Municipal Waste played their first show at a Richmond New Year's Eve Keg party in 2000/2001. The band was blamed for inciting a small riot. The band took musical influences from crossover thrash bands such as D.R.I., Suicidal Tendencies, Animosity-era Corrosion of Conformity, Nuclear Assault and Attitude Adjustment. Municipal Waste toured throughout 2001 and 2002 in the USA and Mexico. The band released two split albums—one 7" with Bad Acid Trip, the other being a 12" with Crucial Unit. They also had tracks on a number of compilations. In 2002 Brendan Trache left, being replaced by Brandon Ferrell, shortly before the Tango and Thrash on Amendment Records and Waste 'Em All was released on Six Weeks Records. Following the release of Waste 'Em All, both Andy Harris and Brandon Ferrell left the band, being replaced by drummer Dave Witte and bassist "LandPhil".
In 2005, Municipal Waste signed to Earache Records and recorded the Hazardous Mutation album. During 2005 and 2006, Municipal Waste shot a video for "Unleash the Bastards", with a censored and non-censored version.
In June 2007, Municipal Waste toured with Destruction in the United States, before heading into the studio with Hatebreed and Shadows Fall producer Zeuss, to record their next album The Art of Partying. The band followed this up with a headline tour of Europe, a tour with The Haunted and spots at Wacken Open Air in Germany and Reading and Leeds Festivals. They also went on the road with Suicidal Tendencies. A video was then recorded for the track "Headbanger Face Rip," which was filmed by Troma Entertainment.
In 2007, the band received great acclaim from the music press, with a top five album of the year placing in Sweden's Close Up magazine and top twenty positions in Big Cheese and Kerrang! They also were on the front cover of Metal Maniacs magazine but also made several appearances in NME.
They performed at the UK's Download Festival on June 15, 2008. They also joined At the Gates on their "Suicidal Final Tour" along with Darkest Hour, Toxic Holocaust and Repulsion.
In 2010, the band was confirmed as being part of the soundtrack for Namco Bandai Games' 2010 remake of Splatterhouse.
Municipal Waste released their third album Massive Aggressive in 2009, followed three years later by The Fatal Feast (2012), and then five years later by Slime and Punishment (2017). The band is currently working on a new EP and a new full-length studio album.
The band members themselves have stated that they are influenced from groups such as Suicidal Tendencies, D.R.I., Slayer, Anthrax, Exodus, Testament, Sepultura, Nuclear Assault, S.O.D., M.O.D. and the Cro-Mags.
The band's songwriting approach takes form in short, crossover thrash songs. Lyrical topics have to do with alcoholism, mutants, or thrash metal. The music is also described as being, and the band has received the tag "Party thrash" from the media. The band's song titles are also comedic, or give nods to their influences such as "Thrashing's My Business and Business is Good", "The Thrashin' of the Christ", "Thrash? Don't Mind If I Do" and "Drunk as Shit".
The Thing
Municipal Waste Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the distance a lone wolf flees, But no one knows the carnage that this animal will bring
VIOLENE UNFOLDS
Assaulted by Norwegian guests theyll have to die like all the rest
SEARCHING THROUGH SNOW
Discovering the frozen corpse of something thats not of this earth
THE CREATURE COMES FORTH
An evil makes its presence known attempting to create a clone
And something grim is at hand something in this arctic land
The Thing, No one knows the hell it will bring
Its got you from the inside, Its taking over your life
Intensions so unexplained, Until the gets a hold of your brain
Hiding till the damage is done, Killing them off one by one
The sense of fear begins to grow, and no one has protection from this dangerous infection
Their fates in the hands of the unknown, and nerves are quickly blowing while the thing is steadily growing
Whom to trust theyll never now
And nothing can contain a creature of the unexplained
Half the crews dead more to go
Somehow its got to stop and now McReady's getting pissed off
Now theres nothing left to do
Discovering whose human is what this final test will prove
Deadly results are what this test brings
But its the final hope to unveil this gruesome being
VIOLENCE UNFOLDS
The test was the solution now its time for execution
SEARCHING THROUGH SNOW
And now Blair is the last Thing left Hell fight until his dying breath
THE CREATURE COMES FORTH
But this will be the final clash and kills it with a giant blast
NOWHERE TO GO
Our heros fate is finally sealed
The camp is lost The Thing is killed (or is it?)
