Interview with black death thrash metal band from United Kingdom - OVERTHROW.
OVERTHROW - Ascension of the Entombed (2023):
Ave OVERTHROW! I have never found any interview with you in Czech language. I will ask you first to introduce the band to the readers who do not know you yet. You can start from the beginning and take us throw the whole history of OVERTHROW.
Hi Jakub, thanks for taking the time to put together the interview.
OVERTHROW began in the summer of 2011 with myself and our former guitarist getting together and just writing Thrash Metal songs that we thought sounded cool. When we had 4-5 songs, we got the first lineup together and started gigging locally in our hometown (London) as well as in other UK cities. The band went through various incarnations and gigged a lot over a decade before we recorded our debut album, „Strike Down The Saviour“, which was eventually released in September 2021 and contained all of the songs that were written during the aforementioned decade. After the release of the debut, we went through yet more lineup changes before myself and our drummer, Scott Lindsay, decided to make the band a two piece songwriting partnership, with live members recruited to do the gigs. Since making this decision, the band’s popularity and exposure has increased immensely, as we now have management and are signed to Redefining Darkness Records.
Over the years, our sound has evolved from just straightforward Thrash Metal into Extreme Metal, incorporating more Black/Death Metal elements into our sound, as Scott and myself are huge fans of underground Black & Death Metal bands such as Dead Congregation, Dissection, Morbid Angel, Bolzer, Emperor and Ulcerate, to name a few. There’s still a subconscious influence from Thrash (particularly Slayer) that creeps into our songwriting, but our sound has definitely evolved and become more refined, brutal and macabre, which is evident on the new EP.
This year you are releasing the new EP „Ascension of the Entombed“. Again, it's a dark, harsh and honest thrash/death/black metal. Did you access to the recording process differently than last time or did you choose verified practices?
The recording process for the EP wasn’t that much different to the recording process for the debut album. We recorded drums, guitars, bass and then vocals at Scott’s parents home studio and it was produced and engineered by our former bassist, Scott Bacon. We then sent it to be mixed and mastered by Harris Zourelidis, who had previous worked with Dead Congregation on their debut album „Graves Of The Archangels“, which is a huge favourite of ours and we wanted the EP to have the same sort of vibe/mix. The debut album took a long time because there were more songs but also we recorded during lockdown so we had to be strategic as to when we were able to go in and record. With the EP, it was a fairly straightforward process, as there were fewer songs to record and we weren’t hampered with any restrictions. The EP was already pretty much written even when we were recording the debut so it was just a case of getting in done once the first album cycle had run its course.
The new EP seems to me more complicated, perhaps initially less accessible, at the same time incredibly dark and evil. Was it intentional? How did the album originate and how did you compose the music?
I don’t think we intentionally wanted to make a more complicated/less accessible EP but we certainly knew that we were heading in a much more dark/evil direction this time. As I mentioned previously, myself and Scott are huge fans of underground Black/Death Metal as well as Thrash, so we wanted to explore these darker/sinister realms both musically and lyrically. All of the songs were written one after the other in a very short space of time and we knew instinctively that they belonged together, as they had the same sort of vibe/emotion. I write all of the music and then Scott helps with the arrangement and advises on which songs he thinks need refining and together we compile what we think sounds like a complete package, whether it’s an EP (in this case) or a full-length album. This is the process that we have naturally adopted since becoming a partnership. As I mentioned before, the debut album was essentially a compilation of all of the songs that were written in the first ten years of the band’s existence (with the various lineups) that we wanted put out and establish ourselves. With the EP, it’s the first real collaborative effort from just myself and Scott and the next releases will also follow in the same vein. It was a very organic process this time around, as Scott and I are on the same page both musically and aesthetically when it comes to the presentation of the band’s music/image.
I have a „Ascension of the Entombedr“ in my MP3 player and I have to say that this album literally engulfed me. These are not just great ideas but also sound is simply devastating. I'm sitting in the tram, and suddenly I find myself shaking my legs. I have a feeling to start moshing. If I weren’t so old, I would probably start to. Where did you record and who is signed under mastering?
Thanks a lot man, that’s very kind of you to say! As I mentioned previously, we recorded the EP at Scott’s parents home studio, The Nest Studio in Honor Oak Park, South London. The mixing and mastering duties were handled by Harris Zourelidis at Feedback Sound Studios in Athens, Greece.
Who is the author of lyrics on „Ascension of the Entombed“? What are they talking about? Where do you get inspiration for themes?
I write all of the lyrics in OVERTHROW as well as the music and have done since day one. Lyrically, each song tells a short story that I think compliments the sound/vibe of the music. The title track is about the dead returning to wreak havoc on the living, which was inspired to some degree by bands like Cannibal Corpse, Death and Morbid Angel who have written these type of songs before, but I put my own lyrical twist to this theme. „Lords Of Xibalba“ is inspired by the twelve gods of the Mayan underworld. „Ruptured Nebula“ is about an unstoppable force that completely decimates the cosmos and rips through space/time, annihilating everything in its path and returning existence to a state of total chaos. The final track „Caustic Vengeance (Blindly Driven)“ is more of a universal/somewhat personal song, lyrically, as the main topic is revenge and hatred for mankind in general. I approach lyrics in the same way I approach music in that I try to put my own thoughts and feelings on conventional Metal themes (war, death, pain, hatred etc.) and write in a way that the lyrics could mean many things, depending on the listeners perspective, but ultimately I usually start with a theme/narrative and see where it takes me. It’s an extention of this aforementioned organic songwriting process.
