UMUR
"The Fatal Feast" is the 5th full-length studio album by US crossover/thrash metal act Municipal Waste. The album was released through Nuclear Blast Records in April 2012. It´s the successor to "Massive Aggressive" from 2009. There have been no lineup changes since the predecessor. Crossover thrash metal along with the more traditional thrash metal style have experienced quite the revival since the turn of the millenium, and Municipal Waste have been one of the most successful acts playing a combination of those two styles. Listening to "The Fatal Feast (Waste in Space)" it´s quite obvious why that is.
The music on the album is crossover thrash metal with an emphasis on aggression, catchiness, and relentless energy. The vocals by Tony Foresta are snarling and aggressive, the riffs and rhythms are sharp, thrashy, and at times fast and hardcore punk oriented and the drumming energetic and powerful. Municipal Waste master all the basic tools to write and play crossover thrash metal. You´ve probably heard it all before, but seldom this sharp and professional. Don´t be fooled by the often goofy "cartoonish" lyrics (check out song titles like "Covered in Sick/The Barfer" and "The Monster With 21 Faces") or the cover artwork, because these guys can write effectful tunes and they don´t just play...they play really well.
There isn´t much variation to be found on the album and the same can be said between the band´s albums, but whenever I put on "The Fatal Feast (Waste in Space)" I can´t help to smile and my head slowly begins to bang until I can´t stop moving and bang my head like a maniac. It´s such a charming album and it just has that effect on me. Let´s just say I´ll live with the fact that it´s not the most varied album and that it sounds maybe a bit too much like the albums which came before. There´s maybe a slightly darker tone and a little more heaviness to "The Fatal Feast (Waste in Space)" compared to the preceding releases, but it´s details, and overall Municipal Waste is a very consistent act both in terms of songwriting quality and performances.
The album features a powerful, raw, and detailed sound production which suits the music perfectly. The slightly darker and heavier sound production helps the material shine and also make "The Fatal Feast (Waste in Space)" stand out just a bit from the preceding albums. But again we´re talking details. So while "The Fatal Feast (Waste in Space)" is neither the most original sounding nor the most varied crossover thrash metal release out there, it´s still a high quality release in the genre and it´s highly recommendable to people who enjoy fast, catchy, and aggressive crossover thrash. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.