Overlorde

Overlorde is an American heavy metal band. Hailing from New Jersey, the band was active in the 1980s. After releasing a self-titled record in 1987, the band became inactive before being reformed in 2000. The three original members Mark "M.E." Edwards (guitar), John "Kong" Bunucci (bass) and Dave Wrenn (drums) recruited singer Bobby Lucas from Seven Witches. Following the demo Overlorde 2000, they would return with an album Return of the Snow Giant after signing with the Greek label Sonic Age. After a period with Chris Colfax on vocals, Lucas returned in 2009. George Tsalikis took over vocal duties in November 2016. Powermetal.de [de] viewed Return of the Snow Giant as a "masterclass in heavy metal". Managing to sound "fresh" despite being firmly rooted in the 1980s—Overlorde also carried over some songs from that period—the album culminated in "epic anthems". Rock Hard bestowed a 8.5 out of 10 grade on the album, finding the songs powerful and "always captivating". Norway's Scream Magazine gave 4 out of 6 points, docking points for unevenness in quality, but rewarding points when the band reached the "epic" level. The singer "Lucas is among the better American vocalists at the moment", the reviewer added. Vampster [de] found similar "epic" moments, played by "awesome musicians" for a "thoroughly recommendable" album, "a must-have for any fan of 80s US power metal", with "fantastic artwork" too. A whole 19 years passed until the release of Overlorde's third album. Titled Awaken the Fury, it came out on No Remorse Records. Rock Hard rated this almost equally to the previous, as an 8. Metal.de drew attention to the "quirky and bass-heavy tone" on the album, and the "quirky, epic, progressive, and offbeat" songwriting. Though there still were "catchy sections", overall the album was "a tough nut to crack" and not "easily digestible". The score was 7. The main review by Powermetal.de resulted in a 9 out of 10 score; the album was different from their previous one in their "epic, quirky" style. There were however members of the staff who lowered their score to 5.5. Scream Magazine was also on the reserved side, only giving 3 out of 6. It was harder getting into, setting a dark tone with relative complexity; there was "minimal songs you sing along to after two-three listens". The production was also a bit lacking and "angular". Overlorde (EP, Strike Zone Records, 1987) Return of the Snow Giant (Sonic Age Records, 2004) Awaken the Fury (No Remorse Records, 2023) Andrea (26 April 2004). "OVERLORDE: neues Album nach 17 Jahren". Vampster (in German). Retrieved 10 February 2026. "OVERLORDE - The spirit lives on". Rock Hard (in German). No. 213. 26 January 2005. Retrieved 10 February 2026. "OVERLORDE Sign With CULT METAL CLASSICS". Blabbermouth. 26 April 2004. Retrieved 10 February 2026. "Former OVERLORDE Singer Resurfaces In JUDAS PRIEST Tribute Band". Blabbermouth. 13 June 2007. Retrieved 10 February 2026. "OVERLORDE Rejoined By Singer BOBBY LUCAS". Blabbermouth. 17 March 2009. Retrieved 10 February 2026. "OVERLORDE Introduce New Vocalist". BraveWords. 21 March 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2026. Backes, Björn (22 December 2004). "OVERLORDE - Return Of The Snow Giant". Powermetal.de [de] (in German). Retrieved 10 February 2026. Küper, Wolfram (22 December 2004). "OVERLORDE - Return Of The Snow Giant". Rock Hard (review) (in German). No. 212. Retrieved 10 February 2026. Kringen, Leif (2004). "OVERLORDE "Return Of The Snow Giant"". Scream Magazine (review) (in Norwegian). No. 92. p. 43. Loffhagen, Oliver (25 December 2004). "OVERLORDE: Return Of The Snow Giant". Vampster [de] (review) (in German). Retrieved 10 February 2026. "OVERLORDE - Awaken The Fury". Rock Hard (review) (in German). No. 440. 24 January 2024. Retrieved 10 February 2026. Fenske, Jürgen (17 December 2023). "Overlorde - Awaken The Fury". Metal.de (review) (in German). Retrieved 10 February 2026. Andrae, Holger (17 December 2023). "OVERLORDE - Awaken The Fury". Powermetal.de [de] (review) (in German). Retrieved 10 February 2026. Jaeger, Frank; Rapp, Marcel; Rosenthal, Stefan; Walzer, Jonathan; Becker, Thomas; van der Laan, Martin (7 January 2014). "Grünes Licht oder rote Karte?". Powermetal.de [de] (in German). Retrieved 10 February 2026. Kringen, Leif (2024). "OVERLORDE "Awaken The Fury"". Scream Magazine (review) (in Norwegian). No. 282. p. 35. Discogs Review of Overlorde 2000 by Eternity-Magazin (in German) Review of Return of the Snow Giant by Metal Temple Review of Return of the Snow Giant by Metalspheres (in German) Review of Return of the Snow Giant by Eternity-Magazin (in German) Review of Return of the Snow Giant by Metal Centre Review of Return of the Snow Giant by Rough Edge Review of Return of the Snow Giant by Terrorizer Magazine #127, January 2005 Review of Awaken the Fury by Metal Temple Review of Awaken the Fury by Metalspheres (in German) Review of Awaken the Fury by Frenzy Fire Review of Awaken the Fury by Obliveon.de (in German) Review of Awaken the Fury by FFM-Rock (in German) Review of Awaken the Fury by Soundmagnet (in German)