OVERKILL vocalist Bobby 'Blitz' Ellsworth has confirmed the New Jersey thrash veterans are targeting a late 2026 release for their follow-up to 2023's Scorched, with recording sessions planned for spring and summer.
Speaking to KNAC.COM, Blitz outlined the timeline: "We're looking at a '27 tour and maybe a late '26 release." The band has approximately nine to ten songs demoed, written primarily by bassist and principal songwriter D.D. Verni. Blitz still needs to add melody lines, harmonies, and lyrics before the full band convenes to finalise the material.
There is a complication: Verni is sitting out the current Thrash of the Titans US tour — alongside TESTAMENT and DESTRUCTION — due to three successive rotator cuff surgeries. Filling in on bass is Christian Olde Wolbers, the Belgian-born ex-FEAR FACTORY guitarist-turned-bassist who previously stepped in for Verni during OVERKILL's fall 2024 run.
Drums duties have also shifted since 2023's album cycle: Jason Bittner, who recorded Scorched, departed in August 2024 and has been replaced by Jeramie Kling.
Despite the personnel disruptions, Blitz sounds optimistic: the Thrash of the Titans tour kicked off March 14 in Portland and OVERKILL are delivering a full set of catalogue material while Verni recovers. A 2027 headline tour in support of the new album is already being discussed.