We said it before, a long time ago. Never judge anything by its appearance. When the old geezers at the RMR Review Desk saw the album cover, this went as follows: ‘By the almighty Gawds ov Heavy Metal, do we really want to descend into glam’s very special hellscape?’ But little did they know that the series of somewhat somnambulant Heavy Metal pieces and other malfunctions were about to end.
2026 already features a pretty sturdy Heavy Metal diet to date. But a lot of the fare the pipe caught was kinda mediocre. Not embarrassingly bad, but more of the dusty, kinda boring kind. Metallic objects that somehow forgot to inject the oomph necessary to wake us old metal souls up from our deep rebororative sleep.
But not so for Total Maniac here. Love Overdrive immediately rid itself from our terrible visions of some metal dudes addicted to overpriced hairdressers with an urge to dispense sugary atrocities and moldy cheesecakes with wanton abandon. Instead, the title track’s speedy thunderclap of a Heavy Metal assault made everybody sit up straight for a change. The band won’t introduce anything new, mind you. It is an old genre they service after all. Case in point, the references are many. But most notably, you get some mix of Motorhead, Judas Priest, hints of Venom, and – well – older AC/DC when Bon Scott was still in charge (Early Grave). Meaning, apart from the often thrashy Speed and Heavy Metal, a fair portion of the relatively short playtime dwells in the realms where Hard Rock has already been.
Somebody called this band a street metal gang. And whilst we have no idea when the street in the metal actually morphs into a real meaningful genre, Love Overdrive delivers a vicious punch of boundless energy, beer-fueled tantrums, and black-toothed aggression. A really punkish aspect of an often overused style, manifested in tracks that are harshly effective but also mercifully short. But, in truth, this metallic expression of a street brawl really adds that quantum of spice that hooked us just good.
A metal fistfight that favors drums and the delicately paced screamo vocals of one Diamond Dustin on full steroids. But let’s not forget the excellent axe work in Love Overdrive. The meaty riffing will – as per genre specs – always be slaved to the genre’s inbred antics. Yet, the guitars really take you to the brim when Heavy Metal is on the menu. You get next-level riffing that sometimes sails kinda close to the good ol’ sunset fare. That, when the riffs and wild solos suddenly rush off to challenge the entrenched positions Iron Maiden tries to hold to this day. But all that outstanding prowess really shines during Hard Rock times. Rhythm ‘n’ punk at a frantic level when a merciless follow-through is necessary. Boy, Total Maniac even dispense some trve metal screams when Drinking Our Way to Hell roars off into the satanic yonder.
Ultimately, Love Overdrive turned into 27 minutes of total metal fun. Frankly, the RMR crew didn’t expect much. Instead, we found an almost picture-perfect image of what the other side of early Heavy Metal and Hard Rock ought to be made of. And the somewhat thrashy parts with their friggin’ punky punchline truly made us salivate even more. This short blurb is powerful, juicy, energetic, and for sure made with gusto by a band with a knack for this kind of metal work.
And that gives us hope. All of the old great bands are slowly grinding to a halt. They’re truly not getting younger. So, to this crew, it is refreshing to find young guns taking the helm. Totally maniacal red-hot metal in frantic overdrive. Just the way we love it.
Record Rating: 7/10 | Label: Self-Released | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 27 March 2026