Municipal Waste, Hazardous Mutation
I’m finally getting around to reviewing this one after listening to it in heavy rotation for months. I have no idea why I haven’t gotten to it until now, but it’s definitely not the albums fault. There’s only one thing you need to know about Municipal Waste‘s latest release: it’s hellified fun on wheels. The band’s retro fitted late 80’s full on thrash will have you banging your head before you even hit play. Think Anthrax mixed early Suicidal Tendencies and a little The Legacy era Testament, and you’ve got yourself Municipal Waste.
The band’s humor (like Anthrax) is apparent right away. With song titles like “Abusement Park,” “The Thrashin’ Of Christ,” and “Bangover” it’ll be hard to take their lyrics as anything but pure enjoyment. I mean, hell, they even wrote a full track about drinking too many mind erasers. If you’re unsure of what that is, visit your local pub.
Musically the band is super tight. The guitarist and bassist are spot on, while Dave Witte abuses the drum kit with a technical attack. Tony Foresta’s lead vocal delivery rivals some of the greats (Tom Araya of Slayer) in terms of speed. He spits out the lyrics in a mostly clean, but slurred and gruff delivery.
Intro/Deathripper The album kicks off with a riff straight out of Testament’s The Legacy then gets completely shredded as the band tears into it with some intense drumming and thrash. The beat is fast as Foresta starts his vocals. There’s even a bit of a Tom Araya style scream in this one, though not with his intensity. This is a great way to start off the album
Unleash The Bastards How do you keep up the thrash that led off the album? Easily — increase the pace and intensity with “Unleash the Bastards.” This is by far my favorite track on the album. It’s just so much damned fun to listen to. And to give you an idea of what the band is like playing this one live, check out their video.
The Thing Have you ever seen the multiple remakes of the movie The Thing? No? Well there’s no need now as the band summarizes it in this mid paced attack. It’s a perfect retelling of the story in under 2 minutes.
Blood Drive Here’s a quick blast to the head. The band slow it down momentarily for the chorus but it doesn’t last long before the solo kicks in and the pace steps back up.
Accelerated Vision There are plenty of backing vocals from Ryan Waste (guitars) and Land Phil (bass) to accompany Foresta’s delivery. Classic thrash in this one.
Guilty Of Being Tight A great sound clip starts this one off. I can’t place its origin, but it sets the mood nicely. This one sounds reminiscent of Slayer’s version of Minor Threat’s “Guilty of Being White.” It’s not the same song at all, but it’s pretty damned similar.
Set To Destruct Witte is going off on the drums in the beginning of this one. This one has more of a galloping chug to it but still thrash to the bone.
Hazardous Mutation I don’t believe that Foresta is the opening singer on the first couple of sentences, but I’m not sure if it’s Waste or Phil who are taking the lead vocals on this one. Either way it’s a great dynamic.
Nailed Casket More early style Testament riffs lead this one off. The track slows a bit about half way through for the second verse then picks up for an intense end.
Abusement Park Coming in at just under a minute in length this is the second shortest track on the album. “Black Ice” has the honor of being the shortest. This is classic punk thrash combination delivered in a nice neat package.
Black Ice Twenty three seconds of pure thrash. Enough said.
Mind Eraser Have you ever had that one last drink at the bar or a buddy’s house that just put you over the edge? Well Municipal Waste have and here is their story.
Terror Shark This is a funny track about a shark in the water and your chances of getting out with all your limbs. Oh, and it’s all thrash as well.
The Thrashin’ Of Christ Chugging mosh starts this on off with a Slayer like riff just before the band kicks it into high gear. Foresta belts out some classic and tortured Tome Araya screams toward the end.
Bangover We’ve all felt this one in the past — the sore neck, the mild headache, and the ringing in the ears. That must have been one hell of a show last night.
If you don’t have enough old school crossover thrash in your life you should definitely check this one out. The lyrics are fun, the music is fast paced, and the overall experience is one of pure enjoyment. There’s a reason it’s taken me so long to review this one. I haven’t stopped banging long enough to be able to type it up.
Favorite Tracks:
Unleash The Bastards
Guilty of Being Tight
Hazardous Mutation
Nailed Casket
Mind Eraser
Additional Notes:
n/a