DESTRUCTOR

DESTRUCTOR     “Hammering The Steel”

By Theron Moore

DESTRUCTOR’s a band that’s been on my radar for years. I finally got the opportunity to see them live at Blades Of Steel metal festival last September. On record they’re impressive,  but to witness them live is to be in the presence of greatness. In 2023 DESTRUCTOR, along with  JAG PANZER, HAUNT, and SOLICITÖR, are four of the most important indie metal bands making music today. DESTRUCTOR’s new record, ‘Blood, Bone, And Fire,’ has already landed on my end of year top ten list. It drops November 24 via Shadow Kingdom. Are you ready to enter the “Heroic Age” of DESTRUCTOR?


WORMWOOD CHRONICLES: Please introduce yourself to Wormwood’s readers.

DAVE OVERKILL: Hello, I am Dave Overkill, singer, guitarist and song writer

WC: Do you remember the moment when you really got into hard rock and metal? Was it a record you bought or a concert you saw? What year was it?

DO: KISS “Alive” as one of the biggest influences for me. I also grew up on 1970's hard rock like THE GODZ, STARZ, B.T.O. among many, many others.

WC: The band’s name is taken from an EXCITER song. Do you remember the first time you met them? I’m sure they were aware that you took their name from one of their songs, what was their reaction to that?

DO: I was an EXCITER fan from the beginning. We met the band on their first tour and Dan (Beeheler) gave us a big smile when we told him our new band was named DESTRUCTOR. We hadn't played our first show yet at that time but we were close to breaking out in the Cleveland metal scene. 

WC: Did you get a chance to hang out with EXCITER at Blades Of Steel fest back in September? 

DO:  The show was busy and I didn't have much time with them but I did see Daniel Dekay, who I have become friends with over the years and chatted with him. Daniel Dekay told me once that his dad turned him on to DESTRUCTOR so it's kind of interesting how things have worked out for those guys. EXCITER is an awesome band with a great history and we have all the respect in the world for that band.  

AT "BLADES OF STEEL"

WC: Speaking of Blades Of Steel fest, DESTRUCTOR went over big with the crowd. For you, what were some of the highlights of the event? Were there bands you were looking forward to seeing that maybe you hadn’t seen before?

DO: We arrived with only time to get ready so I wasn't much in the crowd except for selling merchandise. The fest was well attended and DESTRUCTOR seemed to go over really well so that is the important thing I recall.

WC: Let’s talk about DESTRUCTOR’s new record, “Blood, Bone, And Fire”. This one reminds me of your previous LP, “Sonic Bullet”, but much more intense. How long did it take to write and record this album?

DO: Thank you and I can say that we worked on the songs over a few years and really wanted to make this our very best effort to date. We don't take for granted that we are lucky to still have an audience that loves what we do and supports us and we love the opportunities that we have at this time. We wanted this to be one of those records that fans will love and associate as great DESTRUCTOR music. 

WC: Will DESTRUCTOR be touring behind “Blood, Bone, And Fire” or sticking to festivals and regional shows? Is it too expensive or logistically too difficult to launch a full on tour these days?

DO: I have tried to organize some small tours but at this time we are just taking on what is offered whether it be a few shows linked together or just some one off shows.

WC: Aside from the new album, what's your favorite album and song to play live? Are you playing many songs off the new album live?

DO: We have played a few of the new songs over the past years live. “Dominate”, “Hammering the S”, “Blood, Bone and Fire” and “Heroic Age” just to get the songs out there live but I’m sure we will play some of the new songs more often as people become familiar with them. It's all very new at this point still.

WC: In terms of playing live is there a region of the U.S. you haven’t played before (or haven’t played in a long time) you would like to play?

DO: Yes, we would love to get back to the east and west coasts. Next spring we play in Texas at Hells Heroes so that region brings a southern based crowd as well as Latin American fan base.

Wormwood Chronicles: The band is riding a huge wave of success right now. Do you view DESTRUCTOR as more successful now than it ever has been in its career? If you disagree, what era of DESTRUCTOR’s career do you view as most successful or even nostalgic, for that matter?

DO: The old days were the glory days. Nowadays is the time for us to reach as many fans as possible and we have the most success right now so I try to look at it as it's all important and to just keep moving forward. Time is running and waits for no band.

WC: Everyone has had a crisis of faith at some point in their life. Has there ever been a moment in your career when you thought about not being in DESTRUCTOR and maybe getting out of music altogether?

DO: That happened after the murder of our bassist and beloved friend, Dave Holocaust, in 1988. We struggled on until 1992 and then decided to give it a rest. By the time 1999 came around we wanted to give it another go and have been working ever since.

WC: Being a musician has to be tough on family life, for sure. How does your spouse / significant other deal with your life as a rock star?

DO: I'm lucky enough to have a very supportive family and If I'm not making music I probably am a miserable person to be around so I get to do as much as time permits. Working a job doesn't help but permits me to be financially able to continue making music with my bands. My Wife and son are always wanting to travel as much as possible with the band.

WC: It seems like the Midwest really loves homegrown rock N roll, especially Ohio and Cleveland. What separates the Midwest from other regions of the country in terms of its appreciation for local music?

DO: That's true but I don't really know why. I think the people are passionate and need metal music as much as we need to make it. Some things I don't question. I'm just along for the enjoyment of the ride.

WC: Aside from DESTRUCTOR, BLACK DEATH, and MIDNIGHT (to name a few), David T. Chastain also hails from Ohio. Any great CHASTAIN  (or Leather Leone, for that matter) stories you can relate?

DO:  David Chastain is from Ohio? I didn't realize that. ...Wait, I see now he was from Cincinnati Ohio. I have never met him or Leather Leone....yet!! 

WC: Kind of a riff on the last question, can you cite a few gigs the band has played in its career which you consider to be the best / standout shows DESTRUCTOR has done to date?

DO: “Keep It True: Rising” was a great show. That just happened a month ago. Great crowd for DESTRUCTOR with many great bands all playing. Wacken was cool. “Bang Your Head” in Germany was a standout as was the show we played in Mexico last year. That was our first time in Latin America and a massive amount of enthusiasm from those metal fans. I hate to just name a few as we have done so many great shows over the past 40 years that they all have a special place in our hearts and minds.  

WC: What local Midwest (or Ohio) bands that you’ve shared a stage with should the rest of the world know about?

DO: SAVAGE MASTER, LADY BEAST to name a couple of bands that are doing great. 

WC: Last question. We’re close to end of the year for 2023. What lies in store for DESTRUCTOR (and its fans) in 2024? Plug anything you want here.

DO: Matt (Flammable, drummer) and I have a solo band named VULGAR DEVILS which has a new album coming out. It's a throwback to what I grew up with. Dirty rock n roll and Metal all mixed together. DESTRUCTOR plans on writing another record over the winter months and then begins recording after. The big thing is that we get as many opportunities as possible to keep playing in front of more audiences that haven't had the chance to see us yet and keep making music the way we love and the way people expect from DESTRUCTOR. Thanks for the interview and support. 

DESTRUCTOR