Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Maximum Overdrive - Maximum Overdrive - 2004 - Self Released

Track Listing1. Iron Horse 2. Skullbasher 3. See You Again 4. Never Fade Away 5. Loaded Gun 6. Under The Spell 7. Feedin The Devil 8. I Don't Believe 9. Lets Roll 10. Get It Together 11. Holy Universe

These young, talented, underground bands just seem to be popping up everywhere. Wilmington, North Carolina's Maximum Overdrive just rode out of the fog like a steel horse riding the rails, delivering a wallop of a good time here with their debut, a self released album simply called "Maximum Overdrive". As this stoner-hard rock sound seems to build speed and credibility across the US, more and more bands seem to be coming out of the woodwork, delivering that blue collar, working man's metal that has so much promise and potential to be the "next big thing". As the "New Wave Of American Heavy Metal" seems to have hit it's mid-point, bands like Maximum Overdrive, Brand New Sin, and Omegalord drive on with a complete understanding of the "bar band" mentality, really contending early for just who will lead this next genre, just simply going to the roots of all that is metal, completely absorbing everything Sabbath into a vicious, street ready machine that is built on speed, good times, and of course the very best in heavy metal.

This debut is fantastic, offering up a wide variety of sounds through eleven heavy numbers, each of which seems to have the potential to hit radio anyday now. Unfortunately, this sound hasn't quite caught up with Clear Channel or MTV, but given another year or so this may be a completely different story. For now we have bands like Maximum Overdrive, a group of hard working metal militia who have really taken all the great things from past legends like Sabbath, KISS, Terrible Ted, and even Foghat and rolled it into one tight-knit pace, almost like combining faster Ozzy with the likes of a Kik Tracee or even Tesla. The band just has that electric energy about them, shredding some furious leads at times or simply laying down a thick, massive doom riff.

Each cut here carries on a different path, whether it is the bone breaking doom power on "Feedin The Devil" and "Skullbasher", or the hard rock attitude of cuts like "Iron Horse" and "Loaded Gun". The band can play some faster power metal numbers as well, evident on strong closer "Holy Universe". Vocalist Ronnie Lamanna, who also plays guitar, is the perfect vocalist for this material, never quite as over the top as David Lee Roth or Sammy, but still managing to keep that party vibe to his pipes. The whole band really has that certain niche that just makes music fun again, something that seems to be missing in today's water.


--EC 06.08.05