REVIEW: MUNICIPAL WASTE – “Electrified Brain”

Municipal Waste broke the boundaries in 2003 and emerged from out of nowhere. They were the precursor of the crossover period we all have come to love. Thrash metal was in a drought, and they helped it grow and added some hardcore elements to the mix. They did what DRI did back in the day and rewrote the rules.

‘’Electrified Brain’’ is their 7^th full-length album and first since 2017. Two of the members are also art of Iron Reagan and have been working hard on this project as well. The two year pandemic also put the brakes on the progress of the new album. It was quite a surprise to see them finally releasing a new album. 2022 will be a huge year (as has been a huge year) for Thrash Metal with releases by Megadeth, Destruction, Kreator and countless others.

They may have created a revolution, but the evolution is stagnant on this release. It felt rushed, even though it’s been 5 long years. I don’t really know what I was expecting at first, but this release unfortunately did not hit the high marks. Was it the long layoff or just lack of creative drive, we might never know but this album lacks substance. They do not explore anything different than usual and that might be their biggest mistake.

About 15 years ago , the New Wave of Old School Thrash Metal hit the streets with bands like Municipal Waste. These bands were tired of a lot of Thrash Metal bands that changed too much since their heyday and they wanted to come back to the roots of the genre, a genre that is near and dear to my own heart because it was the first genre I really got into. I believe fans were clamoring for something fresh yet something that was more apparent to early to mid eighties and they didn’t miss the boat when this movement came by.

Continuing with their usual brand of lyrical themes, Municipal Waste still hits hard with songs about political corruption, what the future holds in this constant state of war, the inevitable demise of humankind as a whole. They talk about partying but also the flaws of the society we live in yet with a much aggressive approach. Their lyrics are actually thought provoking yet a social and political critique especially on the state of United States of America in the last few years. They don’t pull any punches and they are intelligent lyrics without compromising what they bring forth on the musical side of things.

This album is a broken record, a 33 minute assault on the senses but we have been through this before. It feels a bit dated and you get bored pretty fast. It’s not bad and it’s a fun thirty minute ride but you don’t feel the need to listen to it again. I feel you can put this album once and put it back on the shelf afterwards. I felt that the songs were interchangeable, nothing really stands out from each other. It felt bland yet it’s still very energetic. It puts you in a good move but it lacks variety and substance. It was a disappointing release unfortunately and it does not reinvent the wheel whatsoever.

Kreator and Destruction brought something new to their 2022 releases and tried new things, new themes as well. Municipal Waste seem to be spinning around a bit and reliving the last few albums.