The Atlanta-based group Chariots Overdrive step into this week’s Meet The Band spotlight. Their debut album is The End Of Antiquity. Vocalist/guitarist GHZ, guitarist YZ, bassist ZZY and drummer WRC introduce us to their band.
Chad Bowar: Give us a brief history of Chariots Overdrive.
GHZ: Thank you for having us here! So yeah, we are/were all Chinese international students at a university in Atlanta. This explains why this Atlanta band has an “unusual” lineup. The names you saw in this interview are simply our initials. Anyway, YZ and I were in the same program back in 2016, and our producer/engineer Greg was also there. In early 2023, our first drummer ZLH and I were just kind of bored and wanted to play something for fun during the weekends. We immediately thought about YZ and the three of us started to play. There was no plan on releasing songs at all back then.
YZ: GHZ is an old friend of mine, where we were studying music technology at Georgia Tech for master’s degree. I was invited to jam with them in early 2023, the chemistry was great, and we started regular rehearsals since then, and now here we are.
ZZY: All of us studied in the same college. GHZ and I initially met at a local Atlanta black metal show (Cloak), after which he invited me to join a new project, which would become Chariots Overdrive. We put in significant effort in the summer of 2023, resulting in our first two songs for a demo tape, which was well-received. Following a member change, we continued writing and recording, eventually completing our debut album by the end of 2025, with plans to release it this April.
WRC: They needed a new drummer since their original drummer graduated and was moving to a different place. That’s why I joined the band. It’s been fun playing with them! I met them through mutual musician friends.
Describe the songwriting process for The End Of Antiquity.
ZZY: Typically, the songwriting for The End Of Antiquity starts with a core motif, a good riff, a basic structure, a lyrical theme, or a guitar lick. From there, the band fleshes it out, adding the necessary elements while refining the structural parts, transitions, and all the small details.
YZ: Someone has some motif or no motif at all. If there is a motif, we follow our instinct to layer up and refine later; if there is no motif, we purely jam until something good happens. It’s all about playing what you hear in your mind.
GHZ: Exactly. Like many debut albums, this album covers the progress of the early days of the band. We were all just figuring things out and growing along the way. By the time we got to writing the last track “A Bizarre Pilgrimage to the Cubic Mansion,” we had kind of already figured out our own way of doing things.
What will be your strongest memory of the recording of the album?
YZ: Greg was my guitar hero back in school time, his workspace is right next to mine and where I watched him shredding while he was browsing Facebook videos. During the recording, he started to figure one of my licks in solo, which really encourages me, like becoming a certified guitar player by your guitar hero.
GHZ: The most interesting part to me was like a lot of things that made total sense in your mind, or even sounded great in rehearsal, just didn’t really work the same way once we actually heard it recorded. So we ended up making small changes throughout the recording sessions. And even after everything was mixed and mastered, there were a few little things where I started to feel like “ugh I wish I had done that differently” and every time I hear those small parts they annoy me like crazy. (laughs) But I think that’s just part of the process, we’ll do better next time. Super grateful for the whole experience.
WRC: In the song “Sunkun Throb,” I hit some percussion instrument I’ve never played before. There’s one that has goat skin and produces really low frequency sounds.
ZZY: Without a doubt, the recording process itself stands as our most vivid memory. It was the first time any of us had worked within an industry-level studio environment. Our engineer, Greg Hendler, provided essential guidance on tone shaping and recording techniques, and we even refined specific details during the sessions. That entire experience proved critical in defining our collective sound.
What was the biggest challenge in its creation?
WRC: I’m pretty new to recording drums so that was a challenge. Shout out to Greg again for guiding me through the recording process.
GHZ: Writing the lyrics was a challenging but really enjoyable part of the process. It was about finding the right English words and drawing inspirations from Chinese historical texts and stories we had read. But at the same time, the cultural references aren’t immediately obvious to you just from reading them, especially when you don’t know our personal backgrounds. That said, for the background stories, a little help from Wikipedia might point you in the right direction.
