Municipal Waste
The Art Of Partying

THE REVIEW

The neo-thrash wave that has been filling music store shelves for a few years now certainly has among its standard-bearers and shining stars the American band Municipal Waste, one of the first bands of this new genre guided by the publishing house Earache Records (known primarily for more extreme bands like Napalm Death, Anal Cunt, Carcass, etc.).

What is neo-thrash metal? First thing to say: it has nothing to do with Trivium or Bullet For My Valentine, the thrash revival has nothing to do with certain polished names that only partially bring back the old thrash sound by integrating it with much more modern elements like emocore to hit the sales charts.

The thrash revival is a collection of relatively young groups that bring back the sounds that belonged to the early Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, the very first Megadeth, Nuclear Assault, Exodus, D.R.I., Stormtroopers of Death, etc. In short, you get it, right? Thrash metal heavily influenced by hardcore, the punk-style drive of the songs, and the raw and crude attitude.

Municipal Waste have three albums to their credit, and their best product (but all three are great, believe me) is certainly the latest one "The Art of Partying," dated 2007.

An album primarily for Bay Area nostalgia lovers but also for young kids who want to discover from a young band (the first album "Wast'em All" is from 2003) a genre thought to be dead and buried and kept only by the big names of the time (Slayer above all).

Little more than 35 minutes of pure thrash will delight the ears of those who have yet to approach this product, thanks to little gems like the title track with its terribly catchy chorus and the pace of tracks like "Headbanger Face Rip." The rhythms are always fast, and the adrenaline is abundant, but Waste also know when to apply the brakes, like in the beautiful introduction (which reappears before the end) of "The Inebriator" (which anyway then launches aggressively like all of them with drumming at times bordering on grind).

Hardcore influence present in pieces like "Chemically Altered" and in "Open Your Mind", they skillfully summon the Anthrax of good times and also reference the start of "Hit The Lights" (do I also need to tell you the artist and album? naaa) in the final "Born To Party" that then turns into a beautiful thrashcore anthem.

In short, without going on too long, all the tracks are little sticks of dynamite that explode and flow fast and very pleasantly throughout the entire album's duration.

"The Art Of Partying" is definitely worth the purchase, and I personally consider Municipal Waste one of the craziest, most brilliant, and fundamental bands in the current metal scene.

As they say, “there's no need to invent something new to do something beautiful.”

Rating: 8.5/10