I found this gem in a local Stockholmian 2nd hand shop and judging from
the heavy cardboard sleave, the primitive artwork and overall d.i.y. feel
I knew instantly that this was a real find. I even managed to keep my
promise to myself not to ever pay more than 50$/euro cash for a record!
(Well, if someone can offer me the 1st SARCOFAGUS 7", let's talk....;-)
I can truly say that the sparse design and obscure songtitles keep their
promises on this one. If you like moody, heavy, "homemade" underground
metal like
DARK KNIGHT or
IMAGE, this record should top your wantlist.
Opener "X-Rated Man" stand out as a real rocker. It could have come straight
off the the "Sad wings of destiny"-sessions and here vocalist Colin Wilkinson
sounds slightly like a long haired (=young) Rob Halford. On "Messiah Comes"
the real driving MAIDENesqué riffing starts and and suddenly we are in
Power Metal Heaven! In the second half of the song OVERLORD unleash their
deadliest weapon: Guitar harmonies that shatter steel and burn down concrete!
My favourite track however is "Distant Orphan". This is definitely one
of my all time favourite US-metal tracks. A totally mysterious & epic
piece of Metal mood-music. The opening riffs remind me of the early CELTIC
FROST eps, while the rest of the song gives me the same kind of chill
like when listening to
BROCAS HELM or early MANILLA ROAD, but still totally
original with a extremely powerful brigde/chorus. Here Colin goes up a
notch on the already high vocals and unfortunately on some parts he just
doesn't make it. This kinda ruined the album a bit for me in the beginning,
but after a few listenings you realize it's just on a few parts that the
vocals goes out of tune and luckily my Metal-friendly brain manage to
censor them. And yes, he sings about Valhalla on this one too.
The album
closes with the doomy "Endless Sun", and it really brings up images of
endless deserts and ancient ruins. The song just lingers on like an endless
caravan dying with thirst under a burning desert sun ...or a bit like
SOLITUDE AETURNUS if you're not into my poetry. And, of course, once again
an incredible guitar harmony which totally elevates the song and makes
a perfect ending to a damn near perfect record.
Compared to for instance
contemporary-fellow-countrymen-and-big-ass-rarity-
BLACK KNIGHT I like
OVERLORD a whole lot more. The production is more stripped down, more
of an underground feel, and the music way more original and eerie. It's
curious how this gem has evaded collectors and listings for so long. Usually
these kind of odd records are ignored because of the simple fact that
they suck shit, but this is obviously not the case here. It seems however
like some copies are starting to turn up now, so be quick now or forever
regret yourself when all of them are gone to their rightful owners.