YZ: There were always things that could be improved, but it’s hard to know when to stop, I found it challenging to be cool with myself that the current version is perfect
ZZY: Invariably, the greatest challenge manifests when a composition nears completion. We often encounter a stage where the track is nearly finished, yet it still feels imperfect. Navigating that final stretch to polish the remaining details is hard, and there is always the risk of creative exhaustion leading to a mediocre result. We ultimately managed to get over that phase through persistence, continually refining the nuances during our rehearsals and live sets.
How would you characterize its style/sound?
GHZ: Heavy Metal.
ZZY: Our initial sound was anchored in the spirit of the NWOBHM, fusing hardcore punk with heavy metal. As our creative process matured, we found ourselves increasingly drawn to a more expansive sonic palette, integrating non-traditional structures, progressive technicality, and the epic sensibilities of USPM. We have finally arrived at a stage where we can explore these diverse elements while firmly keeping the heavy metal bone; in essence, we may represent a “New New Wave of Heavy Metal.” (laughs)
What lyrical topics do you cover?
ZZY: We primarily draw lyrical inspiration from ancient Chinese historical texts and stories, leveraging our rich cultural background for a unique, epic heavy metal edge. The band also covers temporary emotions or thoughts.
GHZ: Continue from ZZY, some songs we’re just telling a story straight up with no emotions involved, some have this cult movie kind of vibe, and some are just you know straightforward metal lyrics about being metal…
How did you come to sign with Gates Of Hell Records?
GHZ: Gates of Hell already have a huge reputation in the community and they were literally the first label we ever tried to reach out to. And the crazy part is one of our fans in Italy had bought our demos and she recommended us to Gates of Hell because she knows the owner Enrico. These two events happened around the exact same time, like a few days apart, I really mean it. We had no idea we both contacted the label at the beginning, so big shoutout to her seriously. Now you see, this has to happen! Then Enrico gave us a response and that’s how it all came together.
What are your goals and expectations for the album?
ZZY: My primary goal is to present our music to the global heavy metal community. We sincerely hope that listeners can find something meaningful and joy within this new record in such a storied and enduring genre.
WRC: To present our music to a global audience.
GHZ: Totally agree with them. And another goal was kind of like “lets see what we can do”, but different from a demo. It was more about what we could achieve with minimal calculated moves. What I mean is, we weren’t trying to chase trends or simply following a big band’s style. So everything on there is just genuine. Some people might think it’s a bit raw but hey that’s kind of the spirit of heavy metal. Expectations? Play more live shows, meet more metal friends, if there are some people who enjoy our work, I will be proud.
YZ: Beat AI music, keep true music going
What has been your most memorable Chariots Overdrive live show?
ZZY: I would have to say our show supporting Savage Master. That was our first time playing in a proper music venue, and we were fortunate to open for one of the renowned heavy metal bands. It was a fantastic opportunity to perform in front of a large crowd of local metalheads.
YZ: It has to be the Savage Master show, that’s the first time I saw that many audience and my first proper live show in a proper venue. Also, I remember we played pretty well that day, maybe I didn’t even hit a single wrong note.
WRC: The Savage Master show as well. It’s a dream come true for me to play at a proper venue.
GHZ: That Savage Master show was truly special for us! All three of them have already talked about it, so I guess I can talk about our most recent show at 2 Minutes to Tulsa metal fest, which just happened last weekend. That was our first metal fest and we got to open for legends like Slough Feg, which is pretty insane. When you see a band you have worshiped for a long time watching you perform live, it is such a surreal feeling. The whole vibe was amazing like everyone there was there for the same reason and people were really into it. We had a blast. The host Brian is an amazing dude, definitely an icon in the community.
What are your upcoming show/tour plans?
