AXIOM's debut album Welcome to the Wasteland has debuted at #5 on the U.S. charts, as well as a #11 debut on the UK charts. The album, which continues the Axiom Saga started by their EP Daybreak, sees the band fully demonstrate their unique brand of rock music. Early reviews for the album have been extremely positive saying things such as:

"Welcome to the Wasteland is a breath of fresh air in a sea of radio friendly hard rock records. There is nothing quite like it out there, yet it feels so familiar"- Rolling Stone

"...they have crafted an eerily compelling album. Once the album starts your focus is fixed on it and you must hear it through to the end."- Q

"Axiom gave us a small taste of what they were capable of with the EP Daybreak. With Wasteland they show us that they can indeed create an entire album of such disjointed and unrelated sounds and styles and make it feel wholly cohesive."- New York Times

Album Companion Guide

Section 04: Radio Broadcast
Music: Song starts with radio static that eventually becomes a slightly distorted radio broadcast. The broadcast is looped throughout the track while bass and drums plod along. Guitar and piano play simple chord progressions over top. Vocals are filtered through the same distortion and static as the looping radio broadcast.
Story: Our hero after realizing he is alone picks up a radio broadcast from people claiming to be the survivors of the "attack." The broadcast urges all who hear it to pack up some weapons and supplies and head east to their location.

Section 05: Welcome to the Wasteland
Music: Uses a full 92-piece symphony orchestra to create a very powerful, yet dark and disturbing, sound. Filled with classical motifs and themes the vocals contrast this with a very edgy and strained intensity.
Story: Our hero ventures outside of the small area he has explored to see that the world he once knew no longer exists. Instead a barren wasteland is left in its place. He begins his journey to find the survivor camp.

Section 06: The Bigger They Are... and Section 07: ...the Harder They Fall
Music: One of the most stripped down songs, only consisting of drums, bass, guitar, and vocals, it is also one of the most heavy and intense. Built upon a driving metal-inspired riff (complete with a shredding guitar solo) and shouted vocals the song resolves with a peaceful and relaxing outro.
Story: As our hero begins his journey he encounters a giant humanoid creature that immediately attacks him. Using the pistol he brought with him he engages in a tense battle with the beast. After both sides are injured our hero finally deals the final blow and then collapses in a sign of exhaustion and relief.

Section 08: Journey
Music: Journey is a soft, solemn, piano ballad. Beautiful piano riffs complement a soothing and soft vocal performance to create the softest moment on the album.
Story: Our hero finally begins the long lonely journey to the survivors camp and contemplates everything that he has lost in such a short time.

Section 09: Welcome to the Wasteland (Reprise)
Music: Piano and string quartet together create this soft instrumental reprise of Welcome to the Wasteland.
Story: Our hero is still on the journey to the survivors camp, along the way he begins to realize exactly what the world has become.

Section 10: Survivors
Music: A very upbeat pop-rock song. Bright piano chords and poppy guitar riffs create the album's most upbeat and bright track. The track ends on a somber note however, hinting at what is to come.
Story: Arriving at the survivors camp our hero is finally excited to see that he is not the only one left. The celebration is cut short when the leader of the camp begins discussing the issue at hand, and bringing our hero up to speed.

Section 11: The Genetic Advancement Project, Section 12: The Meta, and Section 13: Hatching a Plan
Music: The song begins very somber and slow, allowing for a dissonant guitar riff to build tension until breaking into a march-like song with emphasis on rhythmic precision. Militaristic snare drum patterns are played behind the guitars and bass. Vocally the song showcases a very authoritative tone.
Story: The camp is led by a retired Lt. (hence the militaristic march) who quickly informs our hero of what happened. The Genetic Advancement Project was an experiment funded by the eight strongest governments in the world. The project intended to create a formula that would force some level of evolution or genetic change in soldiers in order to increase strength, intelligence, and endurance. The project was deemed a failure, it either killed the subjects (almost completely vaporizing the body in the process), caused mutations in their genetic code that increased their size and strength but also physical mutations and aggression while lowering intelligence, or had no effect at all. The formula was released into the world and caused every nation to begin launching weapons. Thankfully no nuclear weapons were launched, however the damage was still catastrophic. Our hero is next informed of the dangers of the Meta, the humans who were mutated by the Genetic Advancement Project, as well as the plan to invade a military base that housed part of the project in hopes of finding a cure.

Welcome to the Wasteland Available Now!

Edited by user 10 November 2009 10:56:47(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified