kämpfen, but he has that little bit of that swing.”
## OVERKILL’s Bassist Battles Injury, New Drummer Brings ‘Swing’ Back to the Band
Thrash metal veterans OVERKILL are soldiering on despite bassist D.D. Verni’s persistent shoulder struggles. While Verni is cleared to play, the band has been bringing in heavy hitters to fill in for some shows, keeping their electrifying live experience going strong.
“He’s pushing it,” vocalist Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth explained in a recent interview. “The repetition is what could rip the rotator cuff again. Now, the issue that he has is that the right one has been done twice now. So this is his second operation or second reconnection of the cuff. While this was happening, he ripped the left, so he’s kind of this marionette, you might want to say.”
Despite the challenges, Verni powered through most of OVERKILL’s recent European tour. The band remains hopeful he’ll conquer upcoming shows as well, but are prepared with talented stand-ins like former FEAR FACTORY bassist Christian Olde Wolbers, KREATOR’s Christian “Speesy” Giesler, and ex-MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson, who have all jumped in to keep the music flowing.
Adding to the lineup shakeup, OVERKILL welcomed an old friend behind the kit. Jeramie Kling, who previously collaborated with the band on their 2010 album “Ironbound,” is now officially OVERKILL’s drummer. Kling later moved on to THE ABSENCE and VENOM INC., always remaining in touch with the OVERKILL crew.
“[Jeramie] started with us back in the 2010 era,” Ellsworth reminisced. “He [has] always been a great drummer. He’s kind of brought, I think — I don’t know — a little more of the swing back to what OVERKILL used to be. OVERKILL used to have a little of this going on, that sideways movement, especially with regard to the beat. It wasn’t just this bombastic kind of a computerized sound; it was more of a natural sound. And I think that that’s what Jeramie brings back to us. He’s a really hard hitter, ”
The lineup change coincides with OVERKILL’s current North American tour supporting legendary metal icon KING DIAMOND. The tour kicked off on October 15th in San Antonio, Texas, and will wrap up on December 6th in Dallas, Texas.
The band’s latest studio album, “Scorched,” released in April 2023 via Nuclear Blast Records, showcases their signature aggressive sound, sure to enthrall fans on this tour.
Here is a video of OVERKILL performing at the 2007 Wacken Open Air festival:
For fans of mosh pits and heavy riffs, OVERKILL continues to deliver.
