Wasted - Suppress And Restrain

  by Andrew Carver

published: 4 / 12 / 2003

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Review

Wasted are a Finnish punk rock combo with a punchy attack that takes direct aim at the part of the human nervous system responsible for pogoing. Lead singer Ville Ronkko (I hope I spelled his first name correctly; if this album has any defect it’s the lousy printing of the booklet) has a nice raw snarl, and a delivery not unlike Hank von Helvete of Turbonegro; guitarist Antti(?) Ronkko — his brother — has a thick, creamy tone. The entire band sounds polished compared to my usual diet of Pagans and KBD-style punk rock, but the band’s edge is too fierce, and the lyrics too political for them to be slighted as mere pop-punk.  There are a lot of bands putting out Wasted’s brand of meaty punk rock, but Wasted jumps out of the crowd with intelligent lyrics and unrelenting ferocity pushed along by a hearty rhythm section (I’m not going to try and guess how they spell their names!). Definitely recommended.

Track Listing:-

1 Hatecrime
2 Here, Now And Always
3 Let It Go (As Far As It Goes)
4 Forbidden Zone
5 Barrel Of A Loaded Gun
6 Disconnected
7 Pacified (By War)
8 Tell Me Something New
9 Jaded Eyes
10 Root Of All Evil
11 Conscious Choice
12 Victims
13 Suppress & Restrain
14 Passing Phase
15 They Don't Give A Fuck About You