Grantham's OVERDRIVE are a sometimes overlooked gem from the NWOBHM scene of 1980s Britain. Releasing Material since 1981, "The Final Nightmare" is their 9^th release, and they truly show they know what they're doing here.

Opening up with "Invited To Hell" and its dramatic spoken word intro, this is a great introduction to the album, with some absolutely stunning riffs, some great classic sounding vocals and a really grooving rhythm section. There's some nice keyboard moments to spice things up a bit, bringing a bit of the Deep Purple/Uriah Heep atmosphere to the proceedings.

"Twice Shy" is another with an awesome sense of style and melody to it. Plenty of nice riffs and a great pacing throughout, this is a nice well written tune with plenty of cool moments to be found. "Glass Game" offers something a little different, with a very old school heavy rock sound to it, supported by some really powerful vocals and some nice keyboard and guitar grooves too!

I really enjoyed the style on displayed on "Twisting My Mind" as well, with a really heavy groove and fantastic bass playing, that dare I say it almost borders on funk in places! This one is one of my highlights, with lots of different sections, some awesome emotive vocals and a really tight and dynamic overall sound! The fadeout here is really well executed too!

 "Wasted" feels a little more modern, with a really hefty main riff and some really pounding drums. This one has a real sense of energy that really contrasts and fits well with the previous tracks. "Lost On  A Mountain" is another really melodic song that reminds me in places of Rainbow (or is that because it's got the word "mountain" in the title?) and this has a really great feel throughout, with one of my favourite choruses on the album here. "Nightwalker" is another melodic one to follow on from that, with a nice overall feel and some nice riffs too, meeting with a very good chorus melody. This one also features some great basslines and a fantastic bridge.

"Taken Young (Ben's Song)" is a really epic sounding and emotive song about loss that really hits you hard, with some mighty riffs and really melodic almost classical style keyboard parts too. This was another highlight for me, with some real passion intensifying the performance.

"Final Nightmare" closes up the album on another epic note, with a nice long track of about 8 minutes that has lots of movements that keep the song fresh throughout. There's some great talent on display in this one, and the fact they keep it interesting throughout is great!

The production is spot on for this band's style. Not too overproduced and not too raw. Everything is nice and audible, the guitar tones are great. The bass and drums really support the whole thing and the vocals are really nicely done, well layered and recorded.

This is a really great album from OVERDRIVE really, with fantastic playing throughout the album, focussed by great songwriting talents and a real flair for great melodies and emotion.  This is definitely one for fans of proper Heavy Metal the way it ought to be played.