“We Put Our Metal Hearts On the Line” – Narcotic Wasteland Decimates The Brick by Brick
May 17th, 2022
Returning to the underground on a Tuesday evening in San Diego, Narcotic Wasteland’s stellar-looking and dynamic sounding no-nonsense Death Metal, absolutely marveled this rabid, cheerful crowd.
“Faces of Meth”, a prime track from Narcotic Wasteland to get started from: Blistering string-skipping riffs, multiple drum-fills setting up blazing counterpoints, Thrash picking before the extraordinary solo work. Usually, the band starts off like this, and other songs, a slower tempo, but still a thunderous, crushing sound. Dalla Toler-Wade’s delightful intro for their latest single, “Morality and the Wasp”, especially showed in the continued progression within the riffs, desolate-sounding intro, and further extreme vision, Narcotic Wasteland displayed.
The amount of talent on-stage, it was positively overwhelming. Y’all know how I feel about drummers who are able to perform vocals simultaneously, and Joseph Howard’s insane double-bass technique were also heard vigorously, often taking turns growling with Dallas, who handled the majority of the vocals otherwise. The personality within his vocal contributions, as well as the nimbleness Howard played at, proved to be one of most intriguing aspects to follow, listen to, and observe. Chris Corcione’s palm-muted slap bass technique, all while windmilling with a sounding fury, added an extra level of sharpness to the overall tone of the riffs. That could be heard during “Return to the Underground”, being one of the groovier, headbanging songs from Narcotic Wasteland’s discography.
Seeing Nile live, and hearing them on record, for 20 years or so, you’re reminded of the impeccable roster of talent, soul, and fantastic play, that special core had from 1997 to 2017. Dallas Toler-Wade’s relentless aggressive, spastic riffing style, as well as changing melodic, to barely can make with the human eye, leads and solos, alongside that profound diction, and distinctive vocal style, all wrapped into an outstanding Death Metal band. The crowd know and understand, with each song played, the cheers, chants, and overall appreciation, could be felt growing and heartfelt. Brett Lee joining Dallas for the harmonious solo in “Introspective Nightmares”, showing the character within each guitar players’ style and special role, illuminates how much better Narcotic Wasteland is with each album, and counting. Their near 60-minute set, felt like a headliner, with this solid Tuesday night crowd, joyful to be in this exact venue.
With a stellar lineup in play, and performing from both records, and two unreleased singles, Narcotic Wasteland are reminding all of us, to not leave them out of the bands to be waiting for. Extreme Music and Death Metal, can be hard on the listener not accustomed, but for the ones going to local, club, and even arena shows, we cherish and crave our beautifully written music, wrapped in a chaotic wrap of brutal excellence. No fucking filter, ever needed.
1. Faces of Meth
2. Morality and the Wasp
3. Coastal Killings
4. You Will Die Alone
5. Return to the Underground
6. Introspective Nightmares
In Memoriam (Intro)
7. Bleed and Swell
8. Delirium Tremens
9. Victims of the Algorithm
10. Keeping Up with the Jones
11. Pharma Culture
My interview with Dallas Toler-Wade after their performance: