Municipal Waste: The Last Rager (2019)

Municipal Waste's 2019 EP already made it to number three on my Top EPs of 2019, so it is pretty easy to see what I think of it.  I was pretty late getting into this band, for reasons I am not sure about.  A crossover/thrash metal band would seem to be up my alley, yet it took a long time before I checked them out.  This is only the second release I had heard from the band.

The Last Rager is a short, crunchy EP that flies by in just a hair over ten minutes.  There are four songs on the album led off by the repetitive, but fun "Wave of Death" which sounds like an S.O.D. track.  "Car-Nivore (Street Meat)" is my favorite song on the album as it speeds by at 100 mph with the best riff on the album and some furious back-and-forth shouting between the two vocalists.  Plus, the pun is just awesome.  "Rum for Your Life" is a bit more groove-oriented but still packs a punch and generally features the best vocal performance and a blazing solo.  Finally, the title track hits hard to close things out with some more terrific thrashy riffwork.

This is a short, but fun release from a band that has made a career out of beating down the door, thrashing hard and leaving just as quickly.  This will not be my last Municipal Waste release.