Exclusive Track Premiere: Narcotic Wasteland’s “Return to the Underground”
Delirium tremens — more commonly known as ‘the DTs’ — is a painful phenomenon which occurs as a result of alcohol withdrawal. It can involve all kinds of nasty shit, from the shakes to hallucinations. The bad news is, roughly five percent of people who suffer from the DTs die; the good news is, it only lasts a short while, and if you’re one of the 95% of people who don’t die from it, your reward is that, physically at least, you are no longer dependent on booze.
Delirium Tremens also happens to be the title of the most triumphant sophomore album by Narcotic Wasteland. Given that renowned guitarist/vocalist Dallas Toler-Wade recently left Nile after twenty years, one is tempted to interpret the title as a metaphor for a withdrawal of a completely different kind.
Narcotic Wasteland’s latest and final pre-release single from Delirium Tremens, “Return to the Underground,” definitely supports this analysis. On the track, Toler-Wade furiously rails against “expectations,” “silly rules,” and “fucking filters,” and victoriously celebrates being “totally free” with a repeated battle cry of “Let the music flow!” In case there was still any remaining doubt as to the meaning of the song, the track is as magnificently brutal an old school death metal song as you’re likely to hear this season. It gallops, it lacerates, it uses the listener’s skull as a battering ram. There can be no doubt that this truly is Toler-Wade, undiluted and free of limitations. We hope he lets this music flow for a long time to come.
MetalSucks is proud to premiere “Return to the Underground,” which you can check out below. Delirium Tremens comes out TOMORROW, Friday, October 13. Get it here! The group begin a tour with Dreaming Dead and Extinction Level Event next week; dates are at the bottom of this post!!!
Narcotic Wasteland 2017 Tour Dates
Support bands: 10/30-11/5 Dreaming Dead, 11/30-12/6, Extinction Level Event
10/21 – Greenville, SC @ The Radio Room
10/24 – Houston, TX @ Walter’s Downtown
10/25 – Fort Worth, TX @ The Rail Club
10/26 – OKC, OK @ Thunder Alley
10/27 – Wichita, KS @ The Elbow Room
10/28 – Gallup, NM @ Juggernaut Music
10/29 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Dive Bar
10/30 – San Diego, CA @ Brick by Brick
10/31 – Anaheim, CA @ Doll Hut
11/01 – Sacramento, CA @ Blue Lamp
11/03 – Bend, OR @ The Third Street Pub
11/04 – Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven
11/05 – Vancouver, BC @ Astoria
11/07 – Edmonton, AB @ The Starlite Room (BRIXX)
11/08 – Calgary, AB @ Dickens Pub
11/09 – Winnipeg, MB @ The Pyramid Cabaret
11/14 – Kansas City, Mo @ The Riot Rook
11/15 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Pourhouse
11/16 – Appleton, WI @ Gibson Hall
11/17 – Sioux Falls, SD @ Bigs Bar
11/18 – Omaha, NE @ Dr. Jack’s Drinkery
11/22 – Akron, OH @ The Empire
11/23 – Toronto, On @ Rockpile
11/24 – Joliet, IL @ The Forge
11/26 – Westland, MI @ The Token
11/27 – Ottawa, ON @ Mavericks
11/28 – Montreal, QC @ Piranha Bar
11/29 – Quebec City, QC @ l’anti bar & spectacles
11/30 – Manchester, NH @ The Jewel
12/01 – Amityville, NY @ Revolution Room
12/02 – Queens, NY @ Blackthorn 51
12/03 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
12/04 – Wallingford, Ct @ Cherry St. Station
12/06 – Chesapeake, VA @ Riffhouse
12/08 – Charleston, SC @ The Sparrow
12/09 – Orlando, FL @ Bombshells Tavern
