Waste – The Next Century Is Almost Over EP

Yesterday you had a chance to read my review of The Lost Tapes – Oudenbosch HC 1981​-​1983 – Vol. 1, a 7″ demos collection by Waste, a Dutch hardcore punk band that was active in the early eighties. You already know these folks are solely into that recognizable sound built upon old-school hardcore punk, D-beat, and anarcho-punk. As far as I am informed, Waste ceased to exist after recording these demos and History Repeats EP. However, they’re back with news material forty years after their disbandment. The band follows the same visual aesthetics like on their previous works. You can expect inverted cover artwork of History Repeats, printed in an old-school way on a Xerox printer. Besides that, the entire cover artwork follows the eighties hardcore punk aesthetics, so if you’re into that kind of visual imagery, this record will be right up your alley.

The Next Century Is Almost Over EP delivers four compositions in a recognizable Waste manner. Considering they weren’t playing for four decades, some people would expect to slow down the pace a little bit, but not these guys. This material sounds so good, and Waste pick up their story from the same spot they called quits in the eighties. It is a type of sound the modern hardcore scene unquestionably needs, considering how many bands lost touch with what hardcore punk is supposed to sound alike. Waste are totally up to delivering ferocious, uncompromising, in-your-face, pissed-off hardcore punk with many sonic delicacies pervading from all possible directions. Once you press play on your turntable, you’ll notice how these guys combine everything you dearly love about the old-school hardcore sound. There are heavy beats, excellent riffs, equally cool basslines, and ferocious shouts. Therefore, The Next Century Is Almost Over includes every crucial element of the mentioned genres, and maybe even more.

Unlike the demos I talked about yesterday, this material carries better production, but it’s still produced in the vein of eighties hardcore punk music. The bass guitar is pushed upfront and perfectly pairs the rawness of the chord progressions/riffs. The continuous splashing over the cymbals creates even more noise, but this release is far more polished than anything Waste recorded before. The Next Century Is Almost Over is slightly slower than the previous recordings, but Waste is unquestionably heavier than before. Also, these songs embrace all the finest properties of hardcore and punk rock, so The Next Century Is Almost Over will be up your alley no matter which style you prefer. It’s a superb EP by the folks who got together after forty years to show how to get things done. Head to their Bandcamp page for more information about ordering.