Wasted Life – World War Zero

Wasted Life. Punk rockers. The real deal, not the watered down shit that passes for punk rock that creeps ever higher at Download Festival every year. With their latest studio album World War Zero they have managed to do what Slayer did with Reign In Blood and that is to bash, thrash and crash for an exhilarating half an hour that will have you pressing the repeat play button again………..and again!

I saw them live before hearing the album and they have managed to capture that electricity in the studio throughout these twelve songs, although they really are best described as bloody knuckled bruiser anthems. Opener ‘Forever Young’ has snares that hit as hard as kidney punches as riffs from Rat Ross and Sean Yeardsley buzz along like angry hornets in a jar. ‘Backstabbers’ is an unrelenting burst of hate that befits its title. The eerie spoken word intro to ‘House Of Horrors’ heads off into a full on pogoer. A full on kit testing drum assault from Dave Major during ‘Black Cloud’ provides the backing for barbed wire sharp riffs. Buzzsaw riffing in ‘Faceless Assassin’ is backed by a howled lead vocal from Sean and gang like backing vocals. ‘Keep On Fighting’ is a call to arms chest beater and that vibe surges through ‘What U Wanna Do’, chant along Oi at it’s crowd pleasing finest.

‘Fires Of Hell’ brought to mind vintage CIV as it bounces along on catchy grooves as the anger bar is raised with the abrasive riffs and vitriolic vocals in ‘To What End’. ‘Wasted Lives’ is a short, sharp, foot to the floor teeth gnasher and the album ends with the one two knockout punches of ‘Three Long Weeks’ and ‘Bombs Away’. The former is gnarly vocals backed with riffs that have more hooks than a fishing tackle shop and the latter strains at the leash with a subject matter of small dicked World leaders hiding behind the red button as the song fittingly ends with a nuclear explosion!

Wasted Life band line up :- 

Rat Ross – Guitar/backing vocals.

Sean Yearsley – Guitar/lead vocals.

Dave Major – Drums.

Stark – Bass guitar.

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