Jason Bittner Left Overkill Because It Was the Only Band He’s Been in Where He Was a “Hired Gun”
Drummer Jason Bittner’s departure from legendary thrash metal band Overkill back in August didn’t really come as a huge shock to anyone. Bittner has long been involved with metalcore act Shadows Fall who reformed in 2021, and he had recently joined up with metal supergroup Category 7. It seemed pretty inevitable that Bittner wasn’t going to have time for one of his bands anymore, and Overkill seemed most likely to be the one that had to go. However, it now turns out that there was more than just a scheduling conflict involved; Bittner was deeply dissatisfied with being a member of Overkill.
In a recent interview with the Pod Scum podcast (that was transcribed by Blabbermouth), Bittner was asked what the impetus was for the formation of Category 7 and he cited his experience with Overkill as being a big part of it:
“If I’m being frank, the impetus, for me, was my dissatisfaction with my role in OVERKILL. I hadn’t been happy in the band for, like, two fucking years. It wasn’t a surprise that I quit. I’d been dissatisfied for a long time, but I’m a team player. I don’t like to leave things. I love the guys personally. So I just kind of just hung in there, but I was not happy where I was career-wise, let’s say, within the confines of that band. I wasn’t a bandmember. And that’s the main thing for me to keep doing this at this point in my lifetime. That’s why for SHADOWS FALL to be back together, I’m 20 percent owner-member. I’m involved in the decisions. I just don’t get told what’s happening. I hate that. I’m a Capricorn. I can’t deal with that shit.”
He went on to elaborate:
“For my whole career, for the most part, even like back to the early days, all the bands either I formed or I was instrumental in getting the guys together, or it was always just a one-for-all, all-for-one thing. OVERKILL was the only band I’ve ever played in where I was a hired gun. The only exception was ANTHRAX, but I was only a touring member with ANTHRAX, and with PRONG — only touring. That’s a totally different animal than being, quote-unquote, in the band. Even when I was in FLOTSAM [AND JETSAM], I was a 20 percent member-owner. I was involved in the decisions. So seven and a half years of that was a long time for me.
“I know Blabbermouth is gonna take this and run the wrong way with what I’m trying to talk about. My point I love the guys, I was a team player, I wasn’t leaving, but I was dissatisfied and I was looking for something else.”
That makes perfect sense, and it’s good to hear that there’s no ill will between Bittner and his former bandmates in Overkill, even if Bittner was unhappy being in the band. Meanwhile, Category 7 released their debut album over the summer and are heading out on a big headlining tour in March, and Shadows Fall has their big comeback single due out on December 6 with more music likely to follow, so Bittner’s got enough on his plate for now.
