Return of the Snow Giant

Overlorde (not to be confused with Overlorde S.R., another top notch USPM band) formed together all the way back in 1985. The United States Power Metal movement was in full swing by that time – Jag Panzer, Omen, and Savatage all had genre defining releases the year prior, Fates Warning came out with The Spectre Within, and Manowar already delivered their four best slabs of metal. This isn’t even to mention the plethora of other bands beneath the fold, such as Crimson Glory, that were well on their way to classics of their own. There was plenty of influence to draw from and it was as good time as others to start a band in this style.

Overlorde ended up releasing a lone self-titled EP in 1987 before dissolving. The Overlorde EP was a fantastic piece of more aggressive USPM but it was sorely under-produced and received relatively little attention during its time. Overlorde faded away into obscurity like many bands before it and that was that it would seem. Then thirteen years later, seemingly out of nowhere, Overlorde released a demo aptly titled Overlorde 2000 with new material and a new vocalist, Bobby “Leather Lungs” Lucas. At the time, Bobby had just released two full lengths with the band Seven Witches. More recently, he’s been a part of Attacker’s newest two albums, the extremely high quality Giants of Canaan and Sins of the World. As expected, the demo got very little coverage but it did show some promise.

Overlorde followed up with their first full length album, Return of the Snow Giant, in 2004. Coming almost twenty years after the original formation of the band and clocking in at an hour long, expectations were low. It’s not very often that a band manages to pull it together so many years after their original period of activity to deliver something actually quality. Yet after the introduction, it becomes obvious that Overlorde are the exception and not the rule.

Return of the Snow Giant kicks off with a re-recording of a song off the band’s original EP, “Snow Giant”, but this time with Leather Lungs on vocals. True to his name, Bobby breathes life into this old song and makes sure the album opens strong as hell. He’s an exceptional vocalist and holds no bars showing his prowess – power, range, and most importantly character. Leather Lungs has a very natural charisma about him that allows the lyrics to come to life. It’s a rare, intangible attribute that few manage to achieve but somehow Bobby has it oozing out of every vocal line and melody found on this album. Whether he’s rolling along at his standard pace, going for a more aggressive vocal line, or hitting those impossibly high notes, Bobby “Leather Lungs” Lucas is delivering.

The riffs and instrumentation are pure 1980s American power metal, unfiltered and unaffected by the passing of time. Overlorde play a more straight forward and aggressive style of USPM sometimes referred to colloquially as “blue-collar USPM”. It’s like they haven’t skipped a beat and released this only a year or two after their EP. The riffs are very catchy and high-quality headbanging material throughout. The bass is refreshingly loud, audible, and complex relative to their peers. Overlorde are able to deliver quality whether they’re going for faster bangers such as “Metallic Madness” or whether they slow it down for tracks like “Mark of the Wolf” and “Trapped by Magic”. It doesn’t once get boring.

The production of the album is crisp and clear without sounding too polished. Overlorde’s original 1987 EP was high quality stuff but it suffered from exceptionally poor production quality even for its time. There’s no concern of that this time around. The drums and bass are loud and clear without overwhelming the listener. Overall, the mix is very well done and it allows Bobby to drive forward the album with his powerful vocals.

Overlorde’s spectacular Return of the Snow Giant received some solid attention back when it first came out but it has been drastically overlooked since. It suffers the unfortunate fate of being both twenty years too late and ten years too early, coming well after the height of the USPM movement and too early for the global revival of traditional metal that’s been happening. Despite rather unfortunate timing in its release, this album has held up as a classic USPM album in its own right and deserves to be treated as such. Give this one a listen if you haven’t already!

Favorite Track: Snow Giant
Rating: 92/100

Originally written for RideIntoGlory.com

It's as if they had never left. For those of you not familiar with Overlorde, their only official release up to now was a 5-song EP released back in 1987 (which I've seen being sold for as much as US$200 just a year ago!) "Return of the Snow Giant" could very well have been released just a year or two after that. The style is essentially the same, Overlorde not falling into any of the "modern metal" trends and playing some pure and powerful, catchy heavy metal in the best tradition of the 80s. I must have listened to this album more than 30 times since I got it and I must say it is a dangerous album: Very often while riding the bus I stopped myself short of air-guitaring, air-drumming, or even trying to follow Bobby "Leather Lungs" Lucas' vocal lines (now THAT would have been enough for the driver to drop me off on the highway... without stopping! (I couldn't sing even if my life depended on it) :)) The songs here could hardly be any catchier and most important they just don't get boring even after listening to the album all day.

