EMQ’s with OVERLORD
Hi everyone! Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview with Dhaka, Bangladesh, based Melodic Death Metal band, Overlord. Huge thanks to guitarist, Priyotosh, for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
My name is Priyotosh, I play Lead Guitars in the band, and am the composer/founder of the band too. Once I was playing an Arch Enemy song in my university days, there was another guitarist named Zarif who was there, who I barely knew at that point. He started to play the other guitar part of the same song. We both were surprised, and eventually became best friends. Later on, we jammed and formed the band because we came up with original compositions, and then we recruited the other promising members for the band. That’s how Overlord was formed in 2010.
How did you come up with your band name?
We had scribbled down some names in a notebook, and shortlisted to 10 names. Out of these 10, we eventually chose ‘Overlord’, because we wanted the name to always express our stance, which is Anti-system, Anti-oppression, and against social injustice and global megalomania. ‘Overlord’ usually represents corporate conglomerate entities who remain in power and control things around us. But we refuse to accept that and hence we consider the mass people like ourselves as ‘Overlord’.
What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
We are from Bangladesh, from the South Asia region of the world. The Metal/Rock scene here is fantastic! We got hundreds of bands who are doing very good music in both of these genres and its sub-genres. After the pandemic induced restrictions were eased, concerts are happening, new albums and fresh new compositions are getting published by the bands. So, it is a great and happening underground music scenario now.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
We released our debut album “Resurgence of the Obstinate Kind” in Nov 2020. We have also released a music video with the last track of the album named ‘Prophecy’. Our full album is available on Spotify, Bandcamp, YouTube, and major tracks are available on SoundCloud and Reverbnation. We are also active on Facebook and Instagram.
‘Prophecy’ (Official Video)
Who have been your greatest influences?
To name one, Arch Enemy comes first and foremost. Other influences include Septicflesh, Insomnium, In Flames, Dark Tranquillity, Kalmah, At The Gates, Carcass, etc are notable ones.
What first got you into music?
I was a natural drummer, I used to hit any object like percussive instrument with my pen and any stick like thing during my school and college years. Later, I sat on a drumkit while visiting a friend’s band jamming. Then I realized music is in me and which later turned to learning the guitar and eventually forming Overlord.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician, who would it be?
Mikael Akerfeldt from Opeth. He is genuinely a genius and there is a lot to learn from him when it comes to composing a song and bringing variety.
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
70,000 Tons of Metal which happens on a Cruise Ship. We could enjoy other bands performances as well as playing for the awesome crowd while cruising in a ship for days. Absolutely wonderful experience to get.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
Not weird per se; fans have made digital album arts for our songs, which was a sweet gesture.
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Respect all music genres and musician’s efforts and support them.
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
Tough question, but I guess it would be Dimebag Darrell, because we all knew he left us too early and we still had a lot of mind-blowing compositions to get from him. Wouldn’t want to miss that!
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
The ability to translate my thoughts and express them through music and lyrics is a privilege which I’m blessed with as a musician. The part I hate is that musicians are not valued as much, their dedication to the profession and the passion is often overlooked, and the future does not seem to be much promising because of the lower income/revenue. No one realizes that musicians have to pay bills too. This is the part I hate.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Unity – this is a thing that much of the industry people do not do and do not take truly in their hearts. Metal music and underground music is already a niche community, why compartmentalize it with genre and sub-genre things? There is no need for grouping as we are already low in numbers. Let’s just enjoy and promote each other’s music in solidarity and brotherhood. We can keep our own preferences to ourselves, but we should do music and spread it in a united way.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
“Anthems of Rebellion” and “Wages of Sin” by Arch Enemy, “Blackwater Park” by Opeth, “Killing the Dragon” by Dio, “Winter’s Gate” by Insomnium, “Atoma” by Dark Tranquillity, “At War With Reality” by At The Gates, “Communion” by Septicflesh, and many more.
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
Personally, I’m kinda old school, so I prefer vinyl and CD’s for their physical appeal. However, downloads have become more convenient, as long as it can generate some revenue for the artists.
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
An Open Air gig where we performed in Khulna University in Jan 2020 called ‘Noize Fest’. It was an amazing gig with a great sound and tremendous support from the crowd. Open Air gigs are a completely mesmerizing experience.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
I honestly don’t know. Probably would prefer to work in a non-profit organization, or something related to band music, event management, tour crew, sound guy, or maybe guitar/drum tech.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Michael Stanne from Dark Tranquillity, Angela Gossow who used to be Arch Enemy’s vocalist, Michael Amott from Arch Enemy, Tom Englund from Evergrey, and Ville Friman the guitarist from Insomnium.
What’s next for the band?
Our 2nd album is in the making. We are actively looking for record labels. Hoping to get a good deal and then promote our 2nd album through the label, unlike our 1st release which was independent.
What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
www.facebook.com/overlord.bd
www.reverbnation.com/overlord9
www.overlordbd.bandcamp.com/
www.instagram.com/overlord.bd/
www.soundcloud.com/overlord-bangladesh
www.open.spotify.com/album/185coX73ozUD0ZErApOYoW
www.youtube.com/Overlordbd
Jaffa Cakes! Are they a cake or a biscuit?
I don’t know, I would go with Cake.
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Most welcome! I would just like to add that, there should be more affordable PR and promotional services made available for bands like us who are struggling to make their mark in the metal world.
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