Label: Self released
Date: April 22nd, 2022
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the most brutal of them all? Could it be Wasting The Genesis? Who knows!? Perhaps yes, perhaps no. But surely it’s never been a competition, right? Can you capture the attention of a dear old listener? That’s the real question. Being brutal is just one of the means to an end. You still need a hell of a lot more to seize the audience’s pulse and hold on tight.
Unfortunately, this Spanish five piece was unable to deliver more. And not just in the time frame department, though sixteen minutes of music after six years since their previous outing is a fairly small dose. Following a couple of hours I’ve spent with Wasting The Genesis, I take away nothing at all. They simply failed to move me. Okay, it might be a matter of personal taste, as I’ve never been a fan of such music, but I still cannot find a hook that will keep me motivated to dig them up from the shelf again.
To further elaborate on the subject, Wasting The Genesis is performing an ultra-brutal type of death metal, technical, twisted, fused with hardcore at some points, while at others it might even go as far as grind core. Other elements that make up “Prey” could be labeled industrial, metal core, nu metal or even stoner. But those I find secondary influences. Still, the majority of this EP is basking in the glory of death metal, the new (well, it’s not all that new anymore, is it) kind, where technicality reigns with an iron fist. Though the quintet is aware of the need for an atmospheric release, they do so with all the wrong weaponry. As a matter of fact, once they delve further into the atmosphere, one can detect a subtle black metal nuance. “Genesis” being the prime example of such an attempt. Now, this is not wrong, per se, but considering the down tuned and bass laden sound, plus a crystal clear production, it doesn’t achieve the goal at hand.
The record itself has a futuristic lenience, and all of the above mentioned pieces fit into the picture that it portrays. There’s not mistake there. The trouble is that there’s just too much stuff going on at all times that none manage to stand out, whether by the execution or a creative expertise. The release is way too saturated, so that it seems that Wasting The Genesis tried to jam up as many details as possible into such a short duration. This way they avoided developing individual pieces further, but at the same time, they left those pieces with not enough room to breathe.
On the other hand, even in the calmer sections, when the smoke clears out, what’s crafted here fails to impress. It’s just not catchy enough. There’s not a hook in sight that will glue the listener to what’s happening on “Prey”. One cannot deny the instrumental abilities of each member of Wasting The Genesis, but their skill as composers is just not showing on the EP.
Hence the thought that I got a bit lucky that I have an EP instead of a full length record for this review. Then again, who knows, if the band expanded on what they’ve presented on “Prey”, made these “short-lived” ideas into songs of their own, it might have just produced an album worthy of attention.
Alas, they didn’t. So, I can basically just turn this EP off and move on. Perhaps somebody much more prone than me to musical stylistics such as this will enjoy “Prey”. Whatever the case may be, this is certainly not what I’m looking for to blow my speakers.
