Wastelander is a 3-piece post-apocalyptic Castle-Punk black rocknroll metal band hailing from Michigan, the land of forests and rust.
THE SAGA OF WASTELANDER
…all started in the beleaguered urban-outpost of Lansing back in 2006, when high-tech low life, Matt War, started writing Fallout-inspired tunes after the leaving his previous band, the NWOBHManiacs, Harbinger for being way too maniac.
With a tape full of riffs, Matt got together with Sean ‘Xaphan’ Peters (Formerly from Summon/ Masochist), and the two put together a 6-song demo over the nuclear winter of 2006/2007, using a drum machine.
Response to the demo was immediate and ravenous, with various smaller labels releasing limited tape copies, and 4 of the songs being pressed to vinyl for the ICBM 7″ EP (Bermuda Mohawk).
After playing their first show, accompanied by a digital playback of the drum track, Wastelander was approached by rogue resident skin-pounder, Ian ‘Pitviper’ Sugierski, who offered his services.
Now a fully functioning unit, the band got to work recording their debut album, ‘Wardrive’, featuring all new songs as well as some re-recorded demo tracks. Wardrive was released by Chris Black of Superchrist/High Spirits in 2008 on his Planet Metal label, and soon began radiating glowing reviews online, in various fanzines, and even the pages of the late Metal Maniacs.
Things came to a halt in early 2009 though, after Ian was kidnapped by a Warlord calling himself The Dutch Hercules, who demanded a ransom of 6 cases of Dinty Moore beef stew.
Since it would take some time to get that kind of scratch together, reinforcements were called in and Louie Axe Ripper, was brought in for cover fire. After a few furious rehearsals and shows, recording started on Nuke ‘n Puke, a split 7″ with Japan’s sexdrinks&metal masters, Abigail.
The record was meant to be released Fall of 2009, but a copyright dispute with the pressing plant over sound clips from the 1986 film, Trick or Treat would delay it for nearly a year.
In the meantime, Pitviper escaped from the sweaty clutches of The Meatmen, and a Spring 2010 tour was solidified. With the vinyl release in limbo, Wastelander put out the split as a tour-only cassette under their own ‘Waste City’ label.
The trek to the East was a harrowing, yet successful journey, despite the Battletruck being temporarily confiscated by a Liquidation Squad in the northern sector of the Philidelphian ruins. Making a triumphant return to Michigan, they hit the ground running writing new songs and making the cover of the local indie rag mag, Revue.
Unfortunately, due to mutant attacks, hardware failures, and crippling Jet addiction, the band made a strategic retreat, playing their last show on May 5th with Midnight and Acid Witch. Pitviper stayed active, playing with Dawnbringer, High Spirits, and Cemetery. Xaphan continued with his long running solo project, Dark Psychosis, and eventually took over vocal duties for Cavalcade. Matt War was placed in cryogenic stasis after a bout of radiation sickness, and the saga of Wastelander appeared to have come to an end.
2014 AD: An underground fracking explosion severs the power to the cryonic chamber, causing emergency systems to kick in and execute wake up procedures. Confused and suffering from Hibernation Sickness, Matt War stumbled into the frozen Michigan wasteland, which had recently been decreed a Violent Zone by the ruling emergency city managers.
Narrowly escaping a Rapid Death from exposure, Matt ran into Xaphan at the local Nekrodome where he was fighting feral ghouls for caps. Using a transceiver made out of e-waste and nokia phones, they made contact with Pitviper, who had been forced to flee Detroit over a bad VHS deal.
Reunited and rearmed, the trio picked up where they left off, recording a new 8 song demo in a sunken basement. With full HP and higher stats than ever, Wastelander rebuilt the Battletruck and dusted off the gas masks, ready to record the new album in June and hit the High Fatality Intercontinental Freeway in August, with all new merch and shirt designs.
Wastelander has played sweaty house shows with Toxic Holocaust, Midnight, Shitfucker, and Nekrofilth, and shared the stage with Mayhem, Nachtmystium, and Harbinger.
