Carlo "D.D." Verni (born April 12, 1961) is an American musician, songwriter, and producer, best known as a founding member, bassist and songwriter of the
thrash metal
Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...
band
Overkill. He and vocalist
Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth are the only two original members who have remained with the band throughout its entire history. In addition to his work with Overkill, Verni has recorded four albums with his side project
the Bronx Casket Co. and released several solo projects. He is also the composer of ''The Bronx Casket Co.... A New Musical''.
Career
Pre-Overkill bands
In 1976, Verni met
Rat Skates, who had been learning to play drums since age 15, at
New Providence High School
New Providence High School is a comprehensive public high school in the borough of New Providence, in Union County, United States, operating as the lone secondary school in the New Providence School District, serving students in ninth throu ...
. They shared the same musical interests in hard rock bands like
Kiss
A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
,
Aerosmith,
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony Nugent (; born December 13, 1948) is an American rock musician and activist. He initially gained fame as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Amboy Dukes, a band formed in 1963 that played psychedelic rock ...
,
Starz,
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
, and
Rainbow
A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...
, and were then introduced to punk music such as
The Damned,
The Ramones
The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United S ...
,
The Vibrators
The Vibrators are a British punk rock band that formed in 1976.
Early career
The Vibrators were founded by Ian ' Knox' Carnochan, bassist Pat Collier, guitarist John Ellis, and drummer John 'Eddie' Edwards. They first came to public notice ...
, and
Generation X
Generation X (or Gen X for short) is the Western demographic cohort following the baby boomers and preceding the millennials. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1960s as starting birth years and the late 1970s to early 1980s a ...
. The three formed a punk group known as The Lubricunts in 1979. The group disbanded in 1980, and Verni, along with bandmate Skates, posted an advertisement for a vocalist and guitarist to join the band.
Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth answered the ad, and brought guitarist Rob Pisarek.
Overkill
After rejecting several names, the band finally settled on "Overkill". Their early covers included punk songs by
The Ramones
The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United S ...
and
The Dead Boys
The Dead Boys are an American punk rock band from Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. ...
. By late 1980, the band had recruited dual guitarists, and the setlist was made up of songs by bands such as
Motörhead
Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...
("Overkill", half of the ''
Ace of Spades
The Ace of Spades (also known as the Spadille and Death Card) is traditionally the highest and most valued card in the deck of playing cards in English-speaking countries. The actual value of the card varies from game to game.
Design
The orn ...
'' 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 followed, including "Death Rider" (1981) and "Rotten to the Core" (1982). Overkill had experienced a number of member changes by the time of their first demo ''
Power in Black
Power in Black is the first demo from American thrash metal band Overkill in 1983, although some songs had been recorded previously, such as "The Beast Within". Three of the songs from this demo ("Overkill", "There's No Tomorrow" and "Raise the D ...
'' (1983), which featured the "classic" lineup of Verni, vocalist
Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth, drummer
Rat Skates and guitarist
Bobby Gustafson
Robert Wayne Gustafson (born July 15, 1965) is an American musician, best known as the former guitarist of the New Jersey-based thrash metal band Overkill from 1982 until his split with the band in 1990. He was also the rhythm guitarist for thr ...
. The band became a staple at New York and New Jersey clubs, such as L'Amours, and Verni gave Ellsworth the nickname "Blitz" due to his over-the-top lifestyle. There have been numerous more lineup changes since the departures of Skates and Gustafson (in 1987 and 1990 respectively), and Verni and Ellsworth are the only remaining original members left in Overkill. Verni has also been the sole songwriter for the band's music since ''
Horrorscope'' (1991).
Overkill released their first album ''
Feel the Fire'' in 1985, and along with their contemporaries (including
Metallica,
Exodus
Exodus or the Exodus may refer to:
Religion
* Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible
* The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan
Historical events
* Ex ...
,
Slayer,
Megadeth and
Anthrax), they helped define a new genre of music, known as "thrash metal". Overkill have released 19 full-length albums as well as two live albums and EPs, and several DVDs. They have done thousands of shows for millions of fans and toured extensively. They have appeared in many major music publications and have sold millions of records worldwide. Verni's signature bass sound is regarded as one of the most definable in heavy metal. He usually plays bass with a pick as opposed to with his fingers.
Work outside of Overkill
Verni released his first solo album, ''Barricade'', in 2018. He also released a debut album under the name D.D. Verni & The Cadillac Band, ''Let's Rattle'', on September 17, 2021.
Discography with Overkill
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Verni, D. D.
Living people
People from New Jersey
1961 births
People of Calabrian descent
American people of Italian descent
20th-century American bass guitarists
Overkill (band) members
American male bass guitarists
20th-century American male musicians
American heavy metal bass guitarists