ZZY: We are set to support the legendary Raven at their Atlanta show during their 2026 tour. I am incredibly excited to share the stage with such a great band in NWOBHM and heavy metal history.
GHZ: Exactly, especially our music is highly influenced by NWOBHM.
How did you get started in music?
YZ: Back in high school, I was a big fan of Crowd Lu, a singer songwriter from Taiwan, I heard he learned guitar in one month when he got an car accident and was recovering in the hospital. I thought maybe I could learn guitar as well and begged my mom to buy me a $30 guitar, and my music journey started there.
WRC: When I was really young, I listened to music a lot as my dad would always play classical music or pop/rock songs at home or in the car. I started taking drum lessons and got into independent music when I was in middle school.
ZZY: Personally, I began my musical journey with classical music, having played the violin throughout my childhood.
GHZ: I have had classical piano training since I was 4, still playing, so that is pretty similar to ZZY.
Who were your early influences and inspirations?
GHZ: For Chariots Overdrive, I want to mention Motorhead, Iron Maiden (especially the first two albums), Angel Witch, Cloven Hoof, Pagan Altar, Running Wild, Manilla Road, Ironsword, Heavy Load, Riot, Accept, Jag Panzer, Gotham City, Luzbel, Metalcufier, and Reverend Bizarre. Many more.
ZZY: For metal music, I will definitely say Metallica, Black Sabbath, and Iron Maiden, because I am a bass player. And Jaco Pastorius, Steve Di Giorgio, Intronaut, and Obscura, they make me learn to play fretless, you can hear it in the title track of this album.
YZ: I was playing finger style a lot back in college, like Tommy Emmanuel, Martin Taylor, Kotaro Oshio etc. Then I was really into blues, BB King, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and as many other guitar players, I was tired of pentatonic scales and started exploring jazz/fusion world, where I worship Guthrie Govan
WRC: When I first started going to live shows in Beijing, there were some bands that really captivated me such as XiAOWANG, Pizzaface, and Hua Gu Long (化骨龙). They inspire me to play music and bring energy to the audience.
What was the first metal concert you attended?
GHZ: The first ever Chinese metal band, formed in the late ’80s, Tang Dynasty. I saw them before I started to dive into metal, back then I only knew them as a legendary “Rock” band. I also wanted to mention the first metal concert I attended in Atlanta was Raven back in 2014, Night Demon and Atlanta’s very own Cemetery Filth opened for them, I cannot believe we will play with Raven soon.
ZZY: Ancestor, a teutonic thrash metal band from Beijing. I watched their show while I was in Hefei, their sound was super aggressive.
YZ: Manilla Road in Atlanta where GHZ took me there. I really enjoyed it, and got my first taste of metal culture. Glad I started with a legend thanks to GHZ.
WRC: Probably seeing Venom with GHZ and ZZY.
GHZ: That was Venom Inc, lol.
What are some of your non-musical interests and hobbies?
WRC: I’ve been getting into exercising lately. I also like films and just hanging out with friends.
YZ: I love my cat and cleaning my home and spending time with my wife, also I’m into aviation, following my father’s career.
ZZY: Reading, watching football, sim-racing, watching car races, making cocktails, games from Paradox, learning new technologies.
GHZ: I like to read literature, especially Chinese and Russian. Beside music, football/aoccer is the only thing I constantly follow, have been supporting my local team Beijing FC since I was in kindergarten following my father’s passion. And I watch the Premier League every week, of course, Champions league, FA Cup, Europa League, yes, you name it. I once had a podcast where I talked about football with a college buddy. It went well for about 7 years, but it is semi-dead now because we are simply too busy. Sorry for the digression…but hey, think about Steve Harris and West Ham United and Geezer Butler and Aston Villa.
Anything else you’d like to mention or promote?
GHZ: Massive thanks to everyone who keeps the true metal scenes alive, this album is for you!
(interview published April 4, 2026)
Listen To Chariots Overdrive – “The End Of Antiquity”
