These days, the Indianapolis HxCx scene is like a piece of steak left out in the summer heat for a lengthy period of time: from there springs some newbie cropping of larval fly bands that will probably die (i.e. breakup) in a short period of time. These bands hardly have time to gestate into anything greater, even though a handful of them have indicated some potential if it weren't for them prematurely imploding or mutating into a different band with one or two different cast members.
One of the latter of these bands is featured in today's post: Overpower. Overpower has sprung from the ashes of No Regard. Despite its brief existence, No Regard left a boot print on the head of Circle City hardcore scene, gaining notoriety for their violent live shows and being probably the first of the newer wave of bands to unabashedly include metal stylings into their Crossed Out inspired assault. That sound has been refined into a well oiled Panzer tank destructo-bot with OxPx. Before I had heard a note of the band, frontman Jacob told me "the faster parts are faster, and the slower parts are slower" aka: more violence, more destruction.
The demo (recorded by drummer Brandon Burdine) is not indexed into separate songs, so the listener is more or less forced to be bludgeoned over the head from start to finish through the five songs. Clocking in a little over 5 minutes, even the most ADD of hardcore scrappers will be pleased to endure this moshing monster. And the sound that Burdine dialed in on the recording does ample justice to the burly, pile-driving delivery of the band. Low end is all there, making those slow parts really slow, and the tone of the guitar is clarified to give the fast parts the needed presence that is sometimes lost with such music. The drums are well placed neatly in the middle of the mix, jack hammering behind Jacob's Neanderthal(pun intended) vocal barrage; all of this coming dangerously close to harnessing the intimidating energy that the band exudes live.
Enjoy terror.
