15 years of Finnish punk rock, and I missed it. How could that happen?
You can't catch everything, otherwise your head would explode, but in this case, I actually regret it a bit.
WASTED has been around for 15 years now. During this time, the brother duo Ville and Antti Rönkkö has repeatedly engaged with WASTED. This sounds like conflict, but it shouldn't. Rather, it should represent that the two first put on their punk rock boots with this band and noisily roamed through Finland.
At some point, the brothers had an idea. The idea was to start a second band. This band is called I walk the Line. Does that ring a bell?
I walk the Line has been touring a lot in Germany over the last four years and has been able to excite many with their magnificent Dark Wave - Electro - Punk. Especially the album “Black Wave Rising” has stirred up quite a bit of dust. Although this album is now three years old, it still feels as fresh as on the first day for me.
Currently, I walk the Line is on a break, and WASTED has been revived. Perhaps also in the hope of being able to connect to the success that I walk the Line had.
WASTED is more punk rock compared to I walk the Line. More guitar. More noise. It's this somehow Finnish mix that I also know from other bands from this country, and which, just like the Kreuzberg punk rock sound, cannot really be described. You have to hear it and experience it.
WASTED plays exactly this Finnish mix with a lot of melody and enthusiasm. Singer Ville gives each song a very personal touch. Anyone who liked the vocals in I walk the Line will like WASTED for that reason alone. It's hard to resist the charismatic voice of Ville. The voice has something captivating, something fascinating. Something you want more and more of.
To detach the voice from the sound in order to judge more fairly would mean to behead the band. It is one!
However, I do not want to deny that the band would just be one of many noisy garage punk bands without Ville's voice, as there are no major musical innovations to be expected here.
But who always wants to discover something new?
Sometimes it's enough to listen to good punk rock with a distinctive, enchanting voice and enjoy the time with the music. Personally, I always think of I walk The Line, who hopefully will be revived soon, as they have truly created something unique.
WASTED is Finnish punk rock from the top league!
