Robert Wayne Gustafson (born July 15, 1965) is an American musician, best known as the former guitarist of the New Jersey–based

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an Extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, ...

band Overkill from 1982 until his split with the band in 1990. He was also the rhythm guitarist for thrash metal band

Vio-lence Vio-lence is an American thrash metal band formed in 1985 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Throughout its career, they have released demo tapes, three EPs and three studio albums. Vio-lence is best-known for their association with the 1980s Bay ...

from 2020 until 2022.

Career

Bobby Gustafson joined Overkill at 17 years old after an audition, when the band was still playing only covers, coming from the garage band The Dropouts. He stimulated the other members to produce original music and was a key member in the Overkill quartet, having been a composer from the band's debut album '' Feel the Fire'' in 1985 to their most commercially successful album, '' The Years of Decay'', in 1989. Bobby Gustafson 2014-01-30 11-33

Accounts vary regarding Gustafson's split from Overkill in 1990: he was either fired by its founding members Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and D. D. Verni or had left after Verni tried to remove him from the band via management. Gustafson had continued to feud with Ellsworth and Verni within the next two-and-a-half decades, and claimed on his Facebook account in March 2018 that he had not received his share of royalties for his songs with Overkill. When asked in March 2020 interview with Diabolus in Podcastica if he would ever work with both Gustafson and Rat Skates again, Ellsworth said, "It's not a problem for me. I don't think it'd be a problem with Bobby Gustafson. I don't have a problem with him. He has a problem with me; I don't have a problem with him. But it would have to be the other person being able to say, 'Hey, I'd like to do this.' But I think Rat's taken different life choices at this point. I can't speak for the man, but I don't think this is his thing anymore. But would it be nice to see him? Of course it would." Following the release of the second Overkill album '' Taking Over'' (1987), Gustafson was approached by

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist and guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal—alo ...

co-founder and band-leader

Dave Mustaine David Scott Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is best known as the co-founder, frontman, primary songwriter and sole consistent member of the thrash metal band Megadeth and for his time as the lead guitarist of Met ...

to join his band, following trouble with their lineup at the time. However, Gustafson rejected the proposal, feeling that Overkill was turning big. Gustafson claimed in a 2020 interview on Exodus frontman Steve "Zetro" Souza's Toxic Vault podcast that he auditioned for

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

James Hetfield James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, co-founder, and a primary songwriter of heavy metal band Metallica. He is mainly known for his raspy voice and intricate rhythm playi ...

's temporary replacement, following the latter's recovery from being burned onstage during their 1992 tour with

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985 as a merger of local bands L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band's "classic" line-up consisted of vocalist Axl R ...

, but lost this position to then-

Metal Church Metal Church is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in 1980. Originally based in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, they relocated to Aberdeen, Washington the following year and briefly called themselves Shrapnel. Led ...

guitarist and one-time Metallica guitar technician

John Marshall John Marshall (September 24, 1755July 6, 1835) was an American statesman, jurist, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth chief justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remai ...

. Immediately after the split with Overkill, Gustafson went on tour with Cycle Sluts from Hell in Europe. Gustafson later tried to form a side-project with Exodus drummer

Tom Hunting Thomas Hunting (born April 10, 1965) is an American musician. He is the drummer and only remaining original member of the thrash metal band Exodus. Career Hunting is the only original member of Exodus left, although he departed from the ba ...

called I4NI. He was also a member of Grip Inc., but did not record anything with them. He played in the

industrial metal Industrial metal is the fusion of Heavy metal music, heavy metal and industrial music, typically employing repeating Heavy metal guitar, metal guitar riffs, sampling (music), sampling, synthesizer or music sequencer, sequencer lines, and Distor ...

band Skrew album ''Shadow of Doubt'' in 1996, replacing their guitarist for the recording of the album. He then relocated in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

and left the music business for a while. Gustafson returned to the music industry in 2003 by joining the Florida-based band Response Negative, and has released two albums under the moniker Satans Taint: ''Axe to the Head of My Enemies'' (2017) and ''Destruction Ritual'' (2019). He has also worked for his family plumbing business in Florida. On January 27, 2020, it was announced that Gustafson would be temporarily filling in for Ray Vegas in

. He was eventually confirmed as a permanent member of the band, and appeared on their first song in more than two decades, a cover of

Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Initially consisting of lead guitarist East Bay Ray, bassist Klaus Fl ...

' "

California über alles California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

". Gustafson also appears on the band's EP '' Let the World Burn'' (2022).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gustafson, Bobby 1965 births 20th-century American male musicians 20th-century American guitarists American heavy metal guitarists American male guitarists American male songwriters Grip Inc. members Guitarists from New York (state) Living people Overkill (band) members Musicians from Staten Island Skrew members Songwriters from New York (state)