“overdose”
Overdose
Circus of Death
Pavement
You’ve got to hand it to Overdose: in a time when most underground heavy metal is so complex and technical that it requires a working knowledge of calculus, it takes guts to play chunky, catchy thrash without catering to the lowest common denominator. Right down to the production quality, Circus of Death smacks of Master of Puppets , Overdose similarly riffing to that album’s most direct mid-tempo moments, obeying more conventional song constructs, but peppering them with healthy doses of double-bass drum mayhem and keen dynamics highlighted by, yes, Metallica-esque clean guitar voicing. But what’s so wrong with being influenced by Puppets ? Thirteen years later, following suit is certainly more adventurous than making a black metal career out of the most obscure Graveland demo, but, alas, I digress…In sum, Circus of Death is a gutsy, well-executed slab of mid-paced thrash highly recommended for those yearning for the simpler days of non-mainstream metal.
Pavement, P.O. Box 505550, Phoenix, AZ 85076, www.pavementmusic.com)
