Myspace: Overlord
Overlord has an image problem. Their myspace name (overlordisnotmetal) shows that they are consciously aware of it. Even though I found this band through one of my favorite indie rock bands, Palomar, I still wondered, "Is this a metal band?" The answer is most stridently "no." While that might put off those who find them haphazardly, this band's catchy, sixties inspired indie rock is worth a listen.
Overlord has four songs on their page, three of which appear on what seem to be actual releases* and the fourth on a demo. "Oh My Mechanical Heart," from 2007's Pictures from Anhedonia, has slight country tendencies that call upon the days before rock had seperated itself from its parent. The song is memorable without relying on an overt hook. Another 2007 release, Alps, I Did It Again, offers "Nothing is Wrong," another sixties influenced pop piece that captures the smooth balladry of the Moody Blues without seeming quite so light. Overlord pulled "The Family Plot" from last year's Ticker Symbols. Once again, the band reaches back 40 years for their influences, but this time they filter it through 80s jangle a la the Church. The final song, "Back to the Big Lie," comes from a recent unreleased demo recording. At first, it seems to drag a bit, but its subtle atmospherics make it the strongest track posted on their page.
Overlord is more established than the other bands I've reviewed from Myspace, but they're still not a major act by a long shot. Still the expectations should be higher for a band at their level than for a band that has just formed. Overlord are clearly better than a lot of what's out there, but perhaps not quite as good when experience is considered. While they were a good listen, I don't see anything that will necessarily change with more time under their belt. Indie rock fans who like a healthy dose of sixties pop should check out Overlord, but don't expect them to get their big break anytime soon.
*Their myspace page indicates that they are from albums, but their regular website makes no mention of the first two of these albums.
Overlord has four songs on their page, three of which appear on what seem to be actual releases* and the fourth on a demo. "Oh My Mechanical Heart," from 2007's Pictures from Anhedonia, has slight country tendencies that call upon the days before rock had seperated itself from its parent. The song is memorable without relying on an overt hook. Another 2007 release, Alps, I Did It Again, offers "Nothing is Wrong," another sixties influenced pop piece that captures the smooth balladry of the Moody Blues without seeming quite so light. Overlord pulled "The Family Plot" from last year's Ticker Symbols. Once again, the band reaches back 40 years for their influences, but this time they filter it through 80s jangle a la the Church. The final song, "Back to the Big Lie," comes from a recent unreleased demo recording. At first, it seems to drag a bit, but its subtle atmospherics make it the strongest track posted on their page.
Overlord is more established than the other bands I've reviewed from Myspace, but they're still not a major act by a long shot. Still the expectations should be higher for a band at their level than for a band that has just formed. Overlord are clearly better than a lot of what's out there, but perhaps not quite as good when experience is considered. While they were a good listen, I don't see anything that will necessarily change with more time under their belt. Indie rock fans who like a healthy dose of sixties pop should check out Overlord, but don't expect them to get their big break anytime soon.
*Their myspace page indicates that they are from albums, but their regular website makes no mention of the first two of these albums.
posted by bob_vinyl at 12:56 AM
5 Comments:
Good post.
I like Overload...they sent me a friend request a long time ago.
People talk about them on Metal Sludge quite often...they could get huge I suppose.
Allyson
www.bringbackglam.com
Allyson, I think we're talking about different bands here. I was talking about Overlord and you were talking about Overload. The good news is now I'm checking out Overload too, so thanks for the tip.
Ha, Ha. That's funny.
I guess I thought Overload matched everything you were saying (they don't sound nu-metally to me) but others might agree.
Now, I'll head over to myspace and check out Overlord.
I listened to Overlord, not bad at all.
And in an odd turn of events, the band I was thinking about is OVERLOADED...
http://myspace.com/overloaded
I may be cracking up. Either that, or I'm just plain exhausted...
I'm glad you liked them. They aren't metal at all, which I think is funny with that name.
I just checked out Overloaded and they weren't bad. They kinda filtered 80s metal through some 90s stuff like maybe Alice in Chains or Soundgarden. They have a pretty good heavy goove that works well. There was a definite difference in quality from "What's in There Sam..." which was unreleased and the songs on their page that appear on their CDs. In a lot of ways they take me back to the very late 80s when I was listening to things like Soundgarden and Circus of Power.
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