Municipal Waste
The Fatal Feast
Nuclear Blast Records
Sounds Like: Classic crossover thrash a la D.R.I and Nuclear Assault
Rating: 7.5/10
Recent years have seen a renewed interest in the thrash metal genre (a genre deeply influenced by punk) and some of the scene’s heavyweights like Anthrax, Death Angel, Megadeth, Metallica, Overkill, and Slayer have all released albums with a revitalized sense of vigor. On a more underground tip, Richmond, Virginia’s speed metal punks, Municipal Waste, have been writing quality crossover thrash since the turn of the century, and they are back with their 5th album titled The Fatal Feast (Waste in Space). Starting with the “out of this world” cover art, this new record is another solid, yet somewhat typical, offering from the band with sixteen fast, fun, and face rip approved songs about aliens, beer, and eating human flesh.
Now I have to be honest, I do love science fiction, but I have never been a huge fan of the horror genre, and the idea of an album about flesh eating zombies in outer space seems pretty f’n ridiculous to me. With songs about (re)possession and cannibalistic space voyagers, it’s rather obvious that a solution to world peace won’t be resolved here, and The Waste also covers their usual lyrical fare that includes death, destruction, drinking, and loss of control of bodily functions. However, as is standard m.o. for this band, there are a few more serious songs thrown into the mix of madness, one of which is easily my favorite cut from the album.
The ninth track, “Standards and Practices,” features what I would consider the only somewhat sociopolitical lyrics found on The Fatal Feast, as well as some of the best guitar riffs. The chorus is also pretty damn catchy and is delivered courtesy of some great guest vocals from Avail’s Tim Barry (John Connelly from Nuclear Assault also makes a guest appearance on the title track). I really wish Municipal Waste wrote more songs of this ilk as it has all the qualities of a great anthem coupled with a message that really matters, and the more I listen, I feel it may be one of their best tunes to date.
While sometimes I can’t relate all that much to the lyrics, the music always rips. Borrowing heavily from bands such as D.R.I. and Nuclear Assault, The Fatal Feast features the same tasty guitar work and technical drums that headbangers have come to expect from Ryan Waste and Dave Witte, and I also love the way Land Phil’s bass stands out in the mix. Some have said the one weakness of this band is the vocals, but I personally think Tony Foresta does a fine job and he keeps the band rooted in punk rock with his delivery and style (check out his other band No Friends).
My one complaint with the music, and I can’t believe I’m about to write this, is that there aren’t enough guitar solos. This style of music is just begging for tons of shredding fretboard gymnastics a la Kirk Hammett or Jeff Hanneman, but Ryan Waste only delivers the goods on a handful of songs. It is quite clear he is capable of the technical playing required for a great thrash solo, and I truly think many of Municipal Waste’s songs could be slightly enhanced by more lead guitar work.
In summary, what you hear and see is exactly what you get with Municipal Waste. Like many bands that subscribe and pay homage to a certain genre, these guys aren’t going to re-invent the musical wheel any time soon, but what they may lack in originality is made up for with an obvious competency and genuine love toward playing old style thrash metal. The Waste always manages to bring it live too, inebriated or not, and any one of the tracks from The Fatal Feast (Waste in Space) (played through a wall of Marshall amplifiers) would beckon even the most jaded thrasher to re-enter the pit.
-Lance Wells
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