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.