Overlord Back Into the Dragon’s Lair

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by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer

The second in Heaven & Hell’s Lost Relics reissue series, Back into the Dragon’s Lair, is a collection of rare recordings by Canadian heavy metal band Overlord. It’s not easy to describe Overlord’s sound. Over the course of a decade, Overlord developed a sound that was heavy, doomy and even progressive, but above all was always metal. That they managed to keep playing and recording without any label support is testimony to the band’s perseverance. The quality of the music speaks for itself.

It’s interesting to witness the progression Overlord went through in their career. The first third of the disc, which includes the band’s debut EP, is pretty much what you’d expect a metal band to sound like in 1985. With the hard-charging riffs and Colin Wilkinson’s high-pitched vocals, the band had a straightforward heavy metal sound that shows a Judas Priest influence.

After that though, Black Sabbath quickly became the obvious touchstone to Overlord’s sound, especially once Jim Feeney’s apocalyptic vocals join Mark Platt’s heavy, grooving guitar riffs. The band’s early ‘90s material also had a more inventive and atmospheric feel, especially on songs like “Subterranean Spiral Dance” and “Wings of Stone.” These days you’d probably call much of this material stoner rock or proto-doom, but at the time the term “heavy metal” said it all.

Back into the Dragon’s Lair collects all of the available Overlord recordings from 1985 to 2007. This includes the band’s 1985 self-titled EP, the song “Walk Softly” from the 1988 Ebony Records compilation, 1990’s Into the Dragon’s Lair EP, 1991’s Nice Life EP, 1993’s The Open Eye EP and the 2007 track “Ran Away.” The CD also includes a band biography, rare photos and the original demo artwork, all under a very striking cover image.

Doom metal and stoner rock bands are hardly in short supply these days, but in the late ‘80s they were a rare breed. Overlord went slower and heavier while everyone else opted for faster and lighter, and in an age of spandex and hairspray they stuck with the tried and true denim and leather. It didn’t win them any mainstream attention, but Overlord stayed true and left behind some songs that are both classic and currently relevant.

If you like your metal heavy – whether that’s older bands like Black Sabbath and Manilla Road or newer bands like Sahg and Witchcraft – you owe it to yourself to check out Back Into the Dragon’s Lair.

Genre: Heavy Metal, Doom Metal

Band:
Branko Zugaj (b)
Mark Platt (g)
Colin Wilkinson (v, 1-4)
Francis Mahee (v, 5)
Jim Feeney (v, 6-16)
Dario Rubini (d, 1-4)
S. Patterson (d, 5)
J. Casson (d, 6-11)
B. White (d, 12-16)

Track Listing:
1. X-Rated Man
2. Messiah Comes
3. Distant Orphan
4. (Prelude) Endless Sun
5. Walk Softly
6. Midnite Flight
7. Nice Life
8. The Storm
9. White Witch
10. Desert Door
11. Subterranean Spiral Dance
12. Mind Slide
13. Wings of Stone
14. White Lightning
15. Never Enough
16. Ran Away

Label: Heaven & Hell Records

Website: www.myspace.com/overlordcanada

Hardrock Haven rating: 8/10

(Note: The author of this review also co-wrote the liner notes for this release.)