Overkill lead vocalist Bobby ‘Blitz’ Ellsworth spoke to Chicago Tribune and confirmed that Machine Head guitarist Phil Demmel will replace Dave Linsk during their new tour, which will start very soon.
The hardcore Overkill fans know that Ellsworth and Demmel’s paths crossed before temporarily recruiting him as their new guitarist. They started performing and recording as part of their heavy metal supergroup BMPD, including Mark Menghi and Mike Portnoy.
It seems like the Overkill frontman enjoyed working with Demmel so much that he chose the guitarist to replace Dave Linsk, who won’t join them during their upcoming tour because of unknown personal reasons. Phil Demmel took Linsk’s spot for the first time for Overkill’s concert on November 13, 2021, at the Wellmont Theater in New Jersey.
Recently, Ellsworth spoke about their collaboration and noted that they had worked with Phil before while going through a challenging time as a band. Their collaboration taught them to focus on their strength as a group and set aside their individualities. The tour will start on March 3, 2022, in Poughkeepsie and end in Stroudsburg, on March 19.
Ellsworth stated in his interview that:
“We’ve used Phil in the past when we’ve had issues. We’re prepared. We’re ready. It’s not about the strength of the individual but the strength of the unit. We found that out with Phil when he stepped in.
It’s just nice to be able to do what you do whether you’re the concertgoer or whether you’re the concert performer. Let’s get back to normal. Let’s do what we do best. Let’s have a little bit of fun.”
You can watch their previous performance with Demmel below.
