Municipal Waste

Morbikon – Ov Mournful Twilight [Things You Might Have Missed 2022]

Morbikon – Ov Mournful Twilight [Things You Might Have Missed 2022]

“Some supergroups stick close to home. An artist bursts with ideas in their chosen subgenre, and so–like Stephen King using the pseudonym “Richard Bachman” to crank out horror novels–the new entity produces something not so far-flung from the work that made them famous. Then there’s Morbikon. Ov Mournful Twilight sees Phil “Landphil” Hall of party thrashers Municipal Waste and Vrenth from blackened folk institution/oddity Finntroll join forces to birth a slab of frostbitten second-wave worship that comes complete with a deadpan v of trvth in the title.” Municipal Trolling.

Tankard – Pavlov’s Dawgs Review

Tankard – Pavlov’s Dawgs Review

“I was overjoyed when Tankard asked me to pose for this lovely album art. Metal fuels my mind, and beer fuels my body; it’s a match made in heaven. Tankard realized this before I was born. These inebriated Germans have been around since the early days of German thrash, and their 1986 debut was released within months of Sodom’s Obsessed by Cruelty, Kreator’s Pleasure to Kill, and Destruction’s Eternal Devastation.” Beer drool.

Tymo – The Art of a Maniac Review

Tymo – The Art of a Maniac Review

“Between threats of violence and comparisons of bicep circumference, a blessed soul shared the album art to Tymo’s second full-length The Art of a Maniac in the AMG group chat. I knew then I had to have it. It evokes the very best of over-the-top 80s thrash album covers, complete with a comically sinister figure in the foreground (in this case evil Bob Ross with his very own shoulder-Kuato), a post-apocalyptic cityscape in the background, and more vibrant colors than a Lisa Frank trapper keeper. I’d made the right call though, when I learned that these Alberta-bound Canucks not only walk the walk but talk the talk, contributing another mighty slab of unrelenting party-thrash to the never-ending thrash revival.” Ross fight.

Terrordome – Straight Outta Smogtown Review

Terrordome – Straight Outta Smogtown Review

“What, I ask myself as I embark on my fifth or sixth listen of Straight Outta Smogtown, is the point of guest vocals. Guest vocals that work best are those that allow a band to deliver something markedly different from what they would otherwise do. Look at the two recent collaborations between Thou and Emma Ruth Rundle, for a recent example, or, going back a quite a long way now, look at Dave Grohl’s Probot. Although Probot was a far from a perfect album, the way the numerous vocalists were used, delivered a very different character for each track. So what have Polish thrashers Terrordome fashioned with a number of additional vocalists who guest on their third full-length, Straight Outta Smogtown?” The smog of war.

Hazzerd – Delirium Review

Hazzerd – Delirium Review

“While I relish the disgusting lurch and crawl of Asphyx and Autopsy, I’ve never been able to shake my love of blistering, thrashing metal. Reign in Blood kicked down the door, and through that door has charged classics like Slaughter’s Strappado, MercilessThe Awakening, and Morbid Priest’s Spectrum of Death into my iron heart and album collection. I can’t get enough of the stuff, but after listening to …And Justice for All again, I rediscovered my enjoyment of that vein of thrash as well – Metallica was my gateway into metal, after all. Hazzerd is a relatively young Canadian band who play this second type of thrash.” Speed Hazzerds ahead.

Cannabis Corpse – Nug So Vile Review

Cannabis Corpse – Nug So Vile Review

Cannabis Corpse have gained impressive mileage from their death metal gimmick, mainly through striking a keen balance between their old school Floridian worship, crafty weed and death metal puns, and a blasting sense of fun and technical expertise integrated into their chunky, groove-laced brand of death. The experienced band follow-up 2017’s reliably solid Left Hand Pass on the cheekily titled homage to Cryptopsy’s classic None So Vile album, here re-dubbed as Nug So Vile.” Smoke damage.

Hellnite – Midnight Terrors Review

Hellnite – Midnight Terrors Review

“During their halcyon years Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax loomed large over the thrash landscape, basking in success and spawning a fanbase so large it defied a horizon. But there existed a tier below the A and B-listers, bands like Allegiance, Heathen and Xentrix who eked out a modest existence built on solid albums supported by a coterie of eager followers. This is not a vein you’d expect a modern thrash band to mine for inspiration, yet that is exactly where Hellnite have chosen to strike their pickaxe with their debut album, Midnight Terrors.” Mine the medium.

Gama Bomb – Speed Between the Lines Review

Gama Bomb – Speed Between the Lines Review

“If you read lists of what women find attractive in men, Number Three is always a sense of humor. Since most men (including myself) will never have Numbers One or Two, this becomes a very important trait. Enter Gama Bomb, an Irish thrash band that loves to sing about Kurt Russell and Robocop. Their nerdy sense of humor has been a beacon on the thrash scene since their 2005 debut, Survival of the Fastest, and in some ways, they could be considered the AC/DC of thrash.” Run for our love!

Kaos Reign – Epiphany Review

Kaos Reign – Epiphany Review

““The heart wants what the heart wants,” though trite, succinctly sums up how we’re only interested in feeding our own desires. Biases, predilections, call it what you will – this inertia keeps us in a constant orbit around our personal sun and clarifying why we won’t, or can’t break free is a sometimes elusive task. I’m no different, scratch my skin and what oozes out is a clump of thrash cells. This can be explained away by Metallica being the Vergil to my Dante, guiding me down a spiraling path that was followed by Megadeth, Pantera and Machine Head.” Reign in kaos.

Cannabis Corpse – Left Hand Pass Review

Cannabis Corpse – Left Hand Pass Review

“Comprised of a line-up featuring a combined membership of various high profile bands, including Iron Reagan, Gatecreeper, Municipal Waste, and Six Feet Under, perpetual pun machine Cannabis Corpse have risen beyond pure parody status to forge their own identity in the death metal underground. Paying tribute to their slightly tweaked namesake, specifically the Barnes-era, and the ’90s Floridian death metal scene at large, remains the band’s weed bread and hash butter.” The grass is always greener.