OVERDRIVE – Let The Metal Do The Talking

One of Sweden’s first Heavy Metal bands is back after a twenty-four year long absence. Overdrive’s third album is called Let The Metal Do The Talking, and that is precisely what they’re doing. Overdrive’s style is really True and Melodic Heavy Metal, so if you like really Old School 80s Metal with twin guitars, then you’ll have a field day with this one. New for this album is vocalist Per Karlsson, and it must be said that Karlsson really is a talented singer. He nails his vocal parts on this record perfectly, and his vocal range is excellent.

You’ll hear a heavy guitar riff, followed by a fast drumbeat and you’re well into the first song; “Army Of Darkness.” This song probably has the most exciting vocal lines on the record, and lots of twin guitar action on the solo. This is a winner in any Metal fan’s book. The title-track is the most true-to-the-80s sound on the record; with massive shouting parts on the chorus and sky-high vocal screams.

They’ve also included a fantastic guitar-driven instrumental track called “Den Of Iniquity.” This type of Metal really needs an instrumental like this. It’s extremely cool and it adds a variation to the album in the same sense that “Losfer Words (Big ‘Orra)” added variation to Iron Maiden’s Powerslave.

“Sinister Warfare” is another fast track. Just like on the other songs, the riffs are cool and melodic. It seems these guys are pretty good songwriters and they obviously know the territory of this genre really well. The guitar solo on this track is probably the best on the record. It’s fast, melodic, and rich on overtones.

The artwork is also worth mentioning. It shows a knight kneeling with his sword beside a pile of skulls. Really Heavy stuff going on there! It’s made by Monoswap (TNT, Ted Poley, House Of Lords, etc.).

There’s nothing really “new” about this record. In fact, you’re most likely to get the feeling you’ve heard all of this before. Even with that, this record holds some really great Melodic Heavy Metal songs, and if you’re not one of those who crave music to be innovative all the time, but instead appreciate the old-sounding stuff, you’ll probably like this one. Let The Metal Do The Talking is an album that’s created on experience and passion. It’s pretty obvious that Overdrive really enjoys what they do, and that’s what it’s all about, right?

Lineup

Per Karlsson: Vocals
Janne Stark: Guitar
Kjell Jacobsson: Guitar
Kenth Eriksson: Bass
Kenta Svensson: Drums