Municipal Waste (band)

Last updated

Municipal Waste
Municipal Waste Haus Auensee Leipzig 2023 17 (cropped).jpg
Municipal Waste performing in 2023
Background information
Origin Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Genres
Years active2000–present
Labels Nuclear Blast, Earache, Tankcrimes
Members Tony Foresta
Ryan Waste
Land Phil
Dave Witte
Nick Poulos
Past membersBrendon Trache
Andy Harris
Brandon Ferrell
Website MunicipalWaste.net

Municipal Waste is an American crossover thrash band from Richmond, Virginia, [1] formed in 2000. To date, the band has released seven studio albums, three EPs and four splits. They have gone through a few line-up changes, leaving vocalist Tony Foresta and rhythm guitarist Ryan Waste as the only constant members. In addition to Foresta and Waste, their current lineup includes Philip "Land Phil" Hall on bass, Dave Witte on drums and Nick "Nikropolis" Poulos on lead guitar.

Contents

History

Municipal Waste was formed in Richmond, Virginia in 2000. [2] Municipal Waste played their first show at a Richmond New Year's Eve Keg party in 2000–2001. [2] The band took musical influences from crossover thrash bands such as D.R.I., Suicidal Tendencies, Animosity -era Corrosion of Conformity, Nuclear Assault and Attitude Adjustment. Municipal Waste toured throughout 2001 and 2002 in the US and Mexico. The band released two split albums—one 7" with Bad Acid Trip, the other being a 12" with Crucial Unit. They also had tracks on a number of compilations. In 2002 Brendan Trache left, being replaced by Brandon Ferrell, shortly before the Tango and Thrash on Amendment Records and Waste 'Em All was released on Six Weeks Records. Following the release of Waste 'Em All, both Andy Harris and Brandon Ferrell left the band, being replaced by bassist Philip "LandPhil" Hall and drummer Dave Witte respectively.

In 2005, Municipal Waste signed to Earache Records and recorded the Hazardous Mutation album. During 2005 and 2006, Municipal Waste shot a video for "Unleash the Bastards", with a censored and non-censored version.

In June 2007, Municipal Waste toured with Destruction in the United States, before heading into the studio with Hatebreed and Shadows Fall producer Zeuss, to record their next album The Art of Partying . The band followed this up with a headline tour of Europe, a tour with The Haunted and spots at Wacken Open Air in Germany and Reading and Leeds Festivals. They also went on the road with Suicidal Tendencies. A video was then recorded for the track "Headbanger Face Rip", which was filmed by Troma Entertainment.

In 2007, the band received great acclaim from the music press, with a top five album of the year placing in Sweden's Close Up magazine and top twenty positions in Big Cheese and Kerrang! They also were on the front cover of Metal Maniacs magazine but also made several appearances in NME . [3]

They performed at the UK's Download Festival in June 2008. They also joined At the Gates on their "Suicidal Final Tour" along with Darkest Hour, Toxic Holocaust and Repulsion.

Municipal Waste at Finnish Metal Expo 2008 Municipal Waste - FME 01.jpg
Municipal Waste at Finnish Metal Expo 2008

In 2010, the band was confirmed as being part of the soundtrack for Namco Bandai Games' 2010 remake of Splatterhouse.

Municipal Waste released their fourth album Massive Aggressive in 2009, followed three years later by The Fatal Feast (2012), and then five years later by Slime and Punishment (2017). [4] The band released the EP The Last Rager on October 11, 2019, and their seventh studio album Electrified Brain was released on July 1, 2022. [5]

Musical style and influences

The band members themselves have stated that they are influenced from groups such as Suicidal Tendencies, D.R.I., Slayer, Anthrax, Exodus, Testament, Sepultura, Nuclear Assault, S.O.D., M.O.D. and the Cro-Mags.

The band's songwriting approach takes form in short, crossover thrash songs. Lyrical topics have to do with alcoholism, mutants, or thrash metal. The music is also described as being, and the band has received the tag "party thrash" from the media. [6] [7] The band's song titles are also comedic, or give nods to their influences such as "Thrashing's My Business and Business is Good", "The Thrashin' of the Christ", "Thrash? Don't Mind If I Do" and "Drunk as Shit".

