As a heavy metal band hailing from Fayetteville, NC in the mid 80's, it was pretty much a given that you weren't going to make a mark within the burgeoning metal scene.  But, for the band known then as Overlorde, that's exactly what happened. 

Formed in 1980 by guitarist George "Wildman" Koerber and bassist Darrell Collins. vocalist Steve Sosa the quintet unleashed their first demo, entitled 'Medieval Metal' in 1985, which immediately caught the attention of the underground metal tape trading faithful. “ Koerber reflects, “To sell over 10,000 copies of that cassette with local store sales, sales at live shows, and tapes trade by mail opened doors for labels to listen to our material.” "Keeper of the Flame" from that very demo found its way onto the highly influential Metal Massacre series of compilation albums two years later when it appeared on Metal Massacre VIII, alongside Sacred Reich and Viking, amongst others.  “Being on Metal Massacre gave us status and we were now opening for every Hard Rock/Metal band that came through North Carolina. Suddenly our name was known across the world. ”

1987 also saw the band release their second demo and take to the road, hitting Raleigh, Charlotte, Myrtle Beach and Richmond, VA, and other regional markets with the likes of Kix, Savatage, NC legends Nantucket, Leatherwolf, Ace Frehley and more, often at the request of those bands.