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Wolves At The Gate<\/strong>\u2019s new album Wasteland<\/em> is thematically described by vocalist Steve Cobucci<\/strong> as \u201ca metaphor for a frame of mind that I don\u2019t want to live in, but a world I feel myself drawn back into over and over<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a fantastic concept that I think the band really nailed here with this record.<\/p>\n The record starts off with a minute and a half ominous soundscape that slowly builds in INT(r)o<\/em>, you hear some subdued screams in the back before the rest of the band suddenly hits some chords to build the tension.<\/p>\n The track immediately fades into (The Wasteland) PAIN<\/em>, right away we get pummeled by vocalist Nick Detty<\/strong>\u2019s screams. Being just under two minutes, the first real taste of the record is all gas no breaks. It also doesn\u2019t follow the typical song structure you\u2019d expect; There\u2019s some of Cobucci<\/strong>\u2019s cleans on the track but more in a refrain style over your traditional hook, it adds a nice layer that doesn\u2019t repeat or overstay it\u2019s welcome.<\/p>\n Later we have SMOKE (False Devils)<\/em> which sees the band honing into that catchier side they excel so well at. The verses have a call and response vibe going on with Detty<\/strong> doing a mixture of whispers and screams between Cobucci<\/strong>\u2019s quick anthemic bits. The chorus is massive as they belt out \u201cblame it on the false, blame it on the false devil\u201d<\/em>, which will surely be a fantastic sing along in a live setting.<\/p>\n Coming into the second half of the record we have MEMENTO MORI<\/em>. This one is a more melodic cut again, seeing Cobucci<\/strong> taking the forefront for majority of the track. It starts off on a bit of a subtle note, with guitarist Joey Alarcon<\/strong> doing some soft drawn-out chords underneath of Cobucci<\/strong>\u2019s vocal. It also features one of the catchiest melodies on the record as the pre-chorus goes \u201clight burns a page, turns another life, that pains you just falls through the hourglass so we all know this pain\u201d.<\/em> The song closes us out with a bang as Detty<\/strong> screams overtop of some dramatic synths.<\/p>\n To close out the record we have UNREST<\/em>, which hits us off right away with a bouncy riff from Alarcon<\/strong>. The verses have a nice harmonizing between both Cobucci<\/strong>\u2019s beautiful passage and Detty<\/strong>\u2019s gritty screams. \u00a0The song thematically wraps up the record nicely as it brings home what Cobucci<\/strong> stated about the record above; being a state of mind you don\u2019t want to be apart of but keep drawing yourself towards. This is most prominent on the final moments of the record when a slight whisper closes the record off with \u201ccome back to the wasteland, come out of the wasteland.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Wolves at the Gate<\/strong> have been an extremely consistent band throughout their career and have really polished their sound on the past few records. Wasteland<\/em> really is no exception; with the band\u2019s addition of electronic soundscapes and interludes to set the atmosphere to these tracks, what we have is a product that\u2019s extremely tight and laser focused.<\/p>\n There isn\u2019t a minute wasted throughout its runtime and I will go as far to say that this is their best record to date.<\/p>\n 9\/10<\/p>\n