Band members

Timeline
Municipal Waste (band)

Discography

Awards and accolades

Loudwire Music Awards

YearNominee / workAwardResult
2017Amateur SketchMetal Song of the YearNominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthrax (American band)</span> American thrash metal band

Anthrax is an American thrash metal band from New York City, formed in 1981 by rhythm guitarist Scott Ian and bassist Dan Lilker. The group is considered one of the leaders of the thrash metal scene from the 1980s and is part of the "Big Four" of the genre, along with Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer. They were also one of the first thrash metal bands to emerge from the East Coast. The band's current lineup consists of Scott Ian, drummer Charlie Benante, bassist Frank Bello, vocalist Joey Belladonna and lead guitarist Jonathan Donais. Anthrax's lineup has changed numerous times over their career, leaving Ian as the only constant member of the band. Ian and Benante are the only two members to appear on all of Anthrax's albums, while Bello has been a member of Anthrax since 1984, replacing Lilker.

Thrash metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo. The songs usually use fast percussive beats and low-register guitar riffs, overlaid with shredding-style lead guitar work. The lyrical subject matter often includes criticism of The Establishment, opposition to armed conflicts, and at times shares a disdain for the Christian religion with that of black metal. The language is typically direct and denunciatory, an approach borrowed from Punk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicidal Tendencies</span> American crossover thrash band

Suicidal Tendencies is an American crossover thrash band formed in 1980 in Venice, Los Angeles, California, by vocalist Mike Muir. The band has undergone various lineup changes, with Muir as the only remaining original member. Their current lineup includes Muir, guitarists Dean Pleasants and Ben Weinman, bassist Tye Trujillo and drummer Jay Weinberg. Notable musicians who have contributed to the band's studio or live activities include guitarists Rocky George and Mike Clark, bassists Louiche Mayorga, Robert Trujillo, Ra Díaz, Josh Paul and Stephen "Thundercat" Bruner, and drummers Amery Smith, Jimmy DeGrasso, Brooks Wackerman, David Hidalgo Jr., Thomas Pridgen, Dave Lombardo, Brandon Pertzborn, Greyson Nekrutman and session musician Josh Freese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dirty Rotten Imbeciles</span> American crossover thrash band

Dirty Rotten Imbeciles is an American crossover thrash band that formed in Houston in 1982 and would later relocate to San Francisco. The band is currently composed of two of its founding members, lead vocalist Kurt Brecht and guitarist Spike Cassidy, as well as bassist Greg Orr and drummer Rob Rampy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sacred Reich</span> American thrash metal band

Sacred Reich is an American thrash metal band based in Phoenix, Arizona, that was formed in 1985. The band split in 2000, but reunited in 2006. Sacred Reich has been credited, along with Testament, Destruction, Death Angel and Dark Angel, for leading the second wave of thrash metal in the late 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Muir</span> American singer

Michael Allen Muir is an American singer who is the lead vocalist and the sole continuous member of Los Angeles-based bands Suicidal Tendencies, Los Cycos, and Infectious Grooves. He has also released several solo albums under his nickname Cyco Miko. Muir's trademark is wearing bandanas, jerseys with the number 13, and hats with block-style letters that read "suicidal".

Cryptic Slaughter is an American crossover thrash band based in Santa Monica, California, and originally formed in 1984.

<i>Lights...Camera...Revolution!</i> 1990 studio album by Suicidal Tendencies

Lights...Camera...Revolution! is the fifth studio album by American crossover thrash band Suicidal Tendencies, released in 1990. This was the band's first release with bassist Robert Trujillo and their last studio album with drummer R.J. Herrera.

Uncle Slam was an American crossover thrash band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1987. They were influenced by punk rock bands of the 1980s like Suicidal Tendencies, D.R.I., Corrosion of Conformity, Black Flag and the Circle Jerks, as well as heavy metal bands like Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Slayer and Motörhead. Many of their songs are about politics, rebel themes, death, pain and violence.

