Overoth - Kingdom Of Shadows

Overoth are pretty much the "new guys" on the Irish circuit having formed in 2005 but credit where credit is due, they have gigged their balls off, extensively. "Kingdom Of Shadows" is their debut album which was recorded at Komodo Studios, in Hillsborough, Northern Ireland. Overoth very much embrace the sounds of the late 80s, early 90s death metal but none post 94 even though the oldest in the band is 24. Think a blend of Morbid Angel, Massacre and At The Gates and your pretty close. This album artwork also marks the second outing for budding local artist, Geoff Blair (ex-Putrefy) who painted the cover art which i am told is a compilation of imagery of lyrical themes which i have to say is pretty cool. Geoff also painted their demo cover which these days is a dying art in itself as most artists rely on photoshop and other image altering progams.

Production wise, the album has a very warm and natural feel reminiscing of those early 90`s recordings however i will say the guitar sound is quite fuzzy and lacks a certain crunch to give the album the power needed to deliver massive impact on the songs. Guitar sound aside, guitarists, Andrew Pennington and Daniel Dempster, trade off each other very well and having seen them live a number of times, the 2 guitar players work fantastic together. The solos on the album are very melodic however compliment each track and do so without coming across as over indulgent. The bass remains fairly hidden in the mix the whole time but shines through quite nicely when given the opportunity to do so and also has quite a nice tone, so it would have been nice to hear it a little higher in the mix maybe. The drums on this recording were recorded by Gary Beattie who is no longer with the band and who has since been replaced by sticksman, Jay Rodgers. I must say the drums sound pretty damn good here in the mix harnessing a nice natural sound and cutting through the mix quite smoothly. Vocalist/bassist, Andrew Ennis, totally embodies Dave Vincent, the northern irish version if you will, in vocal style and vocal patterns. Lyrically,Overoth explore themes of the occult and Satanism which ties in beautfiully for the era of the genre they are focusing on.

This album flows like a morbid angel album complete with instrumental tracks wether thats a good thing today im not too sure. In recent times i have reviewed an uncountable amount of bands going for the old school sound(look for my reviews on albums from IBEX MOON records), some do it better than others. I think for me what lets this album down is the guitar tone, it just sounds too damn fuzzy! And therefore sacrifices the heaviness. I do like when Overoth kick into gear and play more so of the faster rhythms but about 50% of the tracks start fast and then into mid paced riffs. I would like to hear Overoth play fast all the time  and get away from mid paced riffing but thats personal preference. As good as this cd is i cant help but feel weve heard it all before and its for this reason i mark it down. Choice cuts for me are "upon the altar" and "Led To The Slaughter" being stand out tracks. Now i did hear rumour that the newer material is more so melodic, i sincerely hope this is not the case. Although the review has 4 stars, relistically the review is 3.5. An extremely solid album but more speed less mid paced!!! Certainly worth a listen if its the vintage death metal tones you seek.

1. Kingdom Of Shadows
2. I Am One, I Am All
3. A Cry To The Fallen...
4. Summon The Cursed
5. The Serpent Of Old
6. Led To The Slaughter
7. Pathway To Demise
8. Obsidian Blade
9. Upon The Altar
10. The Forbidden Realm


Forbidden Realm Records
Reviewer: Connor
Aug 28, 2010
Next review: Pro-Pain - Absolute Power

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