The song "The Thing" by Municipal Waste takes inspiration from the 1982 science fiction horror movie of the same name, directed by John Carpenter. The lyrics narrate the story of a group of researchers stationed in Antarctica who come across a dangerous creature of unknown origin that begins to infect them one by one. The lyrics describe the progression of events, from the discovery of the creature to the ultimate showdown between the survivors and the monster.
The song uses vivid imagery and a fast-paced, aggressive tempo to convey the sense of horror and desperation that the characters feel as they fight for their lives. The lyrics also touch on themes of trust and isolation, as the group struggles to figure out who among them has been infected and whether they can trust each other. The song ends on an ambiguous note, leaving the listener to wonder whether the creature has truly been defeated or whether it will continue to haunt them.
Line by Line Meaning
Antarctica winter 1982 research was going steady, And there was nothing much to do
During the winter of 1982, research activity proceeded smoothly without much excitement in Antarctica.
In the distance a lone wolf flees, But no one knows the carnage that this animal will bring
A wolf runs away in the distance, but no one realizes the terror that will soon descend upon the research team.
VIOLENE UNFOLDS
The violence begins.
Assaulted by Norwegian guests theyll have to die like all the rest
The Norwegian attackers are killed, just like those who came before them.
SEARCHING THROUGH SNOW
The search for answers continues in the snow.
Discovering the frozen corpse of something thats not of this earth
The team uncovers an otherworldly corpse frozen in the ice.
THE CREATURE COMES FORTH
The creature awakens and reveals its presence.
An evil makes its presence known attempting to create a clone
The evil creature tries to clone itself.
NOWHERE TO GO
The team has nowhere to run from this menace.
And something grim is at hand something in this arctic land
Doom is imminent, and there is something sinister lurking in this polar landscape.
The Thing, No one knows the hell it will bring
The Thing is a mystery, and no one can predict the atrocities it will unleash.
Its got you from the inside, Its taking over your life
The Thing infects and assimilates its victims from the inside, taking over their minds and bodies.
Intensions so unexplained, Until the gets a hold of your brain
The creature's motives and intentions are unclear until it takes control of someone's mind.
Hiding till the damage is done, Killing them off one by one
The creature hides and strikes when the time is right, killing off the research team one by one.
The sense of fear begins to grow, and no one has protection from this dangerous infection
Fear spreads among the team as they realize no one is immune to this deadly contagion.
Their fates in the hands of the unknown, and nerves are quickly blowing while the thing is steadily growing
They are at the mercy of an unknown entity, and the team is on edge as the creature continues to mutate and grow.
Whom to trust theyll never now
No one knows who to trust anymore.
And nothing can contain a creature of the unexplained
It is impossible to contain such a creature with unknown abilities.
Half the crews dead more to go
Half the team is already eliminated, and more are still targeted by the creature.
Somehow its got to stop and now McReady's getting pissed off
Something must be done to stop the Thing, and McReady is determined to end it.
Now theres nothing left to do
The team has exhausted all options.
Discovering whose human is what this final test will prove
The final test is to determine who is still human.
Deadly results are what this test brings
This test will have fatal consequences.
But its the final hope to unveil this gruesome being
It is the last chance to expose the true nature of the creature.
VIOLENCE UNFOLDS
The violence continues to escalate.
The test was the solution now its time for execution
The test provided a solution, and it is now time to carry out that solution.
And now Blair is the last Thing left Hell fight until his dying breath
Blair is the last Thing standing, and he will fight to the end.
But this will be the final clash and kills it with a giant blast
This will be the final confrontation, and the creature is destroyed by a massive explosion.
NOWHERE TO GO
The team is trapped with no way out.
Our heros fate is finally sealed
The fate of the remaining team members is sealed.
The camp is lost The Thing is killed (or is it?)
The research station is destroyed, and the creature is presumed dead, but there is a hint of uncertainty lingering.
Contributed by Elizabeth V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Lola Lalkievitz
Thrash!!! \m/ Sweet thrash!!!!