Originally self-released in 2010, Northern Ireland band Overoth has unleashed their debut album Kingdom Of Shadows a second time through Hostile Media, and for those like us who missed it the first time it is a definite blessing. The album is a beast of a release, a carnal seducer of the senses and passions driven by a death metal as eager to groove as it is hungry to corrupt and savagely devour. With a brand new album in the works, the re-release of Kingdom Of Shadows is the perfect time to introduce yourselves to an impressive emerging aural predator.
Hailing form Belfast, Overoth was formed in 2005 by a quartet of friends with ‘a raw passion for no frills death metal’. An early demo release and their impressive live performances brought plenty of attention upon the band which was easily exceeded by the release of the Death Personified EP in 2007. Recorded in the spring of that year, the band was soon approached by Rundown Records, who eventually released the EP in the November. Its appearance was supported by a tour of Ireland and the UK, which included a gig supporting Massacre & Extreme Noise Terror. The next couple of years saw the band relentlessly gigging, with the sharing of stages with the likes of Obituary, Cerebral Bore, Origin, and Onslaught, tours around Ireland and Europe alongside bands such as Shadows Far, Godhate, and Volturyon, as well as festival appearance like Day of Darkness alongside bands alike Unleashed and Watain, the Irelands Low End Festival with artists such as Napalm Death and Primordial, and the Cork Winterfest sharing the bill with Grand Magus, Mael Morda, Hail Of Bullets and more. It was a hectic and fruitful time with the band in 2009 also recording Kingdom Of Shadows with its release coming early the following year. Since its first release, the band has continued to impress with shows and appearances alongside more bands such as Suffocation, Cattle Decapitation, Bolt Thrower, Sinister, Fleshrot, Rotting Christ, Sodom, Rex Shachath and many more. The band has built a formidable reputation with their sound and intensity, a force which now can be felt and greedily consumed by the re-appearance of their excellent album.
Tolling bells and a brewing distressed ambience opens up the title track to start things off, the impending voice of the song soon 
thrust aside by ravaging riffs, sadistic rhythms, and a deceptively addictive groove to vein the heavy intensity. The vocals exhaust the air with their caustic breath and intrusive tones bringing a full malevolence to the already overpowering and contagious sounds. Having already secured a strong persuasion with its destructive presence the track hands over to the equally vindictive I Am One, I Am All. With riffs gnawing the ear with potent malice from the off, the song prowls and seduces with bulging rhythms from the drums and a resonating snarl from bass whilst further riffing chews with a presence which is as primal as it is addictive. Continuing the immense start the song, like the release, is arguably not stretching barriers but undoubtedly it casts a creative presence which impacts with accomplished craft and invention alongside an imaginative violence posing as temptation.
The consistent quality and lure of the release is continued with ease through the uncompromising Summon The Cursed where not for the first time the bass steals the passions with its dramatically bestial voice, and further elevated further with the outstanding The Serpent Of Old. The song stalks the ear with antagonistic rhythms and riffs which are equally attitude driven, whilst the vocals combine a malicious intent and an infectious swagger which compliments devilishly the ebbing and flowing intensity of the music. With a furnace of a climax which climbs all over the senses like a ravenous plague to pull apart and captivate its victim, the track is a pinnacle of the release.
It has to be said there is a surface similarity across many tracks which defuses their potency as individuals without deliberate focus into their hearts but not enough for the release to lose its impact at any point. It to be fair, points to the fact that the band is still emerging its distinct presence and that makes their forth coming second album a very exciting prospect. The likes of Led To The Slaughter and the Pathway To Demise with its insatiable repetitive groove and niggling sonic persistence enflame the senses further whilst Obsidian Blade stands like a leviathan of venom with overbearing energy and matching intensity for a fire of death driven metal. With Upon The Altar also leaving strong passion for its great melodic keys which enchant as potently as the sirenesque whispers within Obsidian Blade, Kingdom Of Shadows is an excellent release dripping immense potential whilst leaving rich pleasure in its wake. Roll on album two.
https://www.facebook.com/overothband
8/10
RingMaster 29/03/2013
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