Interviews: Overthrust

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Death Metal band, Overthrust, from Botswana. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that?

We had a list of names to choose from but then most of them were already the names of other bands that appeared in the internet when we checked if the name belonged to anyone, so I then came up with the name Overthrust, In karate we used the word thrust a lot and the word came into my mind, ‘Thrust’ is a sudden aggressive push towards a certain direction and ‘Over’ is an abnormal or more than enough situation. Therefore, Overthrust means an abnormal, abusive sudden aggressive push/force and that is exactly what our music sound like, we are Overthrust and we produce extremely ugly, old school death metal, dirty raw and dangerous sound!

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

Something common in Overthrust members is that we all love death metal although each and every individual members of us have their other own favourite genres such as heavy metal, alternative, punk etc. I personally grew up in a metal family with underground metalheads uncles who introduced death metal music to me at a very young age of 13 years and I first listened to Morbid Angel, Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, Immolation, Possessed, Mortician and Obituary is what I listened to a lot at my childhood stage. Uncle Dudu ‘Dee Drug Dee’ Lesotho was the major influence to my metal life. Other than death metal, my other favourite genre is Thrash metal and old school heavy metal.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

No, After completing my police training in 2007, I was posted to Ghanzi Township as my station and that’s where I met our late drummer SUICIDE TORMENT ‘RIP’ and he introduced me to his family but I also realized he was a nephew to my friends who were in Vitrified death metal band from Maun and that was the time we discussed about starting a band. In 2008 when attending a karate tournament at Botswana Police College, My Sensei Kgosiemang introduced me to Spencer Thrust-guitarist, whom after a year or 2 I discovered that he was my cousin and we didn’t know each other before, so I told Spencer that I was planning to start a band and I don’t have a guitarist but a potential drummer was available and Spencer didn’t have a problem with starting a band together, Beast Thrust-The Uncle to our late drummer he was interested in joining the band since he was no longer a member of Vitrified death metal band and he is the one who started the drum section in Overthrust and later on taught his nephew-the late SUICIDE TORMENT drums, who then after passing away His uncle Beast Thrust took over again the drum section. Our old rhythm guitarist Godfather was my collique in Police and we were Neighbours but I didn’t know him, I only came to know him after both our house mates were complaining to our Station Commander that we were making a lot of noise with guitars especially at night and crazy music at loudest volume and that’s when there decided to put us in the same house as house mates and we later made Godfather our rhythm guitarist in July 2011. Dawg Thrust-the current rhythm guitarist we found him when we advertised that we wanted an additional guitarist in April 2013 and one of our friend Gunpowder told us about him and we went to his house where he did show us his skills and jam some bands songs and we were very impressed. After the band was complete and set, we discovered that Spencer Thrust, Godfather and Dawg Thrust knew each other from tertiary school.

4. Each band member favourite band? 

Vulture Thrust – Deicide.

Spencer Thrust - Death.

Beast Thrust - Deicide. 

Dawg Thrust – Rotting Christ.

Godfather - Pantera.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

My background, I come from a family with strong cultural and ancestral beliefs, I also write about real life situations. Theme of my lyrics are death, purgatory, false preachers, morbid subjects and I also write about ghosts and witchcraft.

6. Where was your last gig?

February 01, 2020 we played Metal4Africa SummerFest20 in Cape Town, South Africa and the very last was Hellraizer in end of February 2020 In Maun, the show was organized by Dust N Fire rock band.

7. Where would you like to act?

Am available for any!!

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

Morbid Angel, Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, Possesed and Mortician

9. Whom not?

Actually, I haven’t thought about that one.

10. Any of you has ever suffered from stage fright. Any tip for beginners on how to beat that?

Yes, we had especially our very first show in a non-metal place and sharing stage with non-metal genres and the audience that kept on criticizing our music that it was noise and sound demonic, that never discouraged us, it made us angry and strong that w continued playing our music until there understood it and appreciated it and supported us. Other early shows at our beginning alcohol was always the right tool to counter attack our stage freight but as we musically matured in 8 months’ time we started gaining a lot of confidence and stage fright was the thing of the past. TIP FOR THE BIGGINERS- STAGE FRIGHT IS EASY TO GET RID OF MORE SO THAT WHAT YOU DO IS WHAT YOU LOVE WITH HUGE PASSION, THE SECRET IS THAT MORE PRACTICE AND PROPER PREPARATION PREVENTS STAGE FRIGHT, PRACTICE MORE AND TAKE YOUR MUSIC SERIOUSLY AND BE VERY SHOW YOU ARE READY TO GO ON STAGE THEN YOU WONT HAVE ANY FRIGHT.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Morbid Angel, Deicide, Possessed, Mortician, Cannibal Corpse, Immolation and Obituary.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

I don’t remember

13. What do you think of your fans?

There are amazing, so loyal, supportive, caring and without them we are nothing. There deserve to be treated equally with a huge respect, dignity, love and disciplined attitude.

14. What do you think of our site?

Is an arena of music hub, exposes music to the world, artist friendly and supporting, I LOVE IT!!

15. Something add?

I LOVE MY GIRLFRIEND AND OUR TWO HARDCORE METALHEADS KIDS, FIRST BORN IS A GIRL AND SHE IS ALREADY PLAYING DRUMS AT THE AGE OF 2 YEARS AND SECOND BORN IS A BOY OF 7 MONTHS AND HE LOVE HAMMER FALL AND MOTORHEAD AND HE ALWAYS STOP CRYING WHEN HE HEAR THEM PLAYING AND HE START SMILING AND NODDING HIS HEAD