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House Of Lords: Full Tilt Overdrive
House Of Lords - Full Tilt Overdrive Album Art

House Of Lords: Full Tilt Overdrive

Melodic Metal Rock
4.5/5.0

Since their reformation in 2000, House Of Lords, now led by original vocalist James Christian, has been releasing a new studio album every one to three years. Constant consistency has become the band's trademark with their fourteenth long player, Full Tilt Overdrive. As with the previous album, Christian is joined by guitarist Jimi Bell, keyboardist and songwriter Mark Mangold (Touch, Michael Bolton, Drive, She Said), and drummer Johan Koleberg (Lions Share, Ignition, Therion).

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House Of Lords

First observation after a few spins: Full Tilt Overdrive lives up to it's name. Looking over my past reviews, I have generally described House Of Lords as AOR melodic hard rock, the genre that made Eighties FM radio famous. But the this album turns more upon melodic metal rock. It's fast and heavy, and bristling with roaring guitar solos, yet still wrapped in AOR sensibility in catchy song melodies and refrains.


This description becomes self-evident at the start with Crowded Room, Bad Karma, definitely Full Tilt Overdrive (which borders on power metal), but also later with Still Believe and You're Cursed. Alternatively, both Taking The Fall and Not The Enemy bump up AOR mood with ambitious vocal harmony and well-placed keys. Don't Wanna Say Goodbye is your classic power ballad. But the closing song, Castles High, gives you another curve, a solid mixture of melodic metal, hard rock, and AOR accessibility, almost in a prog-like rocker. At over nine minutes, it keeps you both engaged and entertained. Full Tilt Overdrive could be House Of Lords best album to date.

All in all, House Of Lord's Full Tilt Overdrive finds the band pushing the boundaries of melodic metal rock with many songs being simply fast and heavy with flaming guitar work, yet still wrapped up in rock groove and AOR sensibility. Full Tilt Overdrive could be a new favorite for fans. Easily recommended.



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The Take Away

House Of Lord's Full Tilt Overdrive finds the band pushing the boundaries of melodic metal rock with many songs being simply fast and heavy with flaming guitar work, yet still wrapped up in rock groove and AOR sensibility. Full Tilt Overdrive could be a new favorite for fans. Easily recommended.

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