D.D. Verni (born Carlo Verni), is an American bassist, best known as founding member and longtime bassist/songwriter of thrash metal band Overkill.[1]
[edit] Early years
In 1976, Verni met Lee "Rat Skates" Kundrat in high school, who had been learning to play drums since age 15. They shared the same musical interests in hard rock bands like Kiss, Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, Starz, Black Sabbath, Rainbow and were then introduced to punk music such as The Damned, The Ramones, The Vibrators, Generation X, and through another classmate Fred Hensley (who became known as vocalist Billy Vector.) With Skates using drums that were borrowed from neighborhood friends, the three formed a punk group known as The Lubricunts in 1979 with another classmate Ken Sibley on guitar, who became known as Nick Fuse. The group disbanded in 1980, and Verni, along with fellow bandmate Skates, posted an advertisement for a vocalist and guitarist to join the band. Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth answered the ad, and brought guitarist Dan Spitz with him. Although a bassist, Blitz would focus on vocals in the new band.
[edit] Overkill
After rejecting several names, including "Virgin Killer", the band finally settled on "Overkill", after the Motörhead album of the same name. Early covers, especially those done under the "Virgin Killers" name, were punk songs by The Ramones, The Dead Boys and others. By late 1980, the band had recruited dual guitarists, and the setlist was made up of songs by bands such as Motörhead ("Overkill", half of the Ace Of Spades album), Judas Priest ('Tyrant' was their closer), and Riot. Along with the new influx of heavy metal covers, the band still played a smattering of punk covers, with extra distortion, intensity, and speed, marking Overkill as one of the first thrash bands.
At this point, the band started writing original songs, including "Grave Robbers" (later renamed "Raise The Dead"), "Overkill", and "Unleash The Beast (Within)". More songs would follow, including "Death Rider" (1981) and "Rotten To The Core" (1982). In 1983 Rich left and Bobby Gustafson remained as the sole guitarist. The band became a staple at New York and New Jersey clubs, such as L'Amours, and D.D. gave Bobby the nickname "Blitz" due to his over-the-top lifestyle, a lifestyle that once earned Bobby an ejection from the band for a few days in 1983. Around this time, the classic green logo was adopted, which Rat Skates specifically designed to stand out on a poster loaded with red and black logos of other bands on the bill. Verni has been the sole songwriter for the music of Overkill, since Horrorscope. [2]
[edit] Discography with Overkill
[edit] References
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| Persondata |
| Name |
Verni, D. D. |
| Alternative names |
Verni, Carlo |
| Short description |
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| Date of birth |
1961-04-12 |
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| Date of death |
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