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W.A.S.T.E.
Violent Delights

Sistinas Music

Posted: Wednesday, January 30, 2008
By: Matthew Johnson
Features Editor

Violent Delights is nothing if not an appropriate title for a W.A.S.T.E. release; the Los Angeles power noise act isn't the fastest, the most distorted, or the creepiest in the scene, but W.A.S.T.E. may well be the meanest. Title track "Violent Delights" kicks this EP off with tortured shrieks and ecstatic howling before kicking in with the distorted beats; imagine a pack of werewolves massacring industrial club patrons, and you've got the idea. "Man Made Death Machine" is heavier and faster, one of the straight-up speediest tracks W.A.S.T.E. has ever released, a jab to the gut and a shot of adrenaline to the heart, while "Unconventional Punishment" and "Suburban Crime Scene" are classic W.A.S.T.E. offerings, full of overdriven kicks and snares, scraping metal, and painful feedback squeals, with the latter track also including some THX 1138 samples in a nod to project creator Shane Englefield's fascination with Cold War-era futurism. Rounding out the second half of this EP is a handful of remixes from the previous W.A.S.T.E. CD, This is What We Seek. "I Don't Give a Fuck" is a perfect fit for Terrorfakt to remix given the belligerent sample the track is built around, but it's To Mega Therion's Tyler Viscerine that leaves the most indelible mark, drenching "Omega 3" in his signature echoing rhythms and loops of guttural, demonic laughter. Also quite stunning is Tonikom's remix of "Electric Beat Down Bitch," replete with glitches, funky breaks, and muffled orchestral hits. While the remix contributors' various interpretations add a hint of variety to W.A.S.T.E.'s brutal brand of power noise, Englefield's aggression remains the defining element; the original material is rough and ugly enough that no amount of rearrangement could possibly soften it up enough for mass consumption. Masochistic noise fans, on the other hand, will find this a satisfying prelude to the next full-length album.