Municipal Waste in Concert

These raucous metallers have been called crossover thrash and party thrash, and it’s clear that those terms aren’t mutually exclusive. Formed in 2000 in Richmond, Virginia, thrash assailants Municipal Waste literally started a riot at their first show: a New Year’s Eve keg party. Quickly cutting two split albums — one with Bad Acid Trip and one with Crucial Unit — the band went on a tour of the U.S. and Mexico, spreading their debauchery all over North America. In 2003, they released their first album, the hard-hitting — and clearly Metallica-inspired — ‘Waste ‘Em All.’ Municipal Waste signed to Earache Records in ‘05 and released ‘Hazardous Mutation,’ which featured ripper “The Thrashin of Christ.” They toured with Destruction shortly after, and then worked on a follow-up with Hatebreed producer Zeuss. ‘The Art of Partying,’ their third album — which opened with a track called “Pre-Game” and proceeded toward “Born to Party “— embraced their fundamental values as hard partiers. They shuttled onto European festival circuits and toured with idols Suicidal Tendencies. ‘The Art of Partying’ was listed as a Top 5 album of the year in Sweden’s Close Up magazine, and received high marks in numerous other publications. 

Seeking further destruction, Municipal Waste signed with revered metal label Nuclear Blast for their fifth album, ‘The Fatal Feast,’ which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard New Artists charts. Then ‘Slime and Punishment’ (2017), their first to fully soar into the charts, reached No. 3 on U.S. Heatseekers, No. 9 on U.S. Independent, and No. 11 on Top Hard Rock Albums. The album’s “Amateur Sketch” was listed among Loudwire’s 25 Best Metal Songs of 2017 — not bad, considering the top few slots were taken by Code Orange, Pallbearer, and Power Trip.