Municipal Waste: "Electrified Brain"

 

If you are a punk who likes hard core but feels the metal aesthetic is cooler then here is a band for you. This should not be news to you as these guys have been around for some time. They have taken over DRI's space in the universe.  Sure, the guitar solos are metal, but aren't most. The same can be said of the riffing at at times, though it should be judged more by its intention. When it comes to thrash bands that influenced these guys Nuclear Assault would have to be at the top of the list. Things start off airtight, with the rushed speed of "Last Crawl" the first that might not be as fresh, though it is still effective for what they are going for here. Perhaps since I was a kid and grew up listening to this when it came out the first time in the 80s I can be jaded when it comes to thrash and hoard core. 

"Grave Dive" works off the call and response of gang vocals, which works for this song but going forward I hope it is not a well they go to more than once. The groove of the riff is what really keeps the song in motion. "High Speed Steel" plays on the tropes of the era. The lyrics are not this album's strength, but these are particularly silly. The punk thrash hybrid "Thermonuclear Protection" feels like Exodus to me, with the mosh part included. Some of these riffs are impossible not to head band to like the one that opens "Blood Vessel / Boat Jail". There is a more Anthrax feel to the manic thrash of "Crank the Heat" . It is a little rushed, feeling and needs a more Joey belladonna like vocal to add the melody which is what makes Anthrax stand above their peers .

"Restless and Wicked" is a very effective song you can take seriously, then at the other end of the spectrum We have "10 Cent Beer Night". Though they take this beer more seriously than you might imagine. Things get more metal for "Barreled Rage".  "Putting On Errors" is a more rushed punk song that focuses on speed and the trade of growled call and response vocals. Along with the gang vocals I mentioned earlier that would be better if they were not part of a formula. The last song also follows a pretty similar formula as this one. Overall, this album is a great of fun and they have mastered the puppetry of this form of thrash for sure. I will give it a 9. 

Cannabis Corpse ; " The Left Hand Pass"

This band might have started off as a joke, but they have evolved into a punchline into something pretty bad ass. They have a great guitar and command you to bang your head on groove the verse of the opening song hits. They can revert into death metal cliches at times , but that is still more than I expected from this band going into this album. This a side project of Land Phil from Municipal Waste and Iron Reagan. He is joined by other high ranking metal pedigree such a members of Six Feet Under, Gatecreeper and Arsis. So when they lock into a chug is pretty devastating. There are some interesting effects applied to the guitar at times which provide some ambiance, as death metal themed around smoking pot needs plenty of that. The guitars are almost too angry to really go with that theme , but the end result from a metal perspective makes these guys who are just a joke better death metal that the bulk of what is normally sitting in my in-box. Another thing these songs have going for them is they are very concise in their construction.


"Final Exhalation" keeps the momentum it just doesn't feel as vital as the first two songs. "Chronic Breed" finds them locking into some riffs that defy my rule "cool riffs alone doesn't make a good song". With death metal running on aggression more than dynamics this is often a wall that has to be overcome. They are no an exception to this rule they are just so good at doing what they do is more forgivable in certain moments. One of these being the riffage leading into "In Battle There is No Pot". But they couple this with smart arrangements and catchy guitar work. Vocally it switches between a lower growl and a higher more black metal like rasp. They almost thrash inspired catchiness of the riffs reflects back upon the other bands these guys play for . On "Grass Orbit" it's the first time I hear anything that really reminds me of their name sake. The title track is a little darker, it doesn't really wow me , but is still entertaining in the way I need this brand of death metal to be. The bee swarm guitar of "Effigy of the Forgetful" finds them morphing the riffs pretty seamlessly at high velocity. It also become a blur that sounds like hundred of other death metal bands. The chorus gets lost in this rapid fire mush of riffs.A few head banging moments emerge, but this feel more like filler.

The last two songs are an improvement, though not really redefining death metal either.By this point in the album they have really settled on a high speed formula, the last song throws a few samples in ,but focuses more on hammering you with speed. The bass playing throughout the album is impressive ,but proves to be more nimble than your average death metal bassist on this song. The drumming is solid and the double bass rivals anything else out at present. I'll give this album an 8.5, I doubt this is going to make the top ten death metal albums of the year , but might come close.

Iron Reagan : " Crossover Ministry"

Cut from a similar mold as D.R.I Richmond's Iron Regan which features members of Municipal Waste and Darkest Hour is an explosive reminder to the 80's when trash metal and hard-core punk shared the same dna. Sometimes this is done in a more metallic manner than others, successfully hooking you into the mosh mania. "Grim Business" finds this formula firing off on all cylinders. There song writing is coiled tight on "Dead With My Friends" and holds more melodic layers than I expected from these guys. When it comes to the 14 second micro songs like "No Sell" I am not counting them for the purpose of this album. They do make up for this outburst with "Condition Evolution" . Then there are the moments that remind me more of something Tankard or M.O.D might have done on "Fuck the Neighbors". Lyrically it's pretty silly, but fun if you are a rowdy skate boarding teenager, and yes, I still remember those days.

While it is short and sweet, "Power of the Skull" is still pretty effective. The title track is pretty mosh inducing, though sometimes the speed almost makes the song feel like it is going to trip over it's self. There is a Slayer like feel to the riff that opens "More War" , this is fitting considering the lyrical content is very similar to the more war driven Slayer songs. It took three plays of "Blatant Violence ' before it just didn't race past my ears. The songs hold more weight when they slow things to a more deliberate pace and really hammer you with it. It sounds like Mike Muir drops to make an appearance on "Megachurch" , the song reminds me of How Will I Laugh Tomorrow" era Suicidal.  "Shame Spiral" might work better than "Dogsnotgods" , but both songs rely more on speed than anything.

I would have like to have heard more done with "Eat Or Be Eaten" as it had more varied sonic energies than most of the more fully formed songs. They lock into a pretty devastating riff on "Twist Your Fate". The world seems to be poised and ready for angry music like this.  This album takes me back to my adolescent years, but is nothing new, however it is a very powerful and refined metal machine and hits hard while having something to say so I'll give it an 8.5.