Editing Overkill (band) (section)

===Musical style and legacy===
Overkill's beginnings predate the formation of all of the "Big Four" of thrash metal bands (Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer) by at least one year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/bobby_blitz_ellsworth_of_overkill/|title=Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth of Overkill : Songwriter Interviews|website=www.songfacts.com|access-date=November 1, 2016}}</ref> Though the band was known for its fast and heavy style, their music lacked enough variety to rival the "Big Four";<ref>{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/artist/overkill/263455457|title=Overkill on Apple Music|website=iTunes|access-date=November 1, 2016}}</ref> regardless, Overkill maintained its unique sound throughout its career instead of trying to gain popularity with a more commercial style.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nolifetilmetal.com/overkill.htm|title=No Life Til Metal - CD Gallery - Overkill|website=www.nolifetilmetal.com|access-date=November 1, 2016}}</ref> The band has been viewed as one of the most important thrash bands from the East Coast,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fullinbloommusic.com/overkill-biography-dd-verni-blitz-ellsworth.html|title=Overkill - Biography - Bobby Blitz Ellsworth - DD Verni - Taking Over - The Years of Decay|website=www.fullinbloommusic.com|access-date=November 1, 2016|archive-date=April 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421002037/http://fullinbloommusic.com/overkill-biography-dd-verni-blitz-ellsworth.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> and they are considered to be one of the most active bands of the genre, having never disbanded or gone on hiatus, nor taken more than four years to release a new album.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://loudwire.com/overkill-albums-ranked/|title=Overkill Albums Ranked|website=[[Loudwire]]|date=April 18, 2017 |access-date=October 11, 2019}}</ref>

Alongside Exodus and Testament, Overkill has been the subject of which thrash metal band should be included in an expanded "Big Four". When asked in September 2014 about the idea of either Overkill, Exodus or Testament being included in the "Big Five" of thrash metal, frontman Bobby Ellsworth said, "Aw man, that's gonna put me in a corner! We measure our success in days, not dollars! But maybe you can find the answer in what I'm going to say. When [playing thrash metal] became harder in the '90s with grunge music, we never had a question about if we would stop doing it and go work for our moms and dads or something. We just needed to make it happen. We weren't going to let grunge stop us. And if it did, we'd just go back to the underground. I liked it there anyway!"<ref>{{cite web|title=Would OVERKILL, TESTAMENT Or EXODUS Be Included In Expanded 'Big Four'? BOBBY 'BLITZ' ELLSWORTH Weighs In|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/would-overkill-testament-or-exodus-be-included-in-expanded-big-four-bobby-blitz-ellsworth-weighs-in/|work=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|date=September 16, 2014|access-date=February 18, 2017}}</ref> Commenting on the fact that Overkill did not become part of the "Big Four", Ellsworth stated, "When it comes to being selected and not selected, that's a simple accounting issue. When you talk numbers, numbers make the world go around, numbers put food on your table, and numbers put the 'Big Four' in arenas. And they sell enough records to do that. For me, it's not a concern. To even be asked the question from you is quite a compliment with regard to, let's say, our longevity or tenacity doing what we like doing. But this is quite simply an accounting issue. He who sells the most gets the pole positions."<ref>{{cite web|title=BOBBY 'BLITZ' ELLSWORTH Says OVERKILL Not Being Part Of 'Big Four' Is 'Accounting Issue'|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/bobby-blitz-ellsworth-says-overkill-not-being-part-of-big-four-is-accounting-issue/|work=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|date=January 19, 2017|access-date=February 18, 2017}}</ref>

Overkill's sound has influenced the genre of thrash metal. Their technique draws on bits and pieces of [[punk rock|punk]] and [[hard rock]] as well as the [[new wave of British heavy metal]] (NWOBHM). These elements blend to create a fast, aggressive style unique to the band and make Overkill's sound easily recognizable to metal fans;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wreckingcrew.com/Ironbound/?page_id=2|title=The History|website=wreckingcrew.com|access-date=November 1, 2016}}</ref> as a result, they have been referred to as "the [[Motörhead]] of thrash metal."{{r|motorhead comparison}}

Overkill has been cited as an influence by [[Pantera]], [[Sepultura]] and [[Slipknot (band)|Slipknot]], as well as bands from the so-called "thrash metal revival" scene of the 2000s, including [[Evile]], [[Havok (band)|Havok]] and [[Mantic Ritual]], the latter of whom incorporates a variety of stylistic traits reminiscent of Overkill and other thrash bands that had found success in the past.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://noisecreep.com/top-10-new-school-thrash-bands/|title=Top 10 New School Thrash Bands|website=Noisecreep|date=July 29, 2009 |access-date=November 1, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/overkill_bassist_on_being_excluded_from_big_4_of_thrash_metal_i_dont_think_its_about_their_influence_its_about_their_sales.html|title=Overkill Bassist on Being Excluded From 'Big 4' of Thrash Metal: 'I Don't Think It's About Their Influence, It's About Their Sales'|publisher=[[Ultimate Guitar]]|access-date=February 4, 2023|date=January 25, 2023}}</ref> The band has also been cited as an influence on the [[groove metal]] genre; Pantera guitarist [[Dimebag Darrell]] had cited Bobby Gustafson's performance on the albums ''[[Under the Influence (Overkill album)|Under the Influence]]'' and ''[[The Years of Decay]]'' as one of the sources of inspiration for the band's transition from glam metal to thrash/groove metal, as well as ''The Years of Decay'' producer [[Terry Date]]'s production for Pantera's 1990 album ''[[Cowboys from Hell]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/updated-tributes-from-metal-musicians-pour-in-for-dimebag-darrell/|title=UPDATED: Tributes From Metal Musicians Pour In For DIMEBAG DARRELL|date=December 9, 2004|publisher=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|access-date=June 28, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/ex-overkill-guitarist-bobby-gustafsons-satans-taint-listen-to-desecration-song/|title=Ex-OVERKILL Guitarist BOBBY GUSTAFSON's SATANS TAINT: Listen To 'Desecration' Song|date=June 13, 2019|publisher=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|access-date=March 18, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.consultoriadorock.com/2011/03/13/discografias-comentadas-overki/|title=Discografias Comentadas: Overkill – Parte I - Consultoria do Rock|date=March 13, 2011 |publisher=consultoriadorock.com|access-date=June 28, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theresistance.cl/2019/01/deculto-years-of-decay-cuando-overkill.html|title=DeCulto - "The Years Of Decay": Cuando Overkill se los comió a todos|publisher=theresistance.cl|access-date=June 28, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indymetalvault.com/2019/10/14/thirty-years-of-decay-overkills-finest-moment-revisited/|title=Thirty Years Of Decay: Overkill's Finest Moment Revisited|work=indymetalvault.com|access-date=October 26, 2019}}{{Dead link|date=February 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rockhard.gr/somewhere-back-time/day-remember-1310-overkill|title=A Day To Remember ... 13/10 [OVERKILL]|work=[[Rock Hard (magazine)|Rockhard Greece]]|access-date=October 26, 2019|archive-date=October 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025003311/http://www.rockhard.gr/somewhere-back-time/day-remember-1310-overkill|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/pantera-10-things-you-didnt-know-about-cowboys-hell|title=Pantera: 10 Things You Didn't Know About 'Cowboys From Hell'|publisher=[[Revolver (magazine)|Revolver]]|date=December 28, 2020|access-date=March 25, 2021}}</ref>