Overload
We were recently sent through two albums from Cambridge based Overload, their records God Killer and 2011 – to see what we thought of things. Not giving a lot about themselves away on their Facebook page, I was keen to let the music do the talking so hit play, starting with 2011.
As God Killer gets things going, the drums and bass lead the way, setting up a raw and powerful sound and not letting you fully realise what’s about to hit you in the face before it’s all too late. Descending into a punk fuelled guitar heavy breakdown of distortion, the band soon adopt a classic punk approach, but with an added sense of power and aggression. Raw and low on production, the sound you end up with here is that of the band playing, something which can all too often be lost when too much production is thrown into the mix. Heavy yet upbeat and the sort of thing which will get you moving, it’s a damned good start to the record and suggests good things to follow. As No Hope comes in to take the lead, the raspy and real sound continues, once again throwing you straight into a pit of pure destruction combined with aggression. I love the hard hitting and real roots which you can hear in these tracks, its testament to a band that are clear about their sound and aren’t going to take any shit from anyone!
Unemployment is one of my personal favourite moments on the record, throwing into a classic punk track full of hard hitting guitar lines, roving bass rhythms and vocals which will get you moving without realising it. Hard hitting and powerful from start to finish, this is a serious high point on the record and, to me, suggests that this is a band to try and catch up on the live scene! Marking a change in the progression of things, Devil Dogs follows on and seems to tone things down somewhat for the first part of the track. Throwing into an opening guitar line that will get you jumping, soon the pop-punk feel that’s first adopted here fades and once again, we’re thrown into that rough and ready pit of pure, street centred punk music. This raw and in your face sound is continued once again into the beginning of Virus ’11, another track which is going to get pits moving and the band a reputation as a band to see live. More conventionally hardcore punk than anything else, the final moments of this record show that this isn’t a band to mess about, they know what they’re doing and do it damned well.
Also featuring bonus tracks Overload and Street Corner Militia, this record ends as it began, leaving you with a serious taste for the band and trying to work out where all the bruises and cuts came from, and what happened to your front room whilst you were listening to it!
Moving on to the other record, God Killer:
As the opening track of this record started playing I had to double check I’d put the right CD in and not picked up some random crap from some pop kids nearby, but it’s all good! Throwing us off the scent with a strangely alluring soft vocal and plinky plonky sound to get things going, everything returns to the more punky and heavy hitting roots as soon as One By One gets going. This track is instantly recognisable as the sound of the band only this time, they’ve thrown in a chorus which is going to get everyone singing along, everyone joining in, and the venue pumping. Seemingly fading into Middle Class, the album continues its raucous progression through the tracks at an insane pace, each one offering up a slightly different take on the Overload sound. Hard and rough from start to finish, Middle Class is one of those tracks that you know the band are going to love playing and as a result, the crowd are going to beg for every single time. As a more conventionally punk track, this is the sort of thing which is going to get people onto the guys and make them want to hear more, definitely a track to make sure you check out if you want to know what to expect.
Moving on to Greed there’s no relent from the bass heavy rhythms courtesy of this punk unit. Rough, hard, aggressive and somehow even jumpy, this is a track which is going to kill on the live scene. Harnessing the power of punk rock throughout the track, the vibe which oozes out of this track is of a genuine belief in what they’re doing, an honesty if you will which is all too often lost in music. It’s this sense of reality which keeps these albums alive and sounding so fresh, it’s a sound which can’t be produced or replicated, it just has to come from the band. Continuing to progress through tracks Virus, Mazza Da Macello, Bailiff and CCTV, each track comes with its own take on punk, offering up a slightly different approach each time and resulting in something which you know is exciting, fresh and pretty hard to handle! Most striking for me had to be Mazza Da Macello – a punk track which takes the hard hitting punk approach and adds Italian lyrics over the top – something I’ve not come across before but hell, it works!
Mongoloid comes up as the penultimate track on the album, building up to the track with rolling drums and a heavy, rumbling bass line which will have you wanting to play bass. I love the bands ability to craft that sense of drama before beginning a track, allowing the listener to wonder what’s going to come next and not giving away anything until they’re good and ready. Once this track kicks in it’s a classic in waiting, a conventionally punk track but with the bands aggressive approach layered over the top resulting in something which is going to get people chanting along, singing along, and moving along throughout. Closing with Town With No Name there’s a slightly different approach to leave things on, initially sounding funky and upbeat as the track gets going. Continuing to keep the guitar bouncy throughout, this is one which will get you dancing and chanting along to the raspy, gravelly vocal lines. It sounds clichéd to say they end on a high note (although technically there’s 4 further bonus tracks after this one) but this album does just that, leaving the listener wanting more and letting them know that punk’s not dead, it’s just moved to Cambridge!
Overload are a band that have captured a sound and made it their own, keeping things simply and lacking in production so what you hear is what you get – there’s no frills or extras which aren’t needed. The result is an album which will remind you of why you love punk, remind you of what punk sounds like and show you that there are still bands out there doing it damned well.
