US Death Metallers Narcotic Wasteland stormed into Newcastle’s gem of an underground heavy music venue, The Lubber Fiend, closing out the UK leg of their Annihilation Of Europe tour with a technical and devastating performance.
Narcotic Wasteland
The Lubber Fiend, Newcastle – 27 November 2025
Words: Matty Hunter
Photography: thedailyddt at Vision Impact Photography
Narcotic Wasteland were founded in 2011 by Dallas Toler-Wade, the former Nile frontman and guitarist for close to two decades. His legacy in technical Death Metal speaks for itself.
The tour kicked off just under two weeks ago in Oslo, Norway, and is set to tear through 17 countries across 33 dates, placing the Newcastle show at the tour’s midway point and marking the final stop of its UK run.
The vibe was dialled in early thanks to killer local support: Durham’s prog Death Metal force Erebor and Hartlepool’s brutal Rumination, both of whom ensured the room was fully charged by the time Narcotic Wasteland took to the stage.
Narcotic Wasteland
By 9:10 pm, the atmosphere inside The Lubber Fiend was palpable, and the floor was packed out, ready for the headliners, Narcotic Wasteland, to hit the stage for only their sixth ever UK show and first in Newcastle.
Hailing from Taylors, South Carolina, the Technical Death Metal trio have been active since 2011, and their lineup is completed by Kenji Tsunami on guitar and Joseph Howard on drums and backing vocals.
On this night they delivered a show that made it instantly clear why fans have been clamouring for them to make it to this side of Atlantic for so long.
Dallas recognised early on that the crowd was pumped for them. “It is great to finally bring my band here,” he said, “and it has been a minute since I have been to this side of the world. I do not know why it has taken this long, because the love for Metal here is strong.” To emphasise this, he threw his Metal horns into the air.
Dallas, of course, carries a legacy with him. He spent nearly two decades with Nile, performing guitars, bass, and vocals across their most iconic records, including Black Seeds Of Vengeance and Annihilation Of The Wicked.
Narcotic Wasteland is quite a different creature from Nile, however. Their lyrics dig into personal dark corners, especially addiction, and their complex sound strikes a unique balance between meticulousness, melody, and sheer brutality.
The band wasted no time setting the tone as their ominous introduction dissolved into a thunderous opening as they launched straight into Morality And The Wasp with no introductions. This was an explosive greeting that hit like a shockwave, and the crowd erupted instantly.
Narcotic Wasteland’s set spanned the breadth of their discography of two albums and five singles, from the driving grooves of Victims Of The Algorithm to their newest single Barbarian.
Howard, behind the kit, was laser-focused, donning headphones and drumming with machine-like accuracy. Tsunami kept every riff tight while impressively headbanging relentlessly, and Toler-Wade led the show with confidence and with a presence that highlighted his long dedication to his craft.
Around midway through the set, Toler-Wade casually exclaimed that he wanted a beer, a prompt that several members of the crowd happily fulfilled, getting each band member an alcoholic beverage.
There was clear camaraderie between the musicians and the fans, and the mutual respect was strong. At one point, the band fulfilled a fan request by straying from the planned setlist and playing Pharma Culture, and this only further underscored the bond.
Then came the moment that many were waiting for, Dallas to mention his former project. The legendary lead singer stepped up to the mic and said, “Are you still with us out there? For 18 years, I was in a band called Nile, and 20 years ago, I wrote an album called Annihilation Of The Wicked. Who wants to hear some tracks from there?”
The room roared as the band tore into Lashed To The Slave Stick and The Burning Pits Of The Duat, capturing the spirit of those tracks with authenticity.
Just before the encore, they played their own biggest hit, Introspective Nightmares, but that was not their final bow.
As their set crept towards curfew, the hungry audience chanted “one more tune,” until the band obliged, picking up their instruments for one final blow with Return To The Underground.
By 10:10 pm, they knew they had to call it a day but appreciated the love from the fans for more. Their hour-long set encapsulated everything that Metal is about, and it was delivered with pure passion.
As the UK leg of their tour concluded here, Narcotic Wasteland left no doubt that their first time here will not be their last.