Who is signed under the cover of „Ascension of the Entombed“? I like his work very much. How did you choose the motif for cover?
The artwork for the EP was done by Deuteromali, a great artist based in South East Asia. We like his artwork style very much also and when it came time to finding an artist to do the EP artwork, we felt that his visuals represented our music very well. I came up with the concept/layout for the artwork and it was just a case of asking him to put it together in his style, which in my opinion came out extremely well. His style of artwork is very brutal and has that lo-fi, black & white, bestial War Metal album cover aesthetic that we wanted for this release, as opposed to the more colourful/painted artwork that we had on the first album.
When we look back at the beginning ... What was the first impulse to found the band? And why the thrash/death/black metal? It's not the typical style which can would give you great "glory".
As a teenager, I was always into heavy, fast, angry music. I got into Punk first when I was at school and bands like Sex Pistols, Minor Threat, Dead Kennedys and Ramones inspired me to start playing guitar. I started getting into Metal a bit later on with Metallica, Slayer, Motorhead and Iron Maiden being some of my biggest personal influences. I’ve been in bands since I could play 3 chords on guitar as I’ve always had this innate desire to perform. Over the years, as I’ve gotten older and angrier, the music has naturally followed in the same fashion. In the early days of OVERTHROW, we were very much influenced by a lot of the Thrash Metal bands that were popular at the time (Evile, Municipal Waste, Gama Bomb) but as the years have progressed (and my musical tastes have progressed) the band’s music has naturally become heavier, faster and angrier. Black Metal and Death Metal music, as I see it, is the next logical step in this sonic exploration. I’ve never really been in it for „glory“ as you say, it’s more a desire to create compelling and captivating music that puts you in a good headspace and is also a cathartic release, speaking for myself.
You come from United Kingdom and you play extreme thrash/death/black metal. Our readers would certainly wonder how the metal scene works in your country. To tell you the truth, so lately I hear only the great bands from there. Does this mean that the scene there is so strong at the moment? What about concerts, how many people coming to them?
The scene in the UK is very strong at this moment in time. There are tonnes of incredible bands gaining national/international recognition and notoriety and bringing out some of the best music I’ve heard in a long time. The scene is very supportive, with bands, fans, promoters and venues supporting newer bands as well as bands that have been around for a while. There’s definitely a good sense of comradery, as well as healthy competition and I think that most of the bands you hear about now (particularly ones that have been doing this for many years) are starting to gain the recognition that they deserve, including us. Attendance, particularly at local gigs, seems to be getting better as a result of this and also because of post-lockdown and the fact that so many bands are making, in my opinion, their best work to date. We’ve been around for twelve years now and part of the reason we’ve stayed is due to the constant support we’ve received from the scene. It is very strong now and I think will only get stronger.
From your music is possible to feel that you are influenced by American thrash death metal school and as well by the old European bands. How do you feel about it as a fan? Do you prefer the original metal of the 1990s or do you get inspiration as well from the new albums? If yes so I am wondering which bands had the greatest impact on OVERTHROW.
Speaking for myself, I am hugely influenced by 90s Black/Death Metal bands, such as Dissection, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Darkthrone and Mayhem, to name but a few. The same goes for Thrash, with my biggest influences being Slayer, early Sepultura, Demolition Hammer and Sodom. I also love the original Metal bands such as Black Sabbath, Venom and Possessed, that typified their respective sub-genres. In terms of „newer“ bands, Dead Congregation, Ulcerate, Skeletal Remains, Bolzer, Midnight and Der Weg Einer Freiheit are some of my favourites. All of these bands have something intristincally unique about them and I think that their influence can be found in our music.
What about you and concerts in general? Are you a band that goes for concerts anytime you can or you are picky about where you will play? Do you have a dream, maybe a group you would like to go with for a tour or festival, a city where you would like to perform?
I attend gigs as a fan constantly. I go to a lot of local gigs as well as bigger gigs and I have been attending your wonderful Brutal Assault Festival for the past four years. As a band, we are in a position now where we get gig offers constantly so we can afford to pick and choose where we play and who we play with. In the early days, we would play wherever we could get gigs and I think this has helped us establish a reputation as a killer live act, particularly in our hometown. Nowadays, we try to be a bit more selective and play gigs in other cities as much as we can so that we can increase our fanbase and reach more people outside of our hometown. This is the ultimate goal for OVERTHROW; we want to play everywhere we can, not just in the UK but in the world! Personally, I would love to play the summer festivals (Brutal Assault, Bloodstock, Hellfest, Wacken etc.) in the future and tour across Europe and the US. I’ve also always wanted to play in South America, as the scene there is incredible!
I'm going to listen again your new album „Ascension of the Entombed“. I have to say that for me personally, this is basically a perfect thrash/black death metal work. Totally inferno. I wish big success to your record and to get this album to as many people as is possible. This album deserves it. I wish you all the best in your personal life. Whatever you do and the last words are yours. If you want to tell something to fans, labels, promoters, you have space here..... Thank you for the interview and I am looking forward to seeing you live!
Thank you very much Jakub! We want to say a huge thank you to all of the fans, bands and our friends who have supported us through the years. We are incredibly pleased with the response that the new EP has received and we are looking forward to gigging and touring in the future. Any promoters out there reading this, please get in touch with our management (emg.joel.spielman@gmail.com). You can purchase our EP via Redefining Darkness Records as well as our merch through our Bandcamp page (overthrowmetal.bandcamp.com). Once again, thank you Jakub for the interview, hope to see you at a future gig!
OVERTHROW - Ascension of the Entombed (2023):
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