Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
Rochester, New York is home to one of the more explosive bands from the new crop of acts out there at this time, OVTLIER.
It has been a little over four months since this crew from The Empire State issued their official introduction, the genre-mashing ‘What Doesn’t Kill You‘ EP. Despite the relative youth of the band itself, along with it being unsigned – and therefore calling their own shots – the commercial appeal of this début cannot be underplayed.
With nods to such contemporary genres as metalcore, rap, and djent, as well as passages that throwback to modern metal, alternative rock, grunge, and thrash too, OVTLIER wields a multifaceted musical weapon. They never linger too long within one style either, always moving and transitioning themselves to where they cannot gather moss, so to speak.
None of this has gone unnoticed, as several outlets keeping track of the pulse of current music, ones like Revolver and Alt. Press, has bestowed accolades upon OVTLIER. The band uses these opportunities, too. Their song “Set The World In Flames” and its subsequent official video were used as a platform to raise awareness on the ongoing opioid epidemic.
Other songs, like “Your Disease“, “Broken Bones“, and “Break” are powerful tracks channeling complex diversities, ala the heavy and the melodic, the aggressive and the sedate. They flow with lively, upbeat energies and engaging paces, some highlighted by the use of synths and programming.
One of the stand-out songs is “Voices In The Dark“, a furious scorcher, for the most part, but one that goes into tranquil piano breaks and uplifting vocals at times. I guess that makes this a good time to mention that three out of the four current OVTLIER crewmen provide vocals, too.
Let’s not kid ourselves, OVTLIER, same as any other band or originators of music, isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea. That’s fine, too, because music takes all kinds, same as life. And along with them, all kinds of diversity come into play and that is a damn fine thing.
OVTLIER channel diversity through and through upon the ‘What Doesn’t Kill You‘ EP and as we all know…. what doesn’t kill you…..
OVTLIER is:
Joey Arena – Lead Vocals
Joey Lana – Drums
Joe Syracusa – Guitar/Vocals
Cosmo Pusateri – Bass/Vocals
