Birth name Carlos Verni Years active 1980–present Instruments Bass, guitar, vocals Genres Thrash metal | Origin New Jersey, USA Role Songwriter Name D. Verni | |
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Born April 12, 1961 (age 63) ( 1961-04-12 ) Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, composer, producer Albums Horrorscope, The Years of Decay, White Devil Armory, Coverkill, Wrecking Your Neck Similar People Bobby Ellsworth, Bobby Gustafson, Rat Skates, Dave Linsk, Derek Tailer | ||
Music group Overkill (Since 1980) Also known as D.D. Verni, D.D. Blaze | ||
D.D. Verni (born Carlo Verni, April 12, 1961) is an American bassist, songwriter, and producer, best known as the founding member, bassist and songwriter of the band Overkill. Overkill released their first record in 1985 and with their contemporaries (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, Anthrax) helped define a new genre of music, "thrash metal". Overkill have released 18 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.
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In addition to his work with Overkill, Verni has recorded four albums with his side project The Bronx Casket Co. He is also the composer of The Bronx Casket Co....A New Musical.
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, and Rainbow, and were then introduced to punk music such as The Damned, The Ramones, The Vibrators, and Generation X 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 and The Dead Boys. 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 followed, 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 Verni gave Ellsworth the nickname "Blitz" due to his over-the-top lifestyle. Verni has been the sole songwriter for the music of Overkill since Horrorscope.
