EP Review: Wasp Mother – Digital Pollution (Self Released)

Massachusetts based grindcore/powerviolence quartet Wasp Mother are preparing to unveil their brutal offering ‘Digital Pollution’ on January 19th, 2024.

Six tracks, ten minutes long… knowing that, it’s clear that this EP is going to kick some serious arse from the word go. Which is exactly what happens with the chunky head-banger that is Gravemouth. It might only be 64 seconds long, but it gets the blood pumping, especially as the second half of the track descends into absolute chaos. Wasp Mother showing how effortlessly they mesh powerviolence and grindcore.

This short and sharp approach continues with the 42-second Burnout, where a solid drum beat, serrated guitars, and savage vocal delivery makes one hell of an impact. Before Boring and Hubris see Wasp Mother have absolutely no chill with their most devastatingly harsh pair of songs so far.

Although Akathisia isn’t too far off that statement either, the only difference being that it’s only 17-seconds long so the punishment is not as sustained.

Which brings us to Pale, the final track, the most varied of all, and the longest by some difference. Coming it at over 5-minutes long, Wasp Mother take their time here, delivering subtle atmosphere and soft melodies, before exploding with a force that is akin to doom and death. All with tempos that alternate between sludgy nastiness, and grim ferocity. It’s not just the most elaborate effort on the EP, it’s also the best, and that’s saying something as it’s a great release overall.

Wasp Mother – Digital Pollution Track Listing:

1. Gravemouth
2. Burnout
3. Boring
4. Hubris
5. Akathisia
6. Pale

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