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SEVERE OVERBITE
Severe Overbite

Self-released (2024)
Rating: 7/10

Have you seen the cover of this? It looks like an early to mid 80s Swedish throwback; all warriors, swords and icy mountains. Interestingly, the musicians behind this debut full-length record are Swedish duo Håkan Mårtensson (vocals) and Jonas Öhlund (guitar, bass and keyboards), but what really drew me to this album was the fact that the songs provided were written in the early 80s when the pair were teenagers playing together in local bands Rebellion, Bird Of Prey and Grime Crime.

The first thing I noticed on my initial spin was how British this opus sounds, driving towards a New Wave Of British Heavy Metal vibe. Secondly, this album isn’t as metal as it looks, the twosome crafting a rather fluid yet at times smooth, stark hard rock platter which just cannot help but waft with doomy vapours.

This is a reasonably concise outing at 33 minutes, the band opting for a clear sound and vocal display that thankfully hasn’t been glossed over with modern techniques, although there is a definite lack of power. However, everything about this album reeks of “cult gem” as opening foray ‘Another World’ strides nicely like some long lost NWOBHM single just discovered in the dusty vaults, and I’m left wondering just what could have been.

‘Don’t Turn Away’ is a big favourite of mine and one of the albums heaviest moments as the stony bass merges with a simple yet effective riff. The track rarely deviates from its plod but it’s catchy and somewhat charming in his antique doominess. “The frozen white wasteland where I feel alive,” are the first words uttered by Mårtensson on ‘The Mountain’, a slightly hastier example of hard rock as the duo gallops albeit rather tepidly, and it is the word “tepid” that springs to mind on a few of the tracks present. I can’t help but imagine a punchier vocal coupled with better production and just a heavier bass and drum tone.

A song like ‘Devils Nest’ would be an absolute colossus if a few tweaks were made, but as it stands this album still feels like an early to mid 80s import that was played, produced and mixed half-heartedly. Even so, ‘Ritual Of Evil’ has a sense of the epic in its restrained power metal route, while ‘Living In Poverty’ has more of a traditional metal style. Yes, this is a strange slice of European heavy metal history and it’s one that you can’t help but fall for, even if its chainmail is a tad flimsy.

Neil Arnold

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