After nearly a year of announcements, Overt Enemy finally unveils its first album.
Leo “Lizard” Ortiz (guitar/vocals, Heaven Holocaust), Laura “Slayerella” Ortiz (bass/vocals, Heaven Holocaust), Robert Hahn (guitar/vocals), and Saul Castillo (drums) are ready to deliver Insurrection.
The album kicks off with Resinated, a fairly straightforward and catchy opening track that blends groove and aggression in both the rhythm and vocals, developing a fairly unifying tone before the leads come into play, adding some more disturbing melodies to the mix. Raw effectiveness remains the norm on this track, as it does on No One Left to Die, which accelerates without warning and offers jerky crossover influences for just under two minutes of rage before moving on to The Truth, where Laura‘s voice joins her bandmates. The alternating screams perfectly punctuate the track, as do some very aggressive passages, especially when the double bass drum kicks in, but the track also offers some quieter moments, such as the progressive introduction to Bleed Like I Do, the next track. While the saturation returns very quickly in this part, the rhythm takes a while to explode, adopting an interesting touch of savagery that leads to a fairly motivating finale, followed by Psychotic Episode, which wastes no time in sweeping us away with its sustained charge. The title is also energetic and will undoubtedly be a source of headbanging at live shows, but the break will come as a surprise before returning to the heaviness and continuing on its way to Go Hard or Go Home, where screeching harmonics join lively riffs. We move from a virulent mosh part to this chaotic solo before reaching Eradication, which remains in this vindictive vein, supported by particularly abrasive guitars, but also by sometimes unusual vocal parts, especially at the end. Fire in the Skies takes over, almost immediately returning to convulsive patterns, letting the vocalists take turns before a slower passage that serves as the basis for the solo, then Insurrection follows with a new dose of energetic thrash infused with its punk roots. The final is a bit heavier and thicker, but it is ultimately with Even Murder that the band strikes one last time, even adding touches of stoner and intriguing vocals to the mix before laying down their arms.
Although Overt Enemy is not a newcomer, Insurrection is a very good addition to the Thrash/Groove Metal scene! The riffs are always catchy, and the compositions maintain a motivating rhythm that will appeal to fans.
75/100