Thrash should leave you breathless, busted-up, and maybe even a little drunk (in a cut-off denim vest adorned with barely legible patches).
Since 2001, Municipal Waste have uncompromisingly stuck to their guns as hard-partying and even harder-hitting torchbearers of 21st century thrash metal. The Richmond, VA quintet—Tony Foresta [vocals], Ryan Waste [guitar], Philip “Landphil” Hall [bass], Dave Witte [drums], and Nick Poulos [guitar]—have transformed from a cult favorite into metal mainstays for a generation. Along the way, Decibel touted The Art of Partying in its coveted “Hall of Fame” and asserted it “revved up interest in thrash and inspired a fresh wave of youthful new bands.” Metal Hammer christened The Art of Partying one of “The 50 Greatest Thrash Metal Albums Ever,” while Loudwire pegged The Art of Partying as “The Best Thrash Album of 2007” and Hazardous Mutation as “The Best Thrash Album of 2005.” The guys have sold out countless shows on multiple continents and piled up tens of millions of streams in the process. 2017’s Slime and Punishment bowed in the Top 3 of the Billboard Heatseekers Albums Chart, and The Last Rager EP only accelerated their momentum in 2019.
However, Municipal Waste maintain course as vicious and vital as ever on 2022’s Electrified Brain [Nuclear Blast].
“We’re not writing any love ballads to sell records,” affirms Tony. “We’re just doing what we’ve always done since the band started—and that’s try to write fun, fast, and ripping hardcorepunkmetal.”
The boys commenced work on Electrified Brain before the Global Pandemic swallowed 2020 whole. However, they took advantage of the time off the road to perfect their assault.
“It allowed us to focus on putting together structured songs,” says Ryan. “We wanted to diversify some of the tempos and bring in some new dynamics that we hadn’t ventured into before.”
Limited edition pressing on black vinyl
Tracklisting
Side A:
1. Electrified Brain
2. Demoralizer
3. Last Crawl
4. Grave Dive
5. The Bite
6. High Speed Steel
7. Thermonuclear Protection
Side B:
8. Blood Vessel / Boat Jail
9. Crank The Heat
10. Restless And Wicked
11. Ten Cent Beer Night
12. Barreled Rage
13. Putting On Errors
14. Paranormal Janitor
