Overcast “Reborn to Kill Again” CD

First off, I wrote about the classic "Begging for Indifference" EP here a couple of years ago, so I'm not going to delve into the "where are they now" aspects of the Overcast lineup again, especially since everyone reading this probably knows already anyway. Having been a huge Overcast fan back in the day (and still today), I couldn't quite decide what to make of the fact that they were regrouping nearly 10 years after their breakup to re-record a bunch of old tracks (as well as a couple of new ones) for "Reborn to Kill Again" (on Metal Blade Records). And, truthfully, I'm still not entirely sure what to make of it!

For one thing, Overcast always seemed to do a decent amount of re-recording/re-releasing tracks on different releases when they were around as it was, and the only things the band ever recorded that actually sounded pretty crappy were their first 7", "Bleed Into One" (the title track of which appears here), and the track on the "East Coast Assault" compilation. I still think 1997's "Fight Ambition to Kill" sounds pretty damn good, so it's a bit of a bummer that about half of these 13 tracks are taken from that album—which only had nine songs in the first place! Do the re-recordings sound better? In some ways, sure. And there are definitely some added little flourishes and cool intricacies that either weren't there before or just weren't apparent. And at least they included "Filter of Syntax" and "Styrofoam Death Machine", some of the better compositions from said album, but... still. It's the tracks from "Expectational Dilution" and "Begging for Indifference" that might've benefited most, and are the most welcomed inclusions: "Diluting Inertia/Grifter", the fusion of "As a Whole/Two Degrees Below", "For Indifference", "Fate's Design", and "Bleed Into One". However, to be totally honest with you, I'll always prefer the original recordings. For all of the aforementioned flourishes and intricacies that start to surface here, there's just some dark, chilling, atmosphere and vocal character lost—especially in crucial tracks like "For Indifference". I'm also stunned that they included "Fate's Design" as opposed to the far superior "Forecast", which was always one of their strongest tunes in my opinion. But, hey, you can't please everyone, right?

As for the two new tracks, "Root Bound Apollo" may sound familiar as it shares lyrics and its title (and I think a few compositional shreds) with an old Shadows Fall song—it would've fit in quite well on "Fight Ambition to Kill", actually. "Reborn to Kill Again", on the other hand, sounds quite different—flirting with a lot of post-hardcore elements and a shorter, more focused and memorable approach than most of Overcast's work. It'll probably remind many listeners of Shadows Fall, but that's really only due to some of the vocal work. It's an atypical track for Overcast, but for me it's the better of the new songs.

In the end, I'm still on the fence, but I can definitely state that this CD will serve better to introduce new, younger listeners to Overcast's material. Longtime fans of the band won't likely deem this an essential purchase, which is in some ways unfortunate, but perhaps that wasn't the point in the first place? Either way, Overcast was an incredible band whose back catalog should remain significant for many, many years to come with regard to its impact on the roots of the true "metalcore" genre. The old show flyers included in the center spread of the booklet are proof enough of the band's massive crossover appeal at the time—having performed with everyone from Madball and Slapshot to Cannibal Corpse and Napalm Death, the Cro-Mags and Leeway to Neurosis and Into Another, among numerous other acts from all-over-the-place genres.

So, yeah... no disrespect here. Not a bit.

Overcast "Root Bound Apollo"
Overcast "Bleed Into One"

Get It

Relapse Records (CD)
Amazon.com (mp3)