After eleven years and three albums, heavy metal band Overload has been given a new name by the new generation on the music scene: lao pao (the old-timers). But different to other lao pao bands like Black Panther and Tang Dynasty, singer Gao Qi has managed to move ahead, to reinvent himself as a pop idol of his new listeners. And with his brand new third album Life is an Adventure, all of these successes are apparent.
The band Overload was the cradle of Chinese rock during its first five years, with vocalist and guitar player Gao surrounded by rock personalities like bass player Zhang Ju (formerly of Tang Dynasty, now sadly deceased), drummer Zhao Muyang, guitarist Cao Jun, and bass player Wang Xiaodong (Zero Point). After Overload's debut album in 1996, the band's line up was settled with Li Yanliang (guitar), Wang Lan (drums), and Ou Yang (bass) lining up behind Gao.
Many describe Overload as a supergroup because all individual members are recognized as the best in their respective fields. Drummer Wang Lan also moonlights with hardcore band Thin Man, while Li Yanliang frequently appears on TV screens.
With In Life is an Adventure, however, a previously hidden side to the band
has been pushed into the light of day, not least because Overload has become Gao Qi's backing band.
The first track, Because of You (Yinwei Ni), keeps to the band's rocker side with guitar, bass, and drums like three trains running side by side. Rather than screaming his lyrics, however, Gao has put heavy rock aside, and instead turns to mellow and romantic tunes. Now to Forever (Xianzai Dao Yongyuan), Perfect Summer (Wanmei Xiatian) and the title track Life is an Adventure look likely to stand as the holy trilogy of Gao's musical direction.
Although Now to Forever just scratches the surface of electronic music, it is enough to win the applause of the new generation. The chart hit Perfect Summer is certainly the perfectly sculpted love song - light hearted and easy to sing along with. And while Life is an Adventure is focused more than any of the others, it is still enough to make people despair.
One rather bum note comes from the Chinese rendition of All For Love - the hit song previously sung by Bryan Adams, Sting, and Rod Stewart, here sung by Gao with Yu Quan and Huang Zheng. Overload's diehard fans will surely weep a tear over this inclusion.
At the end of the album, two new versions of old songs Chensheng and Wuguang and To Embrace You Every Time are included, one hard and one soft, presenting both the spirit of early Overload and the immanent future trend of Gao. But thanks to the production, even the thrash metal of Chensheng and Wuguang is somehow easy listening.
(cityweekend.com.cn December 17, 2003)
