the house can’t stand who cares about the roof (laughs).”
It’s worth noting that the current Overkill line-up – rounded out by guitarists Dave Linsk and Derek Tailer and drummer Ron Lipnicki – is one of the longest lasting rosters Ellsworth and Verni have had.
“Yeah, and that scares me. It’s like, is everybody actually having fun? (laughs). Dave is the longest standing guitar player we’ve had, Derek has been with us for eight years, and this is Ron’s fifth year with us. I think Ron was more involved with this record than ever before. He’s a great asset to this band and his talent and energy is boundless. This is a guy who will be in the studio saying ‘This could be better…’ and coming from the youngest guy and newest member of the band, that’s inspiring. I think that bleeds into everyone else’s attitude; it becomes very swine flu-like because we’ve been in the same room for so long that you can’t help but become infected. And then I’m saying ‘Yeah, it could be better too…’ (laughs).”
“I love Ron,” Ellsworth adds. “I’ll never forget, he was filling in for Tim (Mallare) on a European tour with notes on his drums. He came up to me after the second show and I told him ‘Dude, you’re really coming along…’ and he says to me, ‘I’ve gotta tell you something. You’re really a good singer and I hope you do come back one of these days’ (laughs). The balls on this fucking kid; I like it. Again, that’s really contagious when you have that kind of relaxed vibe from the first show with the newest guy. That inspires you to jump up the rungs of the ladder to meet his level of enthusiasm.”
That said, Ellsworth caps of 25 years in the trenches with his trademark positive outlook, delivered with his signature cackle.
“People ask me what the difference between then and now is, and in simple terms I say I had a beer in each hand and a hard on every time I walked into a room. I have that feeling again but I’m only holding one beer (laughs). That’s the feeling that the world is mine, and I think that’s necessary when you’re doing this.”
