The Continental Way [LP], Waxed, Vinyl

Blurring the edges of genre and pushing the boundaries of modern metal, thrash, hardcore, punk and rock and roll, the five-piece hard rock band Waxed has spent years melting faces in the American South and ripping its native Nashville’s scene to shreds with a heavy pour of immaculate riffage, raucous live energy and in-your-face attitude. Formed in the mid-2010’s by guitarist Davis Haley and frontman Luc Richards when they were teenagers, Waxed’s lineup ebbed and flowed before being cemented as a quintet, with Will Alley joining on bass, Ian Sundstrom on drums and Luc’s older brother Noel Richards on guitar. Making good on the promise laid out by the 2022 debut album Give Up, Waxed is set to release The Continental Way, a set of songs that represents not only what this band is and the thoughtful havoc it is capable of wreaking, but also the kaleidoscopic, melting pot current state of today’s rock and roll culture. Featuring nine tracks packed to the gills with every move on every page in the Waxed playbook, it is a dense, smoldering collection that assaults our ears in the best way, challenging what we think about conventional genres and blurring the lines between them. Call it what you will — metal, sludge, thrash, hardcore, whatever — at the end of the day Waxed retains a singular focus. With the achievements of The Continental Way and the buzz surrounding its uncompromising live show, Waxed is sure to be on the brain of every serious listener of hard rock and roll in 2026 and beyond.