Municipal Waste "Electrified Brain" (2022)

 

I may be mistaken but I believe Municipal Waste were among the first of this modern nostalgic Thrash Crossover "revival". Its no new trick nowadays, the access and availability of music today has inspirations run amuck in all directions. I was introduced to the American thrashers at Download Festival 2008. Despite a fantastic live show full of mad mosh pits and crowd surfers armed with surf boards, I never brought into their studio records. Having forgotten the mediocrity of Slime And Punishment, It was only a passing curiosity that brought me here.

Electrified Brain had me in its grasp from the first spin. Unlike prior efforts, its crisp, clear and cutting production aided its mission. Along with a fully fledged arsenal of classic Thrash and Crossover riffs, the two push the bands ideals to about as good as it could get. Pulling no unsurprising punches, the galloping speed and chugging chops of 80s Metal was set to to strike a nerve. With filtered cuts rarely exceeding three minutes, the fourteen tracks get to rattle wall to wall off five years of curation.

The main distinctions felt like variety and lead guitars. Although operating within a strict blueprint, the rotating shouts, screams and gang vocals kept things fresh and exciting as the rapid rhythmic abuse was electrified by periodic guitars solos. A handful of song endings struck me as having some momentary but keenly distinct riffs woven in. Perhaps an intentional nod to their eighties Thrash Metal influences? I definitely heard Metallica on more than one occasion.

Despite seeming excellent, its gravitas has dwindled. With frequent spins, my initial excitement has politely dulled. This however feels like a symptom of nostalgic Metal, always competing with your appetite as its novelty wares off. Either way, in times of growing metallic lackluster, it was good fun to head bang again!

Rating: 6/10

Favorite Track: Grave Dive, Crank The Heat

Municipal Waste "Slime And Punishment" (2017)

Its the sixth release from legendary east coast outfit Municipal Waste. Formerly viewed as "revival crossover" their sixteen year tenure has established them as one of Crossovers best. Last time I checked in with them was back in 2007 where they were riding a wave of hype that produced wild festival shows with fans literally bringing surf boards to crowd surf at the bands command. It was quite the memorable show but since then I never stayed tuned in with the band, after five years of silence it seemed like a good time to give them another whirl and see if their upto the same old tricks.

"Slime And Punishment" is a fast and fun, thrashy blast of party hard, headbanging aggression that's not to be taken seriously. They have hardly evolved in ten years and the addition of a second guitarist doesn't seem to have given their sound any new edge. There are not many parts of this record that utilize two tracks, beyond a backing track for a guitar solo its mostly unable to break away from linear guitar work. Just another riff fest of crossover that brings far more thrash in the guitar work with all the classic chugging rhythms and grooves, power chord shredding rearranged to create another set of mosh friendly tracks for the energetic live show.

Tony Foresta's strained shouts bring the hardcore edge with a constant barrage of gang vocals chiming in along side him. "Parole Violators" presents a missed opportunity as a breakdown riff leads into some comical role play between a corrupt sleazy cop and skate punk, painting a hilarious image of an oldskool corrupted authoritarian attitude, the sort you'd see in movies reflecting times gone by. This album would of have a real wild card up its sleeve with more of that comical edge. Unfortunately its just another rapid riff fest of head bobbing fun, composed, performed and produced with a routine level of excellence from experienced metalheads that lacked a spark to really get me into it. Solid album but didn't offer anything I haven't heard done before.

Rating: 5/10