As the revolving door of band members continues to cycle, Overcome continues to sound exactly the same. Now I don't know about you, but that's exactly what I was hoping for from this album.
Brutal metallic hardcore with huge grooves and more interesting than average guitars are served up, and my high expectations are absolutely met. When Beauty Dies and The Life of Death are what made Overcome one of my absolute favorite bands, you see, so to hear them continuing on in that same vein is music to my ears.
Ok, so there is one song that can't help but stand out -- "Reverence" is as experimental a hardcore song as I've ever heard. Acoustic guitars, drums, piano. . . and Jason's regular vocals. And if you told me about it I'd think it was lame, but to hear it, it's actually pretty cool. Not for the whole 4:30, but the first couple minutes, at least.
Lyrically, Overcome again refuses to be moved. "Break not your yoke with the Lord, don't tear off your bonds of faith" and "Wash me in Your blood, conversion, my second chance at life" leave no doubt as to where they are spiritually.
The one last thing that deserves note is the production and packaging. For those who may be leery of Facedown products after Life of Death, allow me to assuage those fears. This looks and sounds leaps and bounds ahead of the last one. The snare drum is bite-less and small, but otherwise this is every bit as good as most anything Solid State's put out since the band left.
Anyway, if you've just never really dug Overcome, you'll continue to not dig this disc. But if you've liked what they've done in the past, you'll be well served to pick this up.
9/10
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #83Reviewed by A Girl Called GordonI don't think I have heard a bad Overcome CD. The band keeps getting better. The lyrics are stronger, guitar riffs are more eloquent, and bass and drum lines are more consistent. This is a solid project. The mixing of the drums is a little harsh, though.Dead Zine 1999Reviewed by D_ListerFirst off when you listen to this you know you're listening to hardcore. But like other Overcome efforts, you also are feeling the blaze of metal. Still it's not metalcore like you're used to hearing. This is perfectly blended metal influenced hardcore. This album is without a doubt their master piece album. Yes I personally find this one more enjoyable than even When Beauty Dies, but that's just…Similar sounding releases
2001HospitalStare
2003EnamoredA Weapon for War
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2000ShockwaveAutohate
