Richmond, VA · crossover thrash

Municipal Waste

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Party thrash played at a ludicrous clip — beer, gore, and songs that rarely reach two minutes, with crowd-surfing quotas to meet.

Municipal Waste came together in Richmond, Virginia in 2000, playing their first show at a New Year's Eve keg party. The band drew on earlier crossover thrash groups such as D.R.I., Suicidal Tendencies, Corrosion of Conformity, Nuclear Assault and Attitude Adjustment. Tony Foresta sings and Ryan Waste plays rhythm guitar, the two members who have stayed constant through every later change in lineup.

The band's songs are fast and short, built on gang vocals and titles pulled from horror films, science fiction and drinking. Early releases included splits with Bad Acid Trip and Crucial Unit, and the 2003 debut Waste 'Em All brought the band its first notice, along with touring slots supporting Converge and the Red Chord.

Signing to Earache Records, Municipal Waste released Hazardous Mutation in 2005 and followed it with The Art of Partying in 2007, produced by Zeuss, and later Massive Aggressive. The Art of Partying drew strong reviews from Kerrang! and NME and landed on several year-end lists, cementing the band's place in the 2000s crossover thrash revival.

Touring has stayed constant, including a co-headlining run with GWAR, dates alongside At the Gates and Lamb of God, and repeated trips through Europe. The current lineup adds bassist Philip "Land Phil" Hall, drummer Dave Witte and lead guitarist Nick "Nikropolis" Poulos alongside Foresta and Waste, with shows that still draw chaotic pits and stage diving.

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crossover thrash