Overkill-Lincoln-3.19.26

Overkill at Bourbon Theatre in Lincoln, Nebraska on March 19th, 2026.

Photos and Review by The Pit Magazine Contributor, Bob DeHart Photography

When I think of Overkill, I think of the Headbangers Ball and seeing their videos back when I was a kid. That was my first exposure to them and I always remember Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth vocals being very different than any other thing I was listening to at that time. They were hard, fast, and had killer riffs. I am sad to say, that I had never got the chance to see these guys live. Until, last night. Overkill is currently on tour as the opener for Testament. But on this night, Testament had the night off and Overkill took the chance to come to Lincoln and invade the Bourbon Theater. There were two local openers (Molten and Ezra) to get the crowd warmed up. But it was no secret who the crowd was there to see. Overkill is basic meat and potatoes band. One guitar (Dave Linsk), bass (D.D. Verni) , drums (Jeramie King), and vocalist (Bobby Ellsworth).

Overkill sounded amazing, and it’s clear that Bobby still has the voice to carry these guys. As a matter of fact, he sounded amazing. I was pleasantly surprised how good he sounded. Let’s face it, when you have been around as long as this band has, time starts to take its toll. I’m glad I got the chance to finally see these guys and it was a bit nostalgic hearing the old songs again. Songs like Rotten to the Core that go all the way back to their debut album from 1985. Other highlights for me included Feel the Fire, Mean Green Killing Machine, and Hello from the Gutter. If you get the chance to catch these guys with Testament or on a night like this when they break away to headline a show like this one, you should definitely do it. They sounded great, worth every effort.