Rumination
The first band to hit the stage was Hartlepool’s brutal Death Metal newcomers Rumination, who set the tone with 20 minutes of pure punishing force.
Despite only forming last year, the quartet of musicians carry a pedigree with members from local bands in Dawn Of Chaos and Vulgar Dissection and are already proving a force to be reckoned with.
This show marked their first local appearance with a refreshed lineup, with TJ Fallon joining the group recently as guitarist. It was evident from the outset that he looked completely at home in the group, grinning through his complex riffs and making it look easy throughout, as if he had been in the band for years.
Up front was Paul Hartburn, whose vocals from the pit were unrelenting and were delivered with an intensity that matched the band’s merciless sound.
Bassist and backing vocalist Liam Wales’ gutturals and filthy riffs gave the sound a more punishing edge, whilst behind the kit, Joey Rutherford displayed tight drumming to perfection.
Rumination have only one release to date, in their self-titled EP, which dropped in January this year, but their setlist not only played those four tracks in full across the set, but also gave the fans a preview of several tracks from their forthcoming unreleased material, which is yet to be officially named.
Those new songs, namely in Shredded Meat, OnlyHands, LED and J’Whores lean even harder into the brutal Death Metal template while sharpening edges across the board, and I look forward to hearing them again and adding them to my playlist when they officially drop.
Throughout Rumination’s short but impactful set, several of the songs were preceded by humorous samples. This is an approach that several bands on this side of the genre have, but it just works. In fact, a couple of my favourite bands in Slam and Brutal Death use samples, namely in Skinless and Party Cannon, and it adds to the overall depth and atmosphere when used well.
By 7:45, Rumination had come to the end of their set, and they were an impressive opening statement. With a new EP on the horizon, they are certainly a band to keep an eye on, ever spreading their name, and it is clear their vision is set as they go from strength to strength.
Erebor
Durham’s answer to Prog Death Metal, Erebor, were next to the stage. I had first seen the band live a few months back supporting Vulgar Dissection, and from then, their care and craft dedicated to their music hooked me.
The quintet, fronted by Valentine Rodriguez, are a real gem and their sound is a dense, multi-layered beast.
Their name, in case you were wondering, is derived from the writing of legendary author J.R.R. Tolkien, and the band are steadily expanding their catalogue since first releasing the single The Stillness Of Unending Sleep in 2017.
The rest of their releases consist of their debut full-length record, Inherent Malevolence, in 2021 and Infinitus Somnium, which dropped in July this year. The first album consists of eight tracks whilst the newest effort poses three lengthy tracks, clocking in at 42 minutes overall.
These full-length albums show that the band are unafraid of intricate and long-form song structures and that their discography signals ambition, depth, and true devotion.
Alike Rumination, vocalist Rodriguez spent the entire show on the floor, surrounded by the crowd. This made the music feel more intimate as the songs built up into chugging riffs, sudden rhythmic punches that hit like bullets, and seismic breakdowns.
The band experienced technical difficulties after the first song, but instead of derailing the momentum, it only energised them more. This pause gave the vocalist a chance to introduce the band properly.
“We are Erebor, we are local, and we want to give a shoutout to our friends in Rumination, and a thanks to Narcotic Wasteland for having us open for them”, Rodriguez said, before breaking into their second song of the evening, The Endeavour.
As the set progressed, the crowd thickened, and Valentine’s intense connection with the audience only drew them closer. He encouraged crowd participation in the form of clapping along with the beat, alongside multiple instructions to headbang.
Though Erebor only played a handful of songs, each landed with precision and once they had found their momentum, they had the room hooked.
They closed their set with something special, a cover of Nile’s The Essential Salts. Before launching into it, Valentine called out, “Who’s Narcotic Wasteland fans? Well, I assume you are also Nile fans too,” and the crowd reaction confirmed it.
Erebor’s rendition of this great track from 2007’s Ithyphallic absolutely delivered. It was tight, crushing, and a perfect nod to the evening’s headliners and their frontman.
After their 40 minutes, Erebor wrapped up a set that was immersive, memorable, and, of course, progressively heavy, leaving the crowd buzzing in anticipation for the headliners to hit the stage.
