out now: Chariots Overdrive - traditional, old-school heavy metal

Chariots Overdrive

The End of Antiquity

Gates of Hell Records

3 April 2026

G.H.Z - Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitars, Piano; Y.Z - Lead Guitars, Acoustic Guitars, Backing Vocals; Z.Z.Y - Bass Guitars, Backing Vocals; W.R.C - Drums, Percussions, Backing Vocals.

This band is made up of four Chinese nationals living in the Atlanta, Georgia, USA area. The Metal Archives shows that this is their debut album. When I say "traditional" and "old-school," it is not an exaggeration: it is a rocking, uptempo sound in the spirit of the 1979–1981 New Wave of British Heavy Metal. In this case, they don't want super computerized, clinically perfected songs, but rather the more human-sounding grit of cult recordings by bands like ANGEL WITCH, BLITZKRIEG, HOLOCAUST, and WYTCHFYNDE. What it all means is that the guitar is king: the riffs and the guitar melodies. It's music to make people bang their heads. There is also a certain rock and roll energy, too, in the sense that the rhythm section keeps up that MOTÖRHEAD-AC/DC uptempo feel that keeps the audience alert. In addition, there is a bit of prog-and-battle songwriting that shows up in places, without doing it so much that it puts the band in the subgenre of prog. Come and see, the old is made new again—the tradition is alive in CHARIOTS OVERDRIVE! For fans of DIY heavy metal or garage-ish old heavy metal.

The End of Antiquity by Chariots Overdrive