Review Summary: You have never heard of this band. That's right- never. Some of you never will. But that's rather a shame, because, beneath it all, they're actually quite good.
Overlord are a band of anonymity- they are as undiscovered as it is possible to be, residing deep beneath the murky layers of the heavy metal world. They possess not legions of fans, nor a fancy tour bus replete with gear, nor even a signing or an impending record deal. They don’t even possess a map to find the radar off of which they have slipped. In short, you have never heard of this band. That’s right- never. And, quite possibly, many of you never will. Which is a crying shame, to be frank, considering the one thing they do have, amidst this long list of non-existence: a good spade load of talent. And on their current eponymous demo EP, whilst they refrain from cutting too great a new groove, they try damn hard to show it.
The group hails from the Oxfordshire County of the midlands, hardly a commendable area when it comes to tracking the ‘big names’ of heavy metal. Constituent of a quartet of teenage lads, Overlord are one of the many engaging young bands so often overlooked by the casual listener, swept under the carpet in favour of a more mainstream name. Disregard for obscurity aside, such discarding behaviour chooses to neglect a listen to what really matters: their music. It is here that a pleasant surprise is concealed behind the rudimentary artwork and plastic sleeve. In the richly ploughed vein of Black Sabbath, resonating with a blues-infused groove, Overlord have found their niche. Each song is gloriously reminiscent of heavy metal’s glory days, riffs keeping to a steady chug and layered with fuzz, vocals drawled with Black Country conviction. Technically, the performance here is very solid, the stylistic features of the genre well-delivered and the overall sound just on the gritty side of polished. There are more than enough similarities here to the efforts of the bands of yore to warrant further listens, whilst intermingled is enough creative spirit to alleviate monotony and to supplement flow. Whilst ‘What the Hell’ is a clear standout song, the EP has a wonderful consistency, something curiously absent from all too many demo tapes that come a-flying through our doors. Present is the spark of future potential.
Of course, to state any demo was of classic standard would be to lie, and indeed to claim this particular demo is of an awe-inspiring nature would be to do likewise. True, technical proficiency is here in handfuls, alongside a conviction and a thoroughly engaging sound. However, one cannot help thinking as the EP plays on that one has heard it all before. Such a statement is no detractor from what is presented: songs are catchy, riffs are well-executed. But they aren’t anything new. This would be a pleasant enough listen on the first spin, and an impressive effort in the live theatre, but after a few rotations nothing appears to leap out and grab the listener by the throat, throttling him into submission as so many of the staple albums do. It’s good, but it’s far from great, a stopgap homage to Black Sabbath that presents a few original ideas but also a lot of repetition. For a demo tape, Overlord have made something to be proud of, but when viewed alongside recent rock/metal releases such as Black Country Communion and the titular Hellyeah, it’s all too easy to see why they haven’t yet been swept into the arms of the musical fraternity.
Despite all this criticism towards their originality, however, it’s important to remember that regardless of their well-trodden choice of sound, Overlord have provided a very listenable and very entertaining first release. The lads are proficient, they are dedicated, they are musically attuned. It’s easy to speculate after a listen to the EP that they could go far, given time and an evolutionary bent. A key watchword to bear in mind with this demo is progression. The band have given us a solid first effort, but when the hour of the album rolls around, they need to pull out all the stops and come up with something that is their own, something fresh of face. Sniping aside, Overlord are a most competent band and, based on the efforts shown here, I look forward to hearing more from them.