The highlights here are the vocals, courtesy of Bobby Lucas (ex-Seven Witches) - that guy just has it all: Aggressive, melodic, hitting the high notes perfectly, and most important of all his voice is simply pleasant to listen to. Another highlight is the guitar work by Mark "M.E." Edwards. It's everywhere (and note that there's only one guitar here), it's crunchy, catchy, and some of the solos are quite wicked if I may say. That guy really deserves a comment by a journalist who described him as "New Jersey's Satriani". Of course the bass and drums follow in the same standards of excellence - everything just feels like it's in the right place on this album. There's no filler on this album, all the songs fall at least in the "very good" category. "Mark of the Wolf" distinguishes itself from the others as a lengthy epic (almost 9 minutes) that's filled with variety - when you listen to it, it's as if it's been playing forever, but in the good sense of the term. :) Bobby Lucas has a bit of a Bob Mitchell thing going on at times here, especially in the quieter passage between the 4:00 and 5:00 minute marks (and during that time I was also expecting to hear Bobby mutter "...in the misty morning..." but that didn't happen - strangely the feeling never goes away even after several listens!) Of course I need to whine a little bit: The song "Starcastle" not only has the title repeated a bit too often (and most of the time it sounds like he's saying "Sarcasm", which is just a bit bewildering.) Anyway, this is very minor and depends on the listener I guess - especially since other than that, this is a very good song.

For those who have at least heard the previous material (the 1987 EP and the Overlorde 2000 demo), there's some known territory here: The songs from the demo are here, as well as the song "Overlorde" from the EP. Personally that doesn't bother me since those songs are all excellent, but some people may have wished for 13 new songs instead (well, I can't say I would have minded that myself. :)) But again, the quality of the material makes up for it...

I guess I could go on but there wouldn't be much point. I think I like this album even more than the new Hanker, which is saying a lot! :) This is the embodiment of pure traditional heavy metal done right. The new label Sonic Age Records could hardly have found something better as one of their first signings. Definitely the comeback album of the year, and a strong contender for best album. A classic to be. That is all. You may go and buy it now. ;)

Originally written for http://www.metalcrypt.com

Bass intros? Overdriven solos? Power vocals? Yep...metal can't get much better than this. Combining elements of N.W.O.B.H.M/80's metal, power metal and american metal, it makes a good, fun and varied album; complete with fast drums, flowing riffs, amazing basslines and nice intros.

Bloody hell, they've been round a while, right? It's a shame they've had so few releases. But a band that formed in the 80s and obviously keeps it's roots firmly in place there can't go wrong, and this album makes up for the years of neglect. After only making 3 EPs, this is pretty far ahead of what you'd expect from most bands from the 80s as it were. But, unlike those albums from oh so long ago, this is much more refined, heavier and contains a helluva lot more power elements than most stuff of that decade.

This 13 tracker, coming up to nearly an hour, fails to disappoint; varying from slow to fast tracks, the use of M.E's guitar covering riffs and beautiful solos, Kong's bass work...it's all definately above the standard. One of the most obvious things on the album is Overlorde's high use of the bass; most bands, especially power metal bands, shun the bass to the core of their sound. Kong's musicianship truly comes out in the intros to My Disease and Blackness, truly great basslines, slightly funky and works very well. Then ther's Dave's drumming, just listen to the intro to Ogre Wizard, or all of that song in fact, and you'll see how great it is. Fast, precise and works well. Nothing better.

Lastly, the vocals on this album is amazing; Bobby, already being in other bands, knows how to use his voice well, with multilayering in songs like Blackness and Ogre Wizard, high pitch, gravelly vocals and grunts, it fits the 80s feel of the album perfectly. Altogether, the album makes use of the high class musicianship of each member, and comes out with a great sound, well produced and lacking nothing. Reminiscent of quality New Wave metal, but combining it with the modern elements of power metal...the best move Overlorde could've taken. Pure Heavy Metal quality!

I just got into Overlorde not too long ago. Shortly after “Return Of The Snow Giant” was released, a friend was over at my house with it. He said it was one of the best metal Cd's to date. I must agree.

Pure classic metal. Overlorde is like a collaboration of Iron Maiden, Hirax, and Judas Priest. "Snow Giant" will prove my point, its fast with a good melody. And unlike many bands, the musicians that make up Overlorde really know how to use their instruments.

The bass work is complex, something I love to see in music. Most people think bass isn't important or they can just write a bass line on the side really quick. John “Kong” Bunucci proves them wrong. Check out the cool bass line from “My Disease,” a good song for first time listeners.

I enjoy drums, but if they don’t fit the music its hard to enjoy. That's not the case here. Dave Wrenn doesn't just bang on the drum skins with his tongue flailing in the wind like many drummers I see and hear. Dave holds a solid beat that works with the music, an example being the drumming in Megadeth. Check out his talent in the song "Hell Hath No Fury" as an example.

Bobby “Leather Lungs” Lucas has a great voice. He is clean and has more range than Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden. It makes the for enjoyable listening. "Leather Lungs" hits all the right pitches at the right time, perfectly fitting the music. I especially like his performance on “Hell Hath No Fury”.
Finally, the guitar work of Mark “M.E.” Edwards is fun. I love it! The riffs are clean and heavy like I think metal is meant to be. The guitars fit in nicely with the vocals and with the drums. Total classic SHRED! Guitar solos are probably the most important when it comes to metal, and I liked how he solos. It’s not all in one spot, or extended, like Metallica for example. M.E. generally bursts your head open with short, “to-the-point”, solos which fit the music perfectly.

Overlorde just goes to show that Metal is here to stay, that it is not going anywhere. And that bands can still kick ass! And they'll kick yours next!

