With a drive to break free from the regular indie and punk scenes of the otherwise quiet and laid back lifestyle of the Twin Cities. A group of like-minded individuals would band together to give Minneapolis something heavier to listen to. Not to say other great bands haven’t spawned from the upper midwest cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Such as, more notably, GWAR, ECHOS OF THE FALLEN and even MARTYR A.D have all come from Minneapolis MN to name a few. But I have heard of Minneapolis being compared to a great aunt you visit on your way out of town to the neighboring cities of Milwaukee and Chicago. Bands come through usually during the week and save the weekend fun for out east. But something tells me this has begun to change over the recent years as I have heard whispers of a decent MN deathcore scene.

The beatdown crew WASTE from the upper midwest coming straight from Minneapolis MN are back. Helping put the MN deathcore on the map with their latest EP Album “In Bloom”. Hitting you hard with an aggressive slamming of deathcore that seems to build in intensity over seven tracks and lasts 24:32 minutes. Released under Seek & Strike within the early summer of 2024, their latest EP comes three years or so after their previous album “Prey For Nothing”.  After a bit of a wait, WASTE is back and their fans are pumped. Let’s get into it. This album art is something. A bit of a satyr possibly with a play on images. We have some form of black and white abstract image under three separate other images. Two images in the back depict civil unrest and urban destruction while a simple saturated image of a floral plant sits above in the foreground. The Album sits above center with a clean saturated blue font. The font is in poor taste as it makes the reading hard having blended in with the flowers. I would have had it outlined in white just enough to make it pop a bit, but that's just me. Other than this, not bad. Okay, This is an awesome introduction to an album. I have to point this out right away. “Be Welcome” builds slowly with a dark atmospheric element. A recorded voice as if over an old monitor kicks in as if to guide you and describes what's happening and your overall feeling as if you're being prepared for what's to come before seeping into the next track. From the slow dark build up of the intro, “Wither” wastes no time in smashing into you with a torrent of manic aggression. The lyrics also are fitting for the overall tone of the track as well.

 As the album plays out you can really hear some influences shine through. The manic vocals and catchy riffs that remind you of SNOT while other parts often remind you of PARKWAY DRIVE. It's a neat hybridisation of nu metal and metalcore that beat down into a new style of deathcore. I have seen more of this bleed into deathcore lately, where the groove chord progressions blend into slam riffs to formulate this downtempo that creates a thicker and more dark undertone. WASTE does a fantastic job at this. Some would argue that it may sound similar to other deathcore having no real identity, But then again you can argue this about most genres of metal. In the end it's all preferences, and I for one enjoy this album. Having all the right elements of a solid deathcore/metalcore tone but coated in nu metal to create their aggressive sound that hits you hard. The production value is decent. The mixes are not too far off and sit nicely together.  With another dark atmospheric intro, “In Dolore” has an eerie intro similar to the album's first track. However, you are soon met with a barrage of bass kicks and low tuned slam riffs and venomous vocals that shred through you with a manic aggression. The onslaught breaks off into a slower tone that leads into some more dark elements of the album intro and the hallmark pig squeals.

Starting off with some solid nu metal chord progression and groove tone that synergises well with the slam styled metalcore, “Neon Gods” Takes off. So far a great finish to their latest EP. The track reminds me of SLIPKNOT with their nu metal influences that shine through the overall structure, but it's executed well. Near the end it breaks off with more pig-like growls that fade off into an eerie guitar sound.  Don’t sleep on these guys, they have skill and produce some nasty tracks. So if you're a fan of deathcore you need to look up these guys as they strive to put MN deathcore on the map. WASTE kills it by having all of the traditional hallmarks of deathcore/metalcore but add the flavor of nu metal to the mix. By doing this they add a thick groove-like heavy undertone to their manic aggression. With a decent mix “In Bloom” has a pretty good production value as well.  So go out and get yourself a copy as this EP is one you want in your collection.