Overlord

11/06/2011

In the cold Ontario winter of ’83 Overlord came to be, formed by delinquent school chums, bassist Branko Zugaj and guitarist Mark Platt. After receiving their 12Th grade diploma the two would separate only to meet back up by chance in a martial arts club. There they would decide to form a band and the search for players was on.  A vocalist and drummer were recruited but did not last long leaving the duo to bring in session players Dario Rubini on drums and vocalist Colin Wilkinson, who joined the band in the recording studio to record their 1985 four-song self-titled EP. Once the EP was released copies were madly marketed, promoted and submitted to music  press and record labels worldwide in hopes of landing  a record deal. Landing a recording contract would prove difficult for a number of reasons, but despite it all interest was gained by music press and record labels such as Ebony and Combat Records. Sadly nothing would materialize.

In the fall of 1988 Zugaj and Platt recruited full time vocalist Jim Feeney. The search for a permanent drummer proved more difficult, so the band had to rely on a session musician once again. With Juno Award Winning recording engineer Stu Young (Famous for working with Prince) and Mike Levine of Triumph they created their most progressive EP to date. Finally in 1993, the band found their drummer in Barry White. Overlord had at long last built a permanent lineup, which proved to be their strongest lineup to date.

The band then returned to the record label Metalworks and this time were able to secure famed record producer John Punter (Of Roxy Music) and recording studio engineer Mark Peters to record the EP ‘The Open Eye’.

After a decade Branko, one of the founding members, would leave the band in ’93, a month before the remaining members would call it quits.

Fast forward to 2001, when interest in the band resurfaced in a place they had not previously thought of marketing or promoting music too, Europe.  The band had gotten word that European fans were quite interested in Overlord and that their music had somehow surfaced in Europe. Fans were clamoring for the vinyl self-titled EP and paying outrageous amounts of money for a copy. This led to musical bootlegs, rave music reviews and the development of a large musical cult following. A brief reunion would be inspired by the new found interest. After one more visit to the recording studio and recording sessions the members went their separate ways putting an end to the Overlord of the past.

2011, finds the band back and stronger than ever with founder Branko Zugaj back on the bass and leading this powerful band. The group is currently signed to the Heaven and Hell Record label and their CD, “Back Into The Dragon’s Lair,” is proving to be a collector’s success. The band is also currently working on new material for their next CD. RSP will be using their band management, promoting and marketing savvy to push Overlord’s career to the top.