Wastelands is not a waste of time
Villa Rise EP opens with an extract from Herbert Morrison, a reporter who famously reported on the Hindenburg Disaster which makes you question what kind of record this will be. The speech slowly dies away as interference is heard to be getting louder and louder until the music kicks in like an almighty punch to the face with Keeper.
There's nothing to say about Keeper other than the fact that it doesn't stop, it's a great song that really gives you an amazing feel for these Australian hardcore guys and most importantly, it kicks off the inevitable head banging you're bound to experience while listening to this fantastic CD.
The whole EP tells a story about a man who slowly falls prey to his own mind and is unable to see the positives in his life and it tells the story fantastically. Although screaming is used all the way through, the message and words are as clear as day (although they might benefit from a spot of singing once in a while just to separate themselves from other bands in the genre).
Villa Rise took a gamble in leaving their home of Australia and coming over to the UK's vibrant scene but it looks like that risk might just pay off - with this amazing EP and a collection of UK dates it's not too hard to imagine that the world will be seeing a lot more of these guys.