Wastage- Against the System (2016)

Wastage- Against the System (2016)

By: Ghost Writer

Wastage is the sound of Slovakia under the far right menace of Marian Kotleba, Kotleba the leader of the far right party People's Party Our Slovakia, a politician considered something between a neo nazi, a neo extremist and a neo fascist is slowly capitalizing on Slovakia anti Romani sentiments, and precisely the ugliness in Kotleba's politics is clearly reflected on Wastage sonic war against it.

Slave to the System starts with the violent whirlwind titled Away from Darkness, a volatile mix of old school Thrash Metal and rabid Hardcore Punk, brutally abrasive bass, monstrous drumming and churning guitar, this is a way to furious band that perfectly reflect the turmoil Slovakia is facing these days, trying to break apart from a past haunting them.

Again the rhythm section takes the spotlight on the title track, a furious track in the tradition of ultra-violent bands like Slayer or Sepultura and also recognizing the influence of truly incendiary Hardcore bands like Discharge among others, using astonishing bests and dazzling shift in tempos, creating a sound that is not only furious but also complex enough to satisfy the listener with tunes like Game.

On songs like No Way Out, the band shows that there is a way out, fleshing their songs with convoluted arrangements that enable them to escape the trap of monotony sometimes present on crossover and metalcore band, here Wastage display a sense of if wonder riff after riff, challenging the listener and proving to be at the top of their crossover game, daring at times to get really deep into a groove until turning it into something almost hypnotic like on Ham-Let, where layer after layer of abrasive guitars create a dense sonic experience topped by near sinister metal guitar soloing.

On You Can't Stop the band again puts its creative powers at work coming with another hard to pin down challenging composition, drastically abusing statics and dynamics to harden even more the demolishing exposure.

Wastage sounds like they mean it, a relentless crossover warrior never short of sonic weapons and never running out of energy on intense tracks like on the cathartic I Walk Alone or the apocalyptic Let Me Go, proving that great music will always flourish even on the harshest of all places, and that freedom will prevail among extremists who try to drag the world back to the dark ages of humanity.