Posted on: December 21, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The bombastic opening to this LP, the break-neck speeds achieved by “Progress” shows a band that is not afraid to hit the ground running. The mastering on this disc may not be up to Sonic Iguana quality, but the general sound that emanates from this disc both sounds appealing to many a listener’s ears and bolsters the slightly rough and raw sound that Overated live will bring to the tone of any show. The only thing major that can be said about the recording is that the highest echelons of the tracks – some of the drumming and guitar work feel a little compressed, but that is rectified by a solid-sounding low end. “Pity Party” may just be the disc’s high point; the breakdown found in the middle of the track is the perfect dead-stop and emotional rollercoaster that will make listen even more intently.

“Fuck The World” has the same sort of angst and anger that predecessor tracks like “Oh Bondage Up Yours” and bands like L7 were able to bring to break down the sexist barriers of punk with. Of particular note throughout the entirety of the disc is the always-present chunky sound of the bass, which really gives the music a foundation which to work off of. The inclusion of a greater amount of harmony (and doubled vocals) during “Father Figure” really gives the listeners a good jump-off point until the next Overated album; the band itself does not have a set path to go in the future. While most of the guitar work on this disc has the tendency to fade into the background, the eighties-metal riffs that open up “Three Shades Of Thought” are a wondrous addition to this disc, varying up the weapons that Overated can assault with to more than the machine-gun drumming of Ryan or the intricate bass lines of Steph.

The tracks on this disc are all done with a care that far-outstrips the rushed and hurried music usually present in the area, but the tracks by and large show too much of a cohesiveness to them that causes a minor amount of edge blurring. Thus, with some of the same guitar arrangements, the tracks may all flow into each other but in Overated’s case the lines between when a track starts and stops becomes blurry. Still, the fury and political opinions espoused on this LP make up for some of these minor issues; be sure to pick up a copy if you like politics or hardcore punk at all.

Top Tracks: Progress, Pity Party

Rating: 6.5/10

Overated – S/T / 2005 Self Released / 8 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/overated / [email protected] / Reviewed 10 August 2005

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