To find out more about Overload, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
As God Killer gets things going, the drums and bass lead the way, setting up a raw and powerful sound and not letting you fully realise what’s about to hit you in the face before it’s all too late. Descending into a punk fuelled guitar heavy breakdown of distortion, the band soon adopt a classic punk approach, but with an added sense of power and aggression. Raw and low on production, the sound you end up with here is that of the band playing, something which can all too often be lost when too much production is thrown into the mix. Heavy yet upbeat and the sort of thing which will get you moving, it’s a damned good start to the record and suggests good things to follow. As No Hope comes in to take the lead, the raspy and real sound continues, once again throwing you straight into a pit of pure destruction combined with aggression. I love the hard hitting and real roots which you can hear in these tracks, its testament to a band that are clear about their sound and aren’t going to take any shit from anyone!
Unemployment is one of my personal favourite moments on the record, throwing into a classic punk track full of hard hitting guitar lines, roving bass rhythms and vocals which will get you moving without realising it. Hard hitting and powerful from start to finish, this is a serious high point on the record and, to me, suggests that this is a band to try and catch up on the live scene! Marking a change in the progression of things, Devil Dogs follows on and seems to tone things down somewhat for the first part of the track. Throwing into an opening guitar line that will get you jumping, soon the pop-punk feel that’s first adopted here fades and once again, we’re thrown into that rough and ready pit of pure, street centred punk music. This raw and in your face sound is continued once again into the beginning of Virus ’11, another track which is going to get pits moving and the band a reputation as a band to see live. More conventionally hardcore punk than anything else, the final moments of this record show that this isn’t a band to mess about, they know what they’re doing and do it damned well.
Also featuring bonus tracks Overload and Street Corner Militia, this record ends as it began, leaving you with a serious taste for the band and trying to work out where all the bruises and cuts came from, and what happened to your front room whilst you were listening to it!
Moving on to the other record, God Killer:
As the opening track of this record started playing I had to double check I’d put the right CD in and not picked up some random crap from some pop kids nearby, but it’s all good! Throwing us off the scent with a strangely alluring soft vocal and plinky plonky sound to get things going, everything returns to the more punky and heavy hitting roots as soon as One By One gets going. This track is instantly recognisable as the sound of the band only this time, they’ve thrown in a chorus which is going to get everyone singing along, everyone joining in, and the venue pumping. Seemingly fading into Middle Class, the album continues its raucous progression through the tracks at an insane pace, each one offering up a slightly different take on the Overload sound. Hard and rough from start to finish, Middle Class is one of those tracks that you know the band are going to love playing and as a result, the crowd are going to beg for every single time. As a more conventionally punk track, this is the sort of thing which is going to get people onto the guys and make them want to hear more, definitely a track to make sure you check out if you want to know what to expect.
Moving on to Greed there’s no relent from the bass heavy rhythms courtesy of this punk unit. Rough, hard, aggressive and somehow even jumpy, this is a track which is going to kill on the live scene. Harnessing the power of punk rock throughout the track, the vibe which oozes out of this track is of a genuine belief in what they’re doing, an honesty if you will which is all too often lost in music. It’s this sense of reality which keeps these albums alive and sounding so fresh, it’s a sound which can’t be produced or replicated, it just has to come from the band. Continuing to progress through tracks Virus, Mazza Da Macello, Bailiff and CCTV, each track comes with its own take on punk, offering up a slightly different approach each time and resulting in something which you know is exciting, fresh and pretty hard to handle! Most striking for me had to be Mazza Da Macello – a punk track which takes the hard hitting punk approach and adds Italian lyrics over the top – something I’ve not come across before but hell, it works!
Mongoloid comes up as the penultimate track on the album, building up to the track with rolling drums and a heavy, rumbling bass line which will have you wanting to play bass. I love the bands ability to craft that sense of drama before beginning a track, allowing the listener to wonder what’s going to come next and not giving away anything until they’re good and ready. Once this track kicks in it’s a classic in waiting, a conventionally punk track but with the bands aggressive approach layered over the top resulting in something which is going to get people chanting along, singing along, and moving along throughout. Closing with Town With No Name there’s a slightly different approach to leave things on, initially sounding funky and upbeat as the track gets going. Continuing to keep the guitar bouncy throughout, this is one which will get you dancing and chanting along to the raspy, gravelly vocal lines. It sounds clichéd to say they end on a high note (although technically there’s 4 further bonus tracks after this one) but this album does just that, leaving the listener wanting more and letting them know that punk’s not dead, it’s just moved to Cambridge!
Overload are a band that have captured a sound and made it their own, keeping things simply and lacking in production so what you hear is what you get – there’s no frills or extras which aren’t needed. The result is an album which will remind you of why you love punk, remind you of what punk sounds like and show you that there are still bands out there doing it damned well.
To find out more about Overload, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls