Wasted - Heroes Amongst Thieves

  by Andrew Carver

published: 18 / 11 / 2004

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After the recent compilation release of Wasted’s “best of” back catalogue, 'Here We Go Again', the Finnish punks return with 'Heroes Amongst Thieves', an album dedicated solely to new material. This is vintage Wasted, at their exceptional best, surpassing themselves again; further proof that a good formula should always be adhered to. From its very start, 'Heroes Amongst Thieves' displays the pedigree to install itself as a high-quality punk album, improving right through oddly enough but staying true to the band’s claim that due to having 30 songs to choose from, there are no fillers on this release. Having added bass player, Tuomas, in the summer of 2003, Wasted were refreshed, realigned and ready to perform the fundamental knock out that they had been threatening for a while. Typically recorded in original punk style but this time moving away from the slightly muffled vocals and guitars of older Wasted releases, the composition of 'Heroes Amongst Thieves' adds a great deal of authenticity to what already appeared to be approaching faultless. This is as close as punk gets to its origins these days as it has all its speed changes, high-tempo introductions, and roaring riffs with the odd stick of dynamite thrown in to boot. Away from the music itself, 'Soundtrack For My Escape' outlines lead singer Ville Rönkkö’s established need to stand out from normal life and take control of his own destiny but perhaps also stands in equal importance to the genuine following of punk fans eager to escape societal norms. The album ends with what constitutes a punk ballad in 'The Ship Of Death', and hence completes Wasted’s most recent contribution to the world of music in dignified style. If there were anyone you’d want to be in control of the apocalypse, it would be these guys, able to cause chaos right up until the final minute then subdue the scene and watch everyone try to recover from the blitz not long passed: sadistic in every sense of the word. Wasted have once again proved their raw punk talent, returning more sophisticated each time and full of little tricks that give a sumptuous edge to their music. Anyone who considered 'Here We Go Again' to be the epitome of excellence will certainly be surprised in hearing 'Heroes Amongst Thieves' as it is something very special indeed. The album encapsulates the visions that Wasted have always had when playing punk music: that it should remain true to its roots but spiced up a little. As a punk album 'Heroes Amongst Thieves' meets the criteria laid down over the years, as a modern album it lives up to every expectation; well produced it is and well written for this genre, without compare.

Track Listing:-

1 High On A Social Ladder
2 The Prisoner
3 Heroes Amongst Thieves
4 Dead Too Soon
5 In The Darkest Hours
6 New Sensation
7 Soundtrack For My Escape
8 Collision
9 Stealth
10 Promises & Handshakes
11 Lessons
12 The Ship Of Death

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