Wastelander 

Wardrive

Planet Metal Records 2008

Melding black metal, thrash, and punk into a apocalyptic vision of ash and death is Michigan's Wastelander.  After a forgettable intro these warriors plummet straight into the title track which is sort of a Celtic Frost nightmare fed through a Discharge grinder.  Somewhat bizarre and short guitar solos slice through the ear drums like lasers.  Days of Hell attacks with a much more rock n roll groove to it framing metallic punk in its rawest incarnation.  The punky bass guitar surges to the forefront of Desert Law as a hardcore riff hammers in the background.  Knee Deep in the Dead is much more atmospheric with a minimalist synth undercurrent dragging a plodding Carpathian Forest inspired bass line in tow.  Matt War's vocals are a combination of aggression and contempt.  Frost Storm conjures images of the imposing nuclear holocaust that Axegrinder left in their wake, though perhaps not quite as dark.  The fiery punk leanings are once again at the forefront of Wastelander as the album comes to a close.  Intentionally raw production values are used on the album which perfectly suit the post apocalyptic aesthetic vision that Wastelander is trying to tap into.  For some reason I feel that Wastelander is holding back just a tiny bit.  The albums seems like it could be just a bit more lethal and aggressive.  Still Wardrive is a pretty violent and uncompromising pile of molten industrial waste.  Michigan's urban decay is the perfect breeding ground for this embodiment of mechanized society collapsed into anarchy.