Ten years after their debut full-length and over 20 years into their existence, LETUM ASCENSUS finally released a new album last year. Running at 23 minutes total, "Wasteland Chronicles" is a very quick blast of brutality that never really leaves an impression. "Wasteland Chronicles" does not present anything new to the genre of Brutal Death Metal. While Brutal Death Metal isn't usually a genre I go to when I want to hear something 100 percent original, it is nice to have some sort of identity. I found plenty of new Brutal Death Metal albums released just last year that had their own unique characteristics.

I'm not trying to say these guys are just another SUFFOCATION or DISGORGE rip-off (I would never say that about a band and mean it in a negative way). I have heard plenty of new bands that copy older bands, and they still sound great. LETUM ASCENSUS do what these bands did in the 1990s, but they just need to make it more interesting. A lot of the riffs on this album are very plain. They're jumpy and sometimes technical, but they are not memorable. It isn't until "Bewildered Creation" until the riffs start having some energy, but even this is weak. Although executed nicely, the riffs are weak in composition and content.

At the end of "Embracing Darkness", there's this WORMED-like riff that occurs once before it mellows out into the faded-out conclusion. When I hear fade-outs in Brutal Death Metal, it's a big turn-off. For me, fade-outs are only acceptable when the outro is on the slower, maybe even mellow side of things. When the last riff is fast and brutal, it sounds silly when it fades out. Closure in this genre does not come from fade-outs.

"Wasteland Chronicles" is not a bad album. It's just mediocre. It's pretty heavy, and it's fast, but the riffs never grab your attention. If you were to play this in the background, that's what it would be: background music. It's not ear-catching, nor is it very interesting. The piano parts are cool, at least.