Municipal Waste's popularity blew up in 2007 with The Art of Partying, an album with almost every song revolving around drinking, partying, or just having a good time. It was the perfect soundtrack to any frat party but those who are looking for the sequel to that should turn the other way, as their new album, Massive Aggressive sees the band taking a more serious approach lyric-wise but still maintaining that heavily D.R.I.-influenced crossover thrash sound that they do so well.
Don't worry thrash fans, just because the lyrics are less humorous on this album doesn't mean that this album is any less fun to listen to. Municipal Waste haven't changed much from musical standpoint. Just about every song is full of driving thrash riffs, shout along gang vocals (see "Wrong Answer" and "Media Skeptic") and that fierce, headbanging inducing sound that Municipal Waste are known for. There's also a few parts where guitarist Ryan waste throws in a few melodic leads to add some more touch to the tracks like the introduction to the opening track, "Masked by Delirium." He even throws in a few welly executed solos ("Wolves Of Chernobyl"). Many of these leads carry a NWOBHM feel to them, which is a very nice addition and it's little improvement over constantly relying on hooks and riffs to drive their songs. Vocalist Tony Foresta also exercises his range as a singer with a new style of cleaner vocals that he experiments with on this album. He only does this on a few spots, so the change isn't quite drastic but it's definitely noticeable.
As mentioned earlier, the lyrics on Massive Aggressive take a much more serious direction than it's predecessor. You'll find zero songs about getting hammered on here and instead, you'll find songs about the future being questionable ("Relentless Attack"), religion ("Upside Down Church") and a few other things. A good majority of the songs seem to revolve around the theme of destruction and chaos. One could say this is a more "mature" album for the band but I don't know if you can call a song like "Horny for Blood" mature at all.
Massive Aggressive could be described as a return to the sound they had on Hazardous Mutation, before they became known as a "party thrash" band. The thing is that the band's overall sound hasn't changed much over the course of these albums. They've still maintained their crossover thrash sound and this album is no different. Only difference is that a lot of these songs aren't as memorable as they were on Hazardous Mutation.
However, while it's not as fun of a listen as The Art of Partying, Massive Aggressive is definitely a stronger album than it. Municipal Waste really showcased a lot better songwriting on this album and it carries a lot more lasting value than The Art of Partying. Some might be disappointed that they aren't writing about booze anymore but in the end, most will be happy that The Waste can still bring a solid thrash album to the table while still keeping a few things fresh.
