Municipal Waste – The Fatal Feast

April 10th marks the return of Richmond, Virginia’s metal masters, Municipal Waste with their fifth album, “The Fatal Feast.”

As usual, when I listen to Municipal Waste I think I am listening to an exceptionally tasty Nuclear Assault album. Tony Foresta does an excellent job of channeling (and improving upon) the vocal stylings of John Connelly. No disrespect to John, I love the NA catalog, but something about Tony gels with the music better for me. I have always loved Municipal Waste because they sound like all the best things about late 80s thrash. I am glad they are still chugging along strong.

The early Municipal Waste albums seemed heavily focused on partying (and the sometimes hilarious consequences) and gore. They tend to focus more on the latter than the former these days, but “The Fatal Feast” still offers a few songs for those that partake. See tunes like “Covered in Sick – The Barfer”, “You’re Cut Off” and “12 Step Program.”

For the uninitiated, let me describe the Municipal Waste sound. The music tends to be speedy thrash metal with punk-crossover flavorings. The sound is stripped down to bare-essentials which makes them fast and tight. The vocals, if you did not already guess by the Nuclear Assault comparison, tend to be an edgy barked scream reminiscent of early crossover bands. D.R.I. would be another reasonable comparison. The production is strong and clear and beyond reproach.

It should come as no surprise that I heavily endorse “The Fatal Feast.” Before there was a real thrash revival these guys were tearing it up old school and they, along with Warbringer, still lead the pack. Check out the video below for the title track and get ready to bang your head…in space!