Leaders of the current crossover thrash movement, Municipal Waste literally ‘waste’ no time in putting new material out there. Delivering songs that promote audience participation for the bevy of gang vocals during the choruses beyond the riffs and tempos perfect for body slamming, stage diving, and circle pits, we get four quick hitting tracks in a super fast ten-minute and change exchange that takes those speedy refrains that put Nuclear Assault, D.R.I. and M.O.D./ S.O.D. on the map – and adds a bit of that Municipal Waste slant in terms of sick, turn on a dime transitions.
The shortest cut “Wave of Death” at 1:53 takes on a mid-paced slant, featuring the title chanted in unison a few times, some sick, bluesy-oriented lead shred and a slamming series of riffs that should go down a storm when played live. The follow-up “Car Nivore (Street Meat)” ramps up the proceedings, the vocal onslaught matching the intensity of the music, blistering at that adrenaline-fueled angst we’ve come to love and cherish in Municipal Waste – plus some interesting time signature manipulation in the transitions from drummer Dave Witte. Vocalist Tony Foresta continues to deliver his dual hoarse forceful roar meets Sam Kinison-like rapid fire voice to the nines throughout, best exemplified in “Run for Your Life”, while the title track finale allows bassist Land Phil to add an extra sonic punch to the punk meets mid-paced thrash seesaw that takes place, the rhythms again conjuring up classic 1985-87 albums such as Speak English or Die and Among the Living. And for those who love animation covers that mix in a bit of sci-fi / comic book textures, you can’t go wrong with the design of this one.
Your mind is already made up whether you are in the Municipal Waste camp or not – and The Last Rager will only reinforce those thoughts. It’s fun and it’s energetic, ready to take to the stage.