It’s crazy to think now, but you could probably now classify Wolves at the Gate as one of those legendary “legacy” Solid State Records bands. I remember when their first album came out in 2012 and being absolutely crushed by their song “Man of Sorrows.” I’ve always listened to each of their new releases since then, but none other than their previous album “Eulogies” have really stuck for me. But I think this one hits even harder than that one did.
“Wasteland” is a concept album about a person trying to escape a literal wasteland. It’s used as a cool allegory throughout to compare to our own figurative wastelands. It’s cool, and it hits really hard. The album ends with probably my two favorite songs of the record, “Memento Mori” (this riff and the chorus got stuck in my head multiple times throughout this year) and “Unrest,” where the protagonist realizes “There is a stone in my heart breaking all my bones” and asks “How can I live like hell and ask for heaven to come?” It’s a powerful realization after the protagonist’s journey throughout the album. The album ends with a shadowy whisper pleading the protagonist to “Come out of the wasteland, into the borderland.” It’s great stuff, and I’ve come back to this album multiple times throughout the year.
The one thing that almost demoted this album from my top 10 is the mix. It’s so squished and compressed that you almost can’t make out any of the instrumentation or background production. I despise heavy albums that are mixed like this (and it’s unfortunately becoming the trend). I probably would have ranked this one higher if the mix wasn’t so unpleasant.
The Neimans 