Wasteland

The Beatles meets Black Sabbath—a typical description of Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats. The blend of Lennon/McCartney style vocal harmonies with Sabbath guitar tones lends a justifiable explanation for this juxtaposition. But when those opposite sides of psychedelic culture come together, something entirely new is birthed. A child of darkness with an unmatched sound. With Uncle Acid’s latest release, Wasteland, the band continues to come into their own, nurturing this hellish blossom.

This group is no stranger to dark themes. Previous releases bring you into the deathly clutches of an evil cult, inside the mind of a drugged-out prophet with a messianic complex or to the alleys of 19th century London, where Jack the Ripper awaits in the shadows. Wasteland stays the course with Uncle Acid’s affinity for concept albums. But unlike previous titles, which recount terrors of the past, Wasteland takes the listener to a dystopian future.

While this dystopian journey has many standout numbers, every album has a defining song. In this case, Wasteland’s defining song may also be the magnum opus of Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats’ career thus far. “No Return” accomplishes what doom metal is meant to; it draws from a musical black magic which gives a sense that the artist has tapped into something arcane, evil and forbidden. The riff begins slow, crawling and sinister. The devilish organ soon follows. And then the riff erupts, as if the chord progression is crying out in pain. The first lyrics invite you to “Come taste the darkness,” invoking a morbid curiosity which lies in the very nature of humanity. Despite the song’s reliance on traditional doom pacing and structure, there is never a dull moment. The guitar work and arrangement are exemplary. Vaughn Stokes and drummer, Jon Rice, complement one another throughout the track, displaying their chemistry as a rhythm section.

“No Return’s” entrenching atmosphere and cold lyrics feel disturbingly real. It gives the uncomfortable sensation that the dystopia which Uncle Acid has brought us to is not far from our current reality. “We've gone and done it this time/It's time to burn it all away.” In a genre that has drawn from depictions of a satanic hell far too often, Uncle Acid asks us to look at the hell before us on earth. When the eerie vocal harmonies moan, “Your mind is dead” as the song fades into the outro, there is a sense of authenticity. The outro itself turns into an ambient and jarringly hopeful section. However, it does not feel out of place. The dark song’s end offers a moment of reflection, asking the listener to tear down their ego. Like the declining moments of a bad trip.

The metal world is still trying to figure out what it has in Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats. And they have shown with Wasteland that they do not care. They are going to continue to do whatever they want. At times, that is their tried and true method. In others, it is a twist in another direction that may throw listeners off—or lure them further in. What Uncle Acid continues to display is a willingness to adapt and grow, and that shows in their work. Wasteland could have been improved with minor revisions to the songwriting of its less standout numbers or by rearranging the album’s order. The trifecta of “Wasteland,” “Bedouin,” and “Exodus” could have come earlier, offering further separation between the similarly written heavy, driving songs. But these imperfections do little to take away from the masterful work that is Wasteland. As Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats continue their journey into the darkness, presenting audiences with tales of their introspective travels, there is no reason to think that this album will not be a defining one for both the band and the genre of doom metal.