If it’s metal you’re after, you could do much worse than track down a copy of J.D Overdrive’s latest southern-fried opus, ‘fortune favours the brave’. Hailing from Poland, this is the band’s second effort and it does a grand job of combining the country’s natural affinity for metal with the attitude and atmosphere of Pantera and Down for a riff-soaked ride through demented stoner territory cheerfully referencing ‘night of the living dead’ and Bill Hicks as it goes.
A four piece, J.D. Overdrive comprises Michal Stemplowski on guitars (although as you listen to the album you’d swear he had cloned himself and was playing with a virtual army of riff lords), Wojciech Kaluza on vocals, Lukasz Pomietlo on bass and Lukasz Jurewicz on drums. Taking on production duties themselves, it is clear that JDO know exactly what sound they are aiming for and ‘fortune favours the brave’ delivers in spades with the fine songs given plenty of heft by the band’s weighty production. Opening with ‘Bad karma’ we enter zombie territory as it comprises solely a sample from ‘night of the living dead’ before segueing directly into ‘born to destroy’, a swamp-fever-addled rant delivered direct from the brain of a neurotic psychopath hell-bent on the destruction of anyone in his way blessed with some brilliant soloing from Michal. ‘Funeral stopper’ opens on a sweat-slicked groove and neatly combines some Black Label Society-esque riffing with a melodic chorus, demonstrating that Wojciech can sing as well as roar with the best of them. The brilliantly titled ‘beware the boozehound’ is up next and it’s the ass-kicking, whiskey-soaked equivalent of that unshaven guy that no-one wants to sit next to in the local bar – you don’t quite know when he got there (but it sure as hell was before you) and you’re damn sure you don’t want to disturb his liquor-fuelled ruminations. ‘Call of the South’ is surely the band’s unofficial anthem, with its lyrics calling for the freedom of the open road amidst Michal’s towering riffs and Lukasz’s cataclysmic percussive assault. Yeah – it’s awesome!
There’s no doubt that JDOare carving out a niche in the stoner market for themselves with these alcohol-soaked anthems steeped in a sense of apocalyptic southern heat and outstanding musicianship and as ‘standing tall’ hovers into view on the back of crashing cymbals and grinding riffs it’s impossible not to be drawn entirely into the band’s swaggering, bleary-eyed macho world. In contrast, ‘shadow of the beast’ is a sturdy, hulking number complete with reverb-drenched rippling solos and a sense of foreboding that denotes a touch of the fear has crept into the band’s stoner trip. ‘The revelation’ sees things ramped up a notch, as if the band are attempting to exorcise the demons of the previous track with a violence that borders on the pathological. The two tracks together form an easy centrepiece to the album and highlight the diversity of which JDO are capable whilst Wojciech once again demonstrates his vocal skills, shifting between guttural roar and smooth, almost grungy vocals with ease. ‘Like heroes to the slaughter’ opens with one of the most poignant excerpts from Bill Hicks’ immense book of comic wisdom before unleashing a crushing torrent of sludgy riffs and a minor key vocal that draws back into Black Label Territory, although I’d venture JDO are a touch heavier, even, than Zakk’s troops of doom. The album ends on ‘hope for the best, prepare for the worst’ a storming finale that leaves you wanting more and fully converted to the cause of JDO, especially if you got near the whiskey whilst listening.
Poland has a long history of producing awesome metal bands. Bands like Hellectricity, Virgin Snatch, Hunter, Vader, behemoth and Acid Drinkers are easy matches for (and often out class their) transatlantic cousins, and JDO are similarly impressive. They have the songs, the musical ability and the attitude to go far and, with a crushing production and ruthless quality control that sees the album kept short, sharp and utterly compelling, ‘Fortune favours the brave’ is a full on tobacco-spitting, whiskey-snorting ride through southern metal territory. This comes highly recommended.
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