R E V I E W S
Municipal Waste - Hazardous Mutation - 2005 - Earache
Track Listing
1. Intro 2. Deathripper 3. Unleash the Bastards 4. The Thing 5. Blood Drive 6. Accelerated Vision 7. Guilty of Being Tight 8. Set to Destruct 9. Hazardous Mutation 10. Nailed Casket 11. Abusement Park 12. Black Ice 13. Mind Eraser 14. Terror Shark 15. The Thrashin' of the Christ 16. Bangover
The kids in Richmond have problems. The Slave Pit, where GWAR calls home is not the only thing to fester in the wastes of one of the oldest cities in America. The boys behind Municipal Waste seem to be finding their way out of the gutter into our homes. A throw back to what they call “80’s Crossover”, mixing all the rage and anarchy of the punk music heyday with heavier riffs and cleaner sounds. Compared to iconic bands like DRI and Suicidal Tendencies, their debut full-length album, “Hazardous Mutation”, most assuredly holds those same values, or lack there of, true. In every essence a true thrash album. Chaotic and spiteful with buckets of lyrical gore applied liberally to about every aspect of this album. Bitter and cynical lyrics abound, as they call to “…crush the church and take back our lives.” on the track “Thrashin’ of the Christ”, also showing blatant disregard for public safety on songs like Blood Drive, a maniacal romp through a high speed pursuit. Such a sick outlook for a group of guys freshly into there 20’s, which begs the question, what’s happening in Richmond? Their youth may be their greatest advantage, giving them plenty of years to mature their angst-ridden sound, which I will admit, will need to keep evolving as they progress as a band, or they run a very real risk of getting themselves into a thrash rut. Which could prove to be what will stop what seems like an unstoppable up-and-coming band.
Overall “Hazardous Mutation” is a solid album musically. While being a hefty 16 tracks, each one averages about 2 minutes so it runs through your CD player fairly quickly but leaves you still pounding your fist. For those of you still clinging to the punk scene from 20 years ago, scoffing at “punk” bands like Sum 41 and Good Charlotte, this may be what you’re waiting for. While calling it a breath of fresh air may be insulting, it’s more like a hot ragged belch spraying spit into a mass marketed punk genre. Recent exploits have taken them coast-to-coast with fellow Virginians and splatter punk masters of the Earth, GWAR. Record label, Earache, has promised more to come from the self-destructive quartet. Let’s hope they hold true on that. It may be enough to constitute a trip out to Richmond to see what else is crawling in the sewers and landfills.
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