Attitude Adjustment is an American crossover thrash band from the San Francisco Bay Area. Their debut album, American Paranoia, is considered to be an early "crossover" between hardcore punk and thrash metal.

<i>Hazardous Mutation</i> 2005 studio album by Municipal Waste

Hazardous Mutation is the second album by the American crossover thrash band Municipal Waste. It is also the band's debut on Earache Records. The album's main theme is zombies, other monsters, and partying all tied together with humorous yet brutal lyrics. It was also released as a special edition with a bonus live DVD. It was the first album produced by Nick Poulos.

<i>The Art of Partying</i> 2007 studio album by Municipal Waste

The Art of Partying is the third studio album from the crossover thrash band Municipal Waste, released on June 12, 2007, through Earache Records. A limited edition version was also released at the same time, containing two bonus tracks and including a free woven patch.

Crossover thrash is a fusion genre of thrash metal and hardcore punk. The genre lies on a continuum between heavy metal and hardcore punk. Other genres on the same continuum, such as metalcore and grindcore, may overlap with crossover thrash.

<i>Massive Aggressive</i> 2009 studio album by Municipal Waste

Massive Aggressive is the fourth studio album by American thrash metal band Municipal Waste. It was released on August 25, 2009 through Earache Records. The album artwork was done by Andrei Bouzikov, bassist of Deadfall.

<i>The Fatal Feast</i> 2012 studio album by Municipal Waste

The Fatal Feast is the fifth studio album by American crossover thrash band Municipal Waste. It was released on April 10, 2012 through Nuclear Blast. The album debuted at number 1 on the Billboard New Artist chart. The artwork was done by Justin Osbourn of Slasher Design.

<i>Toxic Waste</i> (EP) 2012 EP by Municipal Waste/Toxic Holocaust

Toxic Waste is a split EP by American thrash metal bands Municipal Waste and Toxic Holocaust released under Tankcrimes Records. Tracks 1 and 2 are by Municipal Waste. Tracks 3 and 4 are by Toxic Holocaust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iron Reagan</span> American crossover thrash band

Iron Reagan is an American crossover thrash supergroup from Richmond, Virginia, consisting of Municipal Waste vocalist Tony Foresta, Cannabis Corpse and Municipal Waste bassist Phil "LandPhil" Hall, former A.N.S. guitarist Mark Bronzino, former Darkest Hour drummer Ryan Parrish, and Hellbear bassist Rob Skotis. Since their formation in 2012, they have released three full-length albums, two EPs and three split EPs. Their 2014 album The Tyranny of Will peaked at 22 on the Billboard 200.

<i>Slime and Punishment</i> 2017 studio album by Municipal Waste

Slime and Punishment is the sixth studio album by American crossover thrash band Municipal Waste, released on June 23, 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Power Trip (band)</span> American thrash metal band

Power Trip is an American crossover thrash band formed in Dallas, Texas, in 2008. By 2020, Power Trip's lineup consisted of Riley Gale, Blake Ibanez, Nick Stewart, Chris Whetzel (bass) and Chris Ulsh (drums); the latter replaced drummer Marcus Johnson, who left in 2009. Their current singer is Seth Gilmore, who replaced Gale in 2023, more than three years after the latter's death. They have released two studio albums to date, Manifest Decimation (2013) and Nightmare Logic (2017), plus a compilation including their early tracks and a live album.

References

  1. Carman, Keith. , Exclaim! , September 2009.
  2. 1 2 Hitz, Sam (March 20, 2009). "Municipal Waste". Thrasher . Retrieved February 20, 2012.
  3. McMahon, James (July 2007). "Thrash is Back". NME . Retrieved February 20, 2012.
  4. "MUNICIPAL WASTE To Release 'Slime And Punishment' Album In June". Blabbermouth.net . April 28, 2017. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  5. Joe DiVita (April 1, 2022). "Municipal Waste Return With New Ripper 'Grave Dive' + New Album". Loudwire . Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  6. "Download Festival Day Three: Sunday". State . Archived from the original on August 3, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
  7. "New England Metal & Hardcore Festival in Worcester, MA". KNAC. May 11, 2009. Retrieved February 20, 2012.