Ritz Ybor Show: Overkill, Symphony X

Although everybody seems to have a different account of who came first in the world of New York/New Jersey area thrash metal, it seems certain that New Jersey's Overkill have stayed around the longest, and have never let their fans down by remaining musically consistent and true to their roots for over 20 years and an unprecedented 14 full length albums. By 1987's Taking Over, the band had worked their way up to a deal with Atlantic Records. This relationship would last another 7 years based on the strength and consistency of Overkill's music.

1988's Under The Influence and 1989's The Years Of Decay represent Overkill in their prime. Sid Falck would replace Rat Skates on drums to bring his own brutal percussive assault to Verni's already powerful rhythm section. The band had already established a rabid fan base with songs like "Rotten To The Core" and "Hammerhead" (as well as their infamous cover of D.O.A.'s "Fuck You"), and new songs like "Evil Never Dies" and "Hello From The Gutter" would become Overkill mainstays as well. A video for "Hello From The Gutter" was garnering much fan response when it received play on MTV's "Headbangers Ball". 1994's W.F.O. would be Overkill's final album with Atlantic, as they would release their first official full-length live assault, Wrecking Your Neck on CMC in 1995. 1996-1999 would see Overkill release 3 more full length albums (Killing Kind, From The Underground and Below, and Necroshine). In 2000, Overkill released Bloodletting on Metal-Is, adding guitarist Dave Linsk to the fray. The current Overkill lineup would be completed with the release of the live album Wrecking Everything and the addition of second guitarist Derek Tailer in 2002. Finally, Overkill would release one of their most well-received albums to date Killbox 13 on Spitfire Records in 2003. As fans rabidly await the imminent release of their latest contribution on Spitfire, ReliXIV, it seems obvious that Overkill are, and always have been, a band that knows who their fans are, knows what true metal fans expect, and will settle for nothing but the best from themselves. An entirely self-produced album, ReliXIV is a continuation of the Overkill legacy. Immortalis, the band..s 15th studio album was release in October 2007 via Bodog Music.

Now with Nuclear Blast Records, it seems the band has finally found themselves a home:

"Good to be with a label that understands what Overkill are about and what Metal is about in 2010, exciting!" Bobby Blitz The upcoming album features Overkill's latest lineup, which, along with founders Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and D.D. Verni, includes guitarists Derek "The Skull" Tailer and Dave Linsk, as well as the newest member to join the band, drummer Ron Lipnicki.

There are few names as well respected as Overkill, and with the resurgence of metal in the music world, this band is poised to return to the top. Overkill are ready to show mature metal heads they still have it and are geared up to teach the new schoolers exactly how it's done.

"Ironbound" is one hell of a thrashing piece which leads the band back to their oldschool roots!


A distinct murmur went around the world in 1994 when a certain six-string guitarist from New Jersey named Michael Romeo of the prog band Gemini recorded The Dark Chapter demo and sent it out to record labels. It seemed the new guitar messiah of the coming 21st Century had made himself known to the world and he'd soon launch a new band that would stir up the prog genre. With an innovative mixture of heavy metal, progressive rock and neo-classical sounds, Romeo and his men in SYMPHONY X recorded a debut album (released in Japan in '94; released worldwide in 1995) that began their journey to create a blueprint for the young generation of prog metal bands to follow.
The Damnation Game (1995) celebrated the debut of the band's second asset: the charismatic, deeply emotional and relentlessly aggressive vocals of Russell Allen. The Divine Wings Of Tragedy (1997) placed the emphasis on the band's progressive approach and is still considered to be SYMPHONY X's ultimate masterpiece. Twilight In Olympus (1998) livened up the band's classical aspects with the instrumental 'Sonata' (which is based on the piano Sonata No. 8 'Pathétique' by Ludwig van Beethoven). Via V: The New Mythology Suite (2000), the quintet delivered their first concept album at the turn of the millenium that dealt with the myth of Atlantis. Live On The Edge Of Forever (2001) was visual proof that the band could easily transpose their complex material onto the stage. Oriented towards the eponymous poem by English poet John Milton, the thrashing harshness of The Odyssey (2002) is said to be the band's most aggressive album to date. Paradise Lost (2007) is the darkest and most gothic-like work in the band's discography.
Considering this accomplished history of prolific creation, prog connoisseurs may ask themselves how SYMPHONY X could possibly go one better. The answer comes from the singer himself, Russell Allen: "Iconoclast delivers a summary of our previous work and a musical positioning of SYMPHONY X within the second decade of the new century." Meanwhile, Michael Romeo raises the bar enormously with his guitar work: "This record will only become accessible to the listener after several runs. That was our purpose – otherwise we would have failed trying to create a multi-faceted and profound album that gives pleasure to our fans for a long time!"
'Iconoclast,' an opus of an eleven-minute opening track, leads off with convoluted, labyrinthine guitar parts that become smoothly interconnected. To comprehend its motives right away would be an achievement; this also remains true of the remaining 52 minutes of concentrated prog-power.
Whether it's the straight rock track 'The End Of Innocence,' the ponderous and doom-like 'Dehumanized,' the dynamic 'Bastards Of The Machine,' the thrashing dark 'Heretic' (the most obvious cross-reference to the previous album Paradise Lost), or the virtuosic but brutal 'Prometheus (I Am Alive),' the fusion of musicality and the fascinating richness of detail shown here will make the listener ask whether Iconoclast should be considered a straight prog rock album or a classic rock record accentuated with elements of prog.
Apart from Romeo's crazy and explosive outbursts on his six-string, one more very important ingredient shapes SYMPHONY X's eighth studio album: the incomparable delicacy and depth of feeling expressed by Allen's vocals. Paying tribute to his biggest idol, he confesses: "There is a lot of Ronnie James Dio between the lines!" The best evidence for it: the monolithic half-balladic heavyweight 'Children Of A Faceless God' (where Allen truly sings like a reincarnated Dio), the epically metallic 'Electric Messiah,' and the yearnful ache in 'When All Is Lost' with its wistful piano sounds, acapella vocals, and gorgeous acoustic guitars.
Iconoclast can definitely be referred to as a manifesto – a commanding declaration of an inventive blend of classic rock, straightforward heavy metal and ambitious prog. These are the elements albums destined for an eternity of praise are made of!