It is all inside the head: originally dubbed HATE DEATH KILL, HDK started out as a humorous project in the mind of Sander Gommans, guitarist and songwriter in renowned Dutch Gothic Metal heroes AFTER FOREVER. As time progressed HDK gradually took a far more serious and sinister shape – as Sander reveals: "I wrote 'System Overload' while I was full of anger, disgust and hate just before my burn out. Now this album resembles the prophecy of a downfall!" Although a pinch of sarcasm still remains, "System Overload" stands out as a masterpiece of aggression that amalgamates Melodic Death, Classic and Modern Thrash as well as other stylistic influences like female vocals out of Gothic Metal or progressive elements into a super-heavy alloy. Featuring a host of prominent guest appearances by Amanda Somerville’s lush voice (AINA/AVANTASIA), Andre Matos’ heavenly vocals as well as harsh screams by Mike Scheijen (37 STABWOUNDZ) among others, the album also boasts instrumental contributions from the likes as guitarist Arjen A. Lucassen (AYREON) and Joost van den Broek (AFTER FOREVER) on keyboards. With its wide range of vocals and styles "System Overload" never fails to surprise: the diversity of the songs will blow your mind!
