siLLy puPPy The African continent is hardly a thriving bastion of extreme metal where ethnic jazz fusion and hip hop seem to be the dominant musical formats but deep down south in the lower extremities of the continent, the nation of Botswana has been mining much more than super hard diamonds within its borders. This wildlife rich nation of only 2.25 million inhabitants is the one that has taken the most interest in the West’s most bombastic musical format. Such bands like Wrust, Amok, Alive N Bolder and Skinflint have attracted international attention but probably the most popular of the lot has arisen from the four piece death metal band OVERTHRUST who despite all odds formed in the remote city of Ghanzi which is located in the heart of the Kalahari Desert on the border with Namibia.

The band was formed all the way back in 2008 by Tshomarelo Mosaka aka Vulture Thrust, Shalton Monnawadikgang aka Spencer Thrust, Gakeitse Bothalentwa aka Suicide Torment (R.I.P.) and Balang Folai aka Bist. They currently have a rhythm guitarist Lepololang Malepa aka Godfather who joined Overthrust in June 2010 and a bassist and guitarist, Tshepho Kaisara aka Dawg Thrust who joined them in April 2013. The band is still based in their far distant outpost of Ghanzi where not much happens so let the death metal begin! OVERTHRUST is considered to be one of Botswana’s most brutal death metal bands and has a clear fondness of the old school variety with the classic pummeling riffage of bands like early Death, Deicide, Morbid Angel and Obituary along with the 90s Tampa, FL scene in general.

The only release so far is the 2015 album DESECRATED DEEDS TO DECEASE which at only a mere 18 minutes of playing time is really just an EP dressed in a full album’s regalia but nevertheless a long overdue debut for these remote sonic noise bringers to the Okavango Delta and beyond. Steeped in metal tradition these guys don the leather clothes and gutterly growl about witchcraft, ghosts, morbidity, Satanism and of course death! Apparently it was Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmister who was the most important influence for the entire Botswana metal scene and judging by the mix of classic Motorhead riffing styles whipped into the more brutal antics a la Cannibal Corpse, Carcass and Autopsy, i would have to agree wholeheartedly.

In the 18 minute run the band packs in 9 explosive tracks bringing punk and grindcore styles of succinct yet brutal packages of pure chaotic death metal. Unfortunately the most interesting thing about OVERTHRUST is their geographical location. It’s utterly amazing how one of the most caustic styles of music has exported itself to virtually every inhabitable nook and cranny of the globe including some of the least populated deserts of Africa. For anyone in the vicinity unaccustomed to the death metal scene, OVERTHRUST will certainly be of great entertainment value as they nail the classic old death metal scene that sonically destroyed the 90s and still resonates to the current day, however the band really fails to add any originality and will sound like business as usual to any hardened death metal fanatic whose been on the ride for the duration. In the end, this is a decently performed slab of caustic death metal but hardly one that will go down in the history books either.