In a current dialog on All Entry Dwell! With Kevin Rankin, Shadows Fall drummer Jason Bittner revisited his choice to half methods with New Jersey thrash veterans Overkill greater than a 12 months in the past. Bittner, now 55, had joined Overkill in 2017 and contributed to 2 of the band’s albums, The Wings Of Conflict in 2019 and Scorched in 2023.
Reflecting on the cut up, Bittner was candid however prevented bitterness (through Blabbermouth): “I am not gonna speak something unfavorable about my previous conditions or something like that. Individuals go away bands for their very own causes. Let’s simply say I used to be stagnant in my previous scenario. I used to be not proud of the place I used to be in a enterprise sense with Overkill. I used to be mainly giving extra of myself than I used to be getting in return. And after nearly eight years, I had just about had sufficient of that. And after I knew that there wasn’t even any negotiation side to something, I am, like, ‘Okay, nicely, it is time to begin fascinated with myself.'”
He went additional, evaluating his expertise to on a regular basis work: “Once you go to a job, once you begin a job, do you ever go to a job — I do not care what job it’s; it might be McDonald’s — do you ever go to a job and by no means get a increase after eight years? This isn’t a hypothetical scenario. This can be a true story.”
This isn’t the primary time Bittner has addressed the topic. Final November, he explained in some detail about the dynamics and why he decided to leave: “I hadn’t been completely satisfied in [Overkill] for, like, two fucking years. It wasn’t a shock that I stop. I might been dissatisfied for a very long time, however I am a workforce participant. I do not like to go away issues. I like the blokes personally. So I simply type of simply hung in there, however I used to be not completely satisfied the place I used to be career-wise, as an example, throughout the confines of that band. I wasn’t a band member. And that is the primary factor for me to maintain doing this at this level in my lifetime. That is why for Shadows Fall to be again collectively, I am 20 p.c owner-member. I am concerned within the selections. I simply do not get instructed what’s occurring. I hate that. I am a Capricorn. I am unable to cope with that shit.”
The drummer emphasised that his frustration largely stemmed from not having a real stake within the group: “For my complete profession, for essentially the most half, even like again to the early days, all of the bands both I shaped or I used to be instrumental in getting the blokes collectively, or it was all the time only a one-for-all, all-for-one factor. Overkill was the one band I’ve ever performed in the place I used to be a employed gun. The one exception was Anthrax, however I used to be solely a touring member with Anthrax, and with Prong — solely touring. That is a completely completely different animal than being, quote-unquote, within the band. Even after I was in Flotsam And Jetsam, I used to be a 20 p.c member-owner. I used to be concerned within the selections. So seven and a half years of that was a very long time for me.”
Bittner admitted he anticipated a few of his phrases to be taken out of context, however clarified: “My level is: I like the blokes, I used to be a workforce participant, I wasn’t leaving, however I used to be dissatisfied and I used to be on the lookout for one thing else. My complete profession, I had my ears all the time to the grindstone and I am all the time simply within the combine to know what is going on on, like, ‘Oh, hey, somebody’s on the lookout for one thing.’ Not that I wish to be a ship jumper or something, however I’ve had lots of downtime on my arms within the final variety of years. So something I can play on, play with, be part of, I am gung-ho to do. However for some time with Overkill, I wasn’t like that anymore,” Jason admitted. “I am, like, ‘All proper, that is cool. I am not on the lookout for anything.’ However after some time, I used to be, like, ‘All proper, I would like one other outlet.'”
Enter your data beneath to get a each day replace with all of our headlines and obtain The Orchard Steel e-newsletter.
