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Evestus
Wastelands

DTrash Records

Posted: Tuesday, December 12, 2006
By: Charity VanDeberg
Concert Editor

Evestus didn't let the idea of nuclear holocaust get him down. Instead, he took inspiration from the end of the world as we know it and created his own ode to death and destruction, adding a bit of humor, reverence, and sound clips from the Mad Max franchise. Structured like the memoir of a journey across a vast and desolate wasteland, the listener follows our lone hero as he encounters a strange and hostile new world. In "Intro - Leaving the Vault," heavy beats illustrate the mood and provide a fitting backdrop to the narrative dialogue that explains that the end of the world went exactly as expected. The somber mood continues in the vividly instrumental driven "Reflection," and seemingly Nine Inch Nails inspired "Outdoorsman" as our hero trudges through the heat, wind, and stinging sand toward some semblance of normalcy and civilization. What he finds is a reality in only the most nightmarish sense. The whimsical "Health Guide" inspires images of a deserted saloon where the only movement is a nearly destroyed robotic display, reading off the items necessary for survival in the wastelands. "Thunderdome," while typical of the end of the world fare, avoids becoming trite by keeping the listener fully engaged with industrial beats and surprising orchestrations. Well crafted and executed, Wastelands is a beautiful piece of near future science fiction illustrated through musical imagery and haunting dialogue. Now even the apocalypse has a soundtrack.