CD Review: Municipal Waste - Massive Aggressive
The Virginia Retro-Thrashers Climb Out Of The Ooze For Another Round
Sep 13, 2009
While other decades-old metal genres are consistently rehashed and regurgitated on a regular basis, for some reason the current slate of thrash metal revivalism (Bonded By Blood, Warbringer etc.) is being met with a critical eye. Exactly why young bands delivering power metal and 70s doom are greeted with open arms while new thrash bands are looked upon suspiciously is an enigma.
Perhaps it's because thrash burned so brightly (culminating in the 1991 Clash Of The Titans tour) before almost disappearing altogether following the advent of grunge. For years nobody would touch the corpse with a ten foot stake, when all of a sudden scores of bands named after old Exodus albums began crawling out the woodwork. While they may seem like part of a deluge now, Richmond Virginia bashers Municipal Waste were lone wolves when they began in 2001.
Municpal Waste Came To Drink, But Also To Think
With cheeky album titles like Waste 'Em All and The Art Of Partying, Municipal Waste have been pegged solely as a party band doling out irony-tinged blasts from the past. It doesn't help that bassist Philip "Land Phil" Hall started a weed-addled side project called Cannabis Corpse. But now the boys are here to let the world know that in spite of their predilection for adult substances, they are not a joke metal band.
Their newest release Massive Aggressive is a pit-inspiring assault on the senses that bludgeons the listener for a tidy twenty-eight minutes before passing out in a corner. Listening to the lyrics, it certainly recalls the sensibilities of the olden days of thrash - featuring tunes about mutated beasties, headless villains and even deadly game shows. Yet for every scrap of teenage fantasy, there's another more sober song about religion or war. Nothing about beer bongs or intoxicated zombies.
If anything, this disc perfectly captures the essence of old school crossover thrash. Fans of D.R.I. and Nuclear Assault should fall in love with the Waste at first listen. Perhaps the oddest artifact of this whole excursion is that it doesn't come off as anachronistic at all. This album could easily be sent back in time to be enjoyed by kids in the mid to late 80s, but it doesn't feel dated today - yet another clue that these torn jean-jacket wearing boys are on the level.
Massive Aggressive Sounds Better Than It Smells
The production on Massive Aggressive is another subversively effective wonder. On first listen, the traditional, dirty east coast thrash sound comes across loud and clear, but this isn't a murky Alex Perialis affair. Producer Chris "Zuess" Harris captures the essence of the past but delivers it in a well-recorded, modern package.
The largely solo-averse guitars (courtesy of Ryan Waste) are crisp and precise, accompanied by the surprisingly nimble (and easy to distinguish) bass playing of Land Phil. Drummer Dave Witte delivers the usual thrash gallop but dresses it with some tasty, octopus-armed fills and double bass explosions. Tony Foresta's vocals might be an acquired taste, but they perfectly straddle multiple genres and fit the music like a glove.
Municipal Waste are thus hard to write off as cheeky scenesters poking fun at aging metal (though Horny For Blood does feature the cowbell). Nor are they desperately scrambling to reignite a faded trend. They certainly love the past (and how weird is it that no less than three songs contain segments sounding identical to Metallica's Dyers Eve?), but Massive Aggressive seems to prove that this is simply the music these filthy fellows were born to play.
It's just a bonus that their birthplace was a sickly green pool of toxic sludge.
Rating: 8 out of 10
- Band: Municipal Waste
- Album Title: Massive Aggressive
- Producer: Chris "Zuess" Harris
- Label: Earache Records
- US Release Date: August 25, 2009
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