Overkill

New Jersey (1980 - present)
heavy metal  metal  speed metal  thrash  thrash metal   ... see all
There are multiple artists with this name:

1) Overkill formed in 1980 in New Jersey, as one of the first thrash bands to hit the U.S.A. east coast. They rose first as a cover band called Virgin Killers from the ashes of The Lubricunts which had been a project of Carlos “D.D.” Verni and Lee “Rat Skates” Kundrat. They recruited Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth. Formerly a bassist as well as a vocalist, Bobby was recruited strictly as a vocalist for the band. By the end of 1980 the band re-branded themselves as Overkill and in 1981 they completed their first original songs which included Unleash The Beast Within, Overkill I: The Nightmare Begins and Raise The Dead. These thrash metal songs pre-date the formation Exodus, Anthrax, Metallica, and many others of the genre.

Their original unknown guitarist was replaced by Dan Spitz. When Dan left to go to Anthrax, he was replaced by the guitars of Bobby Gustafson and Rich Conte. After Rich's departure that same year, the band was left with a single guitarist, Bobby Gustafson.

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