Overcharge
Accelerate
Unspeakable Axe Records
Review by hutch
Overcharge is exactly what the band promises to be: an
Italian culmination of Motorhead, Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All, and Discharge. There will be leather. There will be
studs. There will guitars shredding at a drag race car’s pace. Overcharge pairs
metal and punk in the manner of Oakland’s Final Conflict, Bathory (with a
slightly more palatable vocal style), and Venom.
I am glad to see mohawked, crusty punk resurface among the
soccer mom Mohawk ubiquity. Punk was not supposed to be cute or accepted; that
is counter-productive. So, if it takes some metal love to add some blood to the
punch, so be it. “Lemmy is God” is a salient declaration, and deservedly so.
His chemical intake alone establishes his body as a vessel transcendent of
human form (does that make Nikki Sixx, like, St Peter?). The object, though,
all praise due to Lemmy, should be to allow newer metal to be influenced by,
not mere copies of, Motorhead. Overcharge blurs the (white) lines as their
track “Leave Behind” rides the rail (pun intended) of “Ace of Spades”. It
sounds just like it.
The production is pin point accurate when juggling the
elements of rock and roll. “As If There Were No Tomorrow” is the second track. This
ditty rides on a punk driven bass line. As with the entire record, the drums
are tight; impeccable. The riffs may not be re-inventing the steel, but they
certainly are dark and fast. Solos are never over-used but capture the ferocity
of punk while celebrating metal frills of indulgence. The ending of “Dirt”, complete with screams
being panned, has a chaotic atmosphere as the instruments converge on the end
of the track.
The cover’s artwork relays the desired feeling of being
released in 1987. Overcharge are proud to be what they are, and weave that
thread continually. The bottom line is that these guys adore a style and made
an album within those parameters. Can’t blame anyone for doing what they love.
Especially, when Overcharge executes this style so damn well.
RIYL: Motorhead, Venom, Metallica, The Bones,
Discharge/Broken Bones, Bathory (Blood Fire Death), Conflict, GBH, Exploited,
Poison Idea, Exhorder, Annihilator, Sodom, Final Conflict
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