Richmond’s hard-partying, thrash metal maniacs MUNICIPAL WASTE will release their massively-anticipated 7th studio album, Electrified Brain, on July 1st via Nuclear Blast. Today, the band has revealed the shocking cover artwork by James Bousema, tracklisting and the deadly single ‘Grave Dive.’
Listen to “Grave Dive here: https://municipalwaste.bfan.link/grave-dive. Pre-order “Electrified Brain” here: https://www.municipalwaste.net/electrified-brain
Electrified Brain marks MUNICIPAL WASTE’s first album in 5 years, following the release of their critically exalted 2017 record Slime and Punishment. And don’t think they’ve slowed down in the years since. “We’re not writing any love ballads to sell records,” affirms vocalist Tony Foresta. “We’re just doing what we’ve always done since the band started—and that’s try to write loud, fast, and ripping hardcorepunkmetal. We hope you walk away with some bloody ears, blown speakers, pi*sed off parents, black eyes, and a healthy distrust of authority.”
Recorded in Philadelphia with producer Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Code Orange), Electrified Brain is a high-voltage non-stop masterclass of neck-snapping thrash that’d be the ideal soundtrack for high-speed car chases and backyard steel cage matches as witnessed on the new track “Grave Dive.”
“It’s in the vein of songs like ‘Headbanger Face Rip’ and ‘Wave of Death’,” Tony notes. “It’s an inspirational song for our fans to cause bodily harm to themselves, but in a loud and healthy way, of course.”
Since 2001, Municipal Waste have uncompromisingly stuck to their guns as hard-partying and even harder-hitting torchbearers of 21st century thrash metal. The Richmond, VA quintet—Tony Foresta [vocals], Ryan Waste [guitar], Philip “Landphil” Hall [bass], Dave Witte [drums], and Nick Poulos [guitar]—have transformed from a cult favourite into metal mainstays for a generation. Along the way, Decibel touted The Art of Partying in its coveted “Hall of Fame” and asserted it “revved up interest in thrash and inspired a fresh wave of youthful new bands.” Metal Hammer christened “The Art of Partying” one of “The 50 Greatest Thrash Metal Albums Ever,” while Loudwire pegged “The Art of Partying” as “The Best Thrash Album of 2007” and Hazardous Mutation as “The Best Thrash Album of 2005.” The guys have sold out countless shows on multiple continents and piled up tens of millions of streams in the process. 2017’s Slime and Punishment bowed in the Top 3 of the Billboard Heatseekers Albums Chart, and The Last Rager EP only accelerated their momentum in 2019.
Municipal Waste maintain course as vicious and vital as ever on 2022’s Electrified Brain [Nuclear Blast] as heard on tracks like ‘Grave Dive,’ ‘High Speed Steel’ and ‘Crank The Heat.’ Recorded during the pandemic in Philadelphia with producer Arthur Rizk [Power Trip, Code Orange], the sessions would be the first time the band reunited in person after a year. Together, they achieved “a thicker and heavier sound.”
In the end, Electrified Brain will give you everything you’d want from a Municipal Waste record or heavy metal record, period. “We hope you walk away with some bloody ears, blown speakers, pissed off parents, black eyes, and a healthy distrust of authority,” says Tony.
