Overkill’s Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth Names His Top 5 Heavy Metal Cities

American thrash pioneers Overkill will be issuing 'The Electric Age,' their 16th (!) studio album later this month. Recorded and mixed at Gain Studios in New Jersey, which is owned and operated by bassist D.D. Verni, it's the follow-up to 2010's critically acclaimed 'Ironbound' album.

Formed in New Jersey in 1980, Overkill's no-nonsense take on thrash is informed by classic punk rock and NWOBHM and has helped make them one of the most influential groups within our community. Next month, the quintet will head out on the Electric Age Tour which will find Overkill being supported by God Forbid, Diamond Plate and Suidakra.

To help celebrate their upcoming album and tour, Overkill frontman Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth gave Noisecreep his list of the 'Top 5 Heavy Metal Cities' he's come across during his band's three-plus decades of touring.

#5: Tokyo, Japan

"That's right – the jewel of the Far East. It's so damn crowded there that there are times when you feel you're walking on people as opposed to next to them. But it's a true beauty in its own right and when the band plays, the cultural differences stop. The universal language of head banging is what I'm talking about. These guys and girls know how to tear it up and tear it up they do. It's all out in Tokyo, an over-the-top metal experience.



#4: London, England

"This city has always had a music mystique, a true mecca, I suppose, for headbangers and rockers alike. It's such a proper place, yet it's so downright dirty when it comes to letting loose. It can get quite hooligan amongst the proper. The gigs are loud, the crowds are louder and it's been rumored that the Queen does a bit of the ol' head and bang."

#3 Mexico City, Mexico

"It can just get LOCO in Mexico City. I'm talking about people dropping from the balcony and getting right back up; pits that the devil himself would be scared of, fast moving, tornado-like. It's such an awesome place to hit a metal club or bar after the gig, since there are plenty all over the city. May I also suggest checking out their burritos and some of their local leather shops while you're there."



#2 Munich, Germany

"I love the Bavarian vibe, friendly, festive....but look out when the show starts, it's every man for himself!"

#1 New York City

"Don't ask why, or I'll blacken your eye! Fuggedaboutit."

Honorable Mention: Melbourne, Australia

"I had my first experience there recently and I remember the place starting to heave and pulse as if the walls were going to come down. The show is about over and I leap into the audience. I'm way up there, I look down and my knee is headed directly for the head of a non-looking, unsuspecting female concert goer. WHAM, I knock her right out, cold. I get back to the stage and bring it to the attention of my tour manager and she gets help to the woman. So I come off stage and there she is, in a chair, looking a bit dazed. I kneel down and ask; "Are you OK?" She says; "Ya...do you have a beer?" Very Metal."

Overkill will release 'The Electric Age' on March 27 via eOne. Pre-order the album at this link.

Below are the dates for Overkill's Electric Age Tour with supporting acts God Forbid, Diamond Plate and Suidakra:

Apr. 20 - Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero Theater

Apr. 21 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium

Apr. 22 - Syracuse, NY - Lost Horizon

Apr. 23 - Columbus, OH - Screamin WIllie's

Apr. 24 - Detroit, MI - Blondie's

Apr. 25 - Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge

Apr. 26 - Kansas City, MO - Beaumont Club

Apr. 27 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater

Apr. 28 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex

Apr. 30 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon

May 01 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater

May 02 - San Francisco, CA - The Grand Ballroom at the Regency Center

May 03 - Los Angeles, CA - Club Nokia

May 05 - Austin, TX - Emo's East

May 06 - Dallas, TX - Trees

May 08 - Orlando, FL - The Club at Firestone

May 09 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room

May 10 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade

May 11 - West Springfield, VA - Jaxx Nightclub

May 12 - New York, NY - Best Buy Theater