OVERKILL Singer Says Internet Will Be One Of The Reasons Metal Scene Will Eventually Go Away

Metal Maniac video magazine conducted an interview with vocalist Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth of New Jersey thrash metal veterans OVERKILL at this year’s Hellfest on June 17 in Clisson, France. You can now watch the chat below.

Speaking about the relationship between the Internet’s rise and the sharp decline in album sales, and how it has made it harder for bands to survive, Blitz said: “Back in the day, there was obviously no Internet. The Internet was invented while OVERKILL was existed; we existed prior to the World Wide Web.”

He continued: I think [the Internet is] a double-edged sword. I think that, sure, it’s great to have that type of exposure and instant information, and it makes the world smaller; these are just obvious qualities that it has.

“One of the things that social media has done has gotten so many people to think along an exact line or parallel line. There’s no opposite thinking [anymore]. Whether you’re a metal fan or a thrash fan or a pop fan or jazz fan, the Internet provides you with what you want. You consider it to be something that is… It’s not just a necessity; it’s just the way it should be. Free is the way it should be. Of course, all my friends think that way too. Does it make it right? It doesn’t make it right. And it actually does hurt the scene. So you have to find ways to reinvent yourself. So instead of complaining about it, I look at it more as saying, okay, we have to reinvent. We have to partner with the right people. We have to — as business people — focus on our market. Who’s the collectors? Who wants the vinyl? Who wants this? So you have to think differently to be able to survive in the age of the Internet. ‘Cause the Internet will be really one of the reasons that this scene eventually will go away. It chips away at it continuously — it just eats it away and eats it away. It gives you great promotion, but on a slow, slow process, it’s eating the scene.”