Reviver's first full-length, Versificator was a decent if not forgettable modern hardcore record that struggled to meet the merits of the influences that most seemed to inspire it, from Kid Dynamite and American Nightmare to From Anger and Rage-era Verse. But it was an urgent, sprightly debut that promised better things to come. The first validation of that is their newer EP, Potential Wasteland, which is the requisite step up.

Potential Wasteland is a bit like that excellent Life Long Tragedy/Final Fight split from a few years back: It's got the moody scratchiness of the former band and some surprisingly melodic elements of the latter.

After "IX", a short, moody instrumental intro, "Legacy" kicks in as a pretty dynamic, carefully melodic and perfectly intense proper opener. The band still come off with a reckless scrappiness, but there are subtle bits of control in what they do.

Additionally, there's a higher-pitched abrasion to Matt Mascarenas' voice, and there are brief flashes where he almost seems to sing. But for where the band has taken their sound, like the shifty, ever-changing "New Lows" and the flustered, mid-tempo buildup of "Traditions", it seems to work.

Potential Wasteland wraps with two tracks that name themselves after those very words, and they make for one excellently linear, delicately complex finish to an overall strong improvement for the SLC act.

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Potential Wasteland EP