Overoth Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?

Overoth is a four man death metal band from Belfast, Northern Ireland. We've been playing together for about 8 years now with a few releases in that time; our most recent was 'Kingdom of Shadows'. We've played with some of the biggest bands in the genre (Bolt Thrower, Napalm Death, Obituary) and had some crazy tours.


2. How would you describe your musical sound?

Our roots lie in the old school of Death Metal with a few nods to the darker side of it. We have a nice dynamic groove with our riffs, creating a sound guaranteed to have heads banging.


3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?

Good vs evil stories, dark arts and fantasy, hordes of depravity consuming earth ... Haha. You know the drill. A lot of our songs are based around one character, (Usually 'Overoth', our very own lord of darkness), his actions or the outcome of the circumscribed end of being. Haha. We like to keep it nasty.


4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?

The name came about by accident. We were working with a few ideas and a friend uttered it on a night out seeing Decapitated and Gorerotted. We liked the sound of it and it stuck. Since the names creation it has taken on a meaning of it's own. We've used it as a character in our songs and on the album art.


5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

We've had the pleasure of sharing the stage with some amazing bands in our history. A stand out moment for me was a support slot we had playing on a festival with Hail of Bullets. We played a blinder of a set, which was the intention as we were on the bill with one of Death Metal's living legends, Martin van Drunen. It's great to see a band of such a status nodding their heads while we're blasting. As we finished we got a nod from the great man and he went on to mention us onstage. An important new fan I'd bet.


6. Do you have any touring plans for the future?

Right now we're almost finished writing our next album, so our current plans are to finish that and get it released then the touring can commence.
We have some gigs booked for the next year and we'll maybe do a few days here or there but our current plans are to get the new album out ASAP.  Playing live is a passion for each of us. It's why we started playing music. There's nothing quite like a loud audience.


7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of death metal?

We're fortunate to have some dedicated fans at home and on foreign soil. Most recently we toured the UK and before that a few tours in Switzerland and Scandinavia respectively. Luckily, we've been well received wherever we play and the album sales are good. We've actually had some recent interest in our first MCD 'Death Personified' so we're having some more printed.


8. What is going on with the other musical projects these days?

I'm currently playing with a grindcore band The Obscene Machine. We've just released our first MCD 'The Obscenity Within' on Grind Scene Records a few months back.
Andrew & Jay have another death metal band Rex Shachath. They've also just released their first record with Hostile Media.
Jay being the busiest (or least lazy haha) has just recorded drums for a friend's Black Metal outfit Altus Astrum.


9. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?

Our new material has taken a step further into the shadows with a darker feel throughout. There are a lot of big riffs and an almost anthemic feel in some of the songs. I feel that there's a further maturity in the music and we're very happy with the darkened sound of our new stuff.


10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

My first memory of heavy music was at a party in my uncles house. He was blasting Slayer & Sepultura. I couldn't really understand the music (I was 7 years old) but I liked it & and that's where my influences started. Our more modern influences come from a wide range of heavy music, books and even some computer games have given us some ideas.

The albums I can put down at the moment are:

Watain - Lawless Darkness
Gojira - Enfant Sauvage
Strapping Young Lad - SYL.


11. Outside of music what are some of your interests?

I'm a lover of real ales and beers so I've recently started to brew my own. It hasn't poisoned me quite yet so I reckon it needs a few more weeks’ fermentation. I enjoy travelling; I try to get away a few times a year. I'd recommend the Edinburgh Fringe Festival if you enjoy cheap and sometimes extremely fucked up comedy.


12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?

If you don't know it yet, check out our music. Songs from 'Death Personified' & 'Kingdom of Shadows' are on our YouTube channel and on Facebook. So give us a spin and say hello.

Walk forever in the shadows my friends…


Andy Ennis Bass/Vocals