ROCKET REVIEW: OVERLORD – “When Worlds Collide” (CD)

Canada’s OVERLORD self-released “When Worlds Collide” album in 2021, and this absolutely fierce collection of eight tracks are extremely well-produced by the band with producer & engineer Justin Koop, kicking off with “The Meltdown/Dedworld”, a brutal sounding gem that finds vocalist Garret Alto showcasing his truly haunting voice, along with the excellent guitar shredding by Ryan Haines, and stellar drumming by Dave “Thunder” Toms. The solid low end is held down by the band’s founder Branko Zugaj on bass. There are elements of thrash, doom plus acid rock to bring their unique metal sound forth.

The next track is titled “King of Manipulation” and without a doubt this is my favorite song on the album, because it has such a killer groove to it, and awesome lyrics. It stars with killer shredding over a steady doomy, up-tempo rhythm. There is a nice mid-section jam of the bass, drums and guitar that works well to draw the listener in. The spirited guitar solo here by Haines is dead on the mark. “I am just a demigod, pray for me,” sings Alto.

Up next is the wicked cut “And Then You Die” that begins with Branko leading us into the track with a groovy bass line. It has a slightly slower delivery to it, but it is definitely one of the best songs, sounding a bit like ALICE IN CHAINS meets early METALLICA. The following song does not impede the momentum of the album’s greatness at all, a Sabbathy track full of utter dreariness called “Walking On Mars/I’ll Never Forget What’s Her Name” – which has probably the catchiest verses offered up describing a crazy sexual encounter with a woman. “What’s her name? Tell me again,” Alto howls.

The album’s final half actually steps up the pace with the simply pummeling “Livin’ On The Poverty Line”, that has a CORROSION OF CONFORMITY feel to it, followed by my second favorite song of the collection, “30th Parallel”. This cut reminds me a bit of TOOL in its technically hypnotic approach. The album concludes with “Blood At First Light” and “Rise Up” – both of which continue a moody, trance-like grind down onto your head.