That's right, kids. The last time heavy metal had this much balls it was in '84. THIS is the natural successor to Jag Panzer's "Ample Destruction", not whatever flower metal that surface dwellers listen to nowadays or the newer dissapointing efforts made by longtime bands (Helloween, I'm looking at you..). This is fucking heavy metal. Bobby "Leather Lungs" Lucas may have a pretty stupid nickname, but that doesn't stop him from shrieking his balls off like no tomorrow, sounding pretty fucking Halford-like at times (check out the way "When He Comes" explodes from a moody passage to blazing heavy fucking metal - very much like that middle section in Judas Priest's "The Sentinel".) Obviously this song is a winner, you stupid asshole.

Other highlights include "Snow Giant", which comes after a short intro track and does an excellent job of demonstrating the crazy metal ownage that lies ahead. Best fucking track on here. Then "Hell Hath No Fury" continues in the same vein and does almost as good as a job as what came before. "Metallic Madness" is about robots and the future or some shit, but it's a pretty nice song with some excellent riffs. "My Disease" manages to be a breath of fresh air without sacrificing any ownage set by the previous tracks. The bass is really fucking impressive here and Bobby's vocal lines ooze of asskicking catchiness.

A bit on the dissapointing side is "Ogre Wizard", which is fun as hell but is still fucking stupid. "Mark of the Wolf" is a bit overlong and despite a great vocal performance, it's not enough to maintain interest for me. "Trapped by Magic" is a little boring, but maybe that's because its a bit of a slower number. It still works for the most part.

Everything else is quite awesome. "Overlorde" is the album closer and like other songs that are named after the band, it is pretty much about how much the band rules, but you know what? It fucking works. It has an Iron Maiden type melody, an awesome guitar solo (you'll know what I'm saying once you hear it) and rocks pretty nicely. Definitely an album worth getting, especially when heavy metal of this caliber is a rarity these days.

It may have taken over a decade and a half to get this album out after their original EP, but it was well worth the wait. You get the main idea that this album was made in the 80's, and that in the 80's it was slightly ahead of its time, which oddly enough makes this album contemporary and yet very retro. It can easily fit the taste fo newer power metal fans, especially those who enjoy the U.S style power metal, but also those of us who prefer 80's traditional or NWOBHM. But most importantly this is not an album by a band paying homage to older bands, like Wolf or Metalucifer do, but an actual band from the 80's who just couldn't get the chance to record an album. Nothing phony about this album, pure metal ecstacy!

Besides the retro feeling of the album the first thing you may notice is the bass. You can hear the bass very prominently in the mix, and with good reason. John Bunucci is a fucking monster on bass (check out the intro for My disease!). Of course the next thing you will notice after that is that the vocals are sublime. Not just a high pitched singer like with many euro power metal bands. This guy actually has power in his voice, Bobby Lucas, formerly Seven Witches, is one of the best and unique singers on the metal scene today. And after pointing out those people, it's worthy to note that every damn member of the band are very proficient with their instrument. What can you expect after so many years of playing?

My personal favourite songs are Snow Giant, because of it's awesome retro feel (it was originally on the EP) and Ogre Wizard, this song is just a really catchy and cool song, Bobby Lucas' double tracked vocals on this song are really cool.

Overlorde started in 1985 and two years later they released an EP called Overlorde through their own label Strike Zone Records. They released several demos as well, pretty much all in the vein of epic, 80s power or just plain classic metal. I must say it’s hard to categorize this band since they just don’t fit in a box. Finally an album which has a clear sound of its own.
They’ve never released a full-length album until now under the Greek label Sonic Age Records. Many great US-metal bands were formed in the 80s but I never expected Overlorde to return with such an amazing album. This CD was certainly worth waiting for! In fact, this is one of the best metal releases of this year.

If you know Seven Witches or Exhibition you might know Overlorde’s new vocalist Bobby Lucas. He did a great job on this album, and for all I say I’m glad James Rivera takes care of Seven Witches’ vocals so we get Bobby Lucas for Overlorde. Lots of credits to Mark Edwards who is in charge of the amazing guitar work for Overlorde for the last 19 years.

Same goes for drummer Dave Wrenn and bassist John “Kong” Bunucci for giving us an album that throws us right back in the 80s and reminds us what real metal is all about. I’d also like to point out the artwork that Giorgos (Music Forward) did for this album. Great job!
Some highlights, first of all I should name the first song “Snow Giant” which goes back to their first EP Overlorde. If you’ve never heard Overlorde (which you should soon) you can download this track from their site. A personal favourite is “Hell Hath No Fury”. I must say it beats Rock Godess’ and Witchfynde’s “Hell Hath No Fury”. Some other songs that are definitely worth naming are “Blackness” and “Colossus (Island Of The Cyclops)”. If you’re unfamiliar with Overlorde and you like bands like Judas Priest, Saxon or more epic bands in the vein of Brocas Helm you’ll like this album. If you know and like any of Overlorde’s demos or the first EP, get this now!

(Fleur)
(review origionally written for www.rockezine.com)