It’s been a few years since members of RVA thrash-metal kings Municipal Waste took a hiatus and started perusing individual projects.
It’s been a few years since members of RVA thrash-metal kings Municipal Waste took a hiatus and started perusing individual projects.
Local man-about-town and MW front man Tony Foresta found high levels of success with his Iron Reagan project, touring nationally and internationally, as well as playing a number of high energy shows here locally.
But Municipal Waste continued to lurk in the background, an ever present specter of Richmond’s metal roots. Their last local show, about a year ago at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, was kind of a surprise show, and earlier this year they celebrated the 10-year anniversary of their second album Hazardous Mutation with a massive show in LA.
“There were 2000 people there,” said Foresta in a phone call with RVAMag, about the LA gig where the band played their seminal release cover to cover. “It was crazy.”
Just before that show, and about ever since, MW member’s side project bands like BAT, Iron Reagan, and Cannabis Corpse, have laid low to make room for writing and rehearsing a new album, Municipal Waste’s first since 2012’s The Fatal Feast.
“We’re almost there,” Foresta said about the process so far. “We’re still in the writing and demoing phase so we don’t have exact studio sets [yet].”
Foresta said they’ll probably track most of the album here in RVA with locals Blaze of Torment studios before sending tracks to a producer for the finishing touch.
But don’t expect to hear any new tracks tonight.
“Nobody knows them, we might as well play the songs people want to hear,” he joked. “It’s been so long since we played a show in Richmond that I don’t think people want to hear songs they’ve never heard before…
Foresta said he’s never been a fan of bands that play unheard songs at shows. “Whenever I see a band play a new song people have never heard… that’s when I go get a beer,” he said.
It’s been about 15 years since Municipal Waste dropped their first self-titled EP, but Foresta said he hasn’t noticed much change in the band.
“We got fatter, we have way more songs,” he joked. “The years have gone by so fast. We’ve done so many tours and it seems like Richmond’s changed a lot since the band started. But it’s all still kind of the same shit… we’re still kind of the same dudes.”
As for booking tonight’s show, Foresta said it’s never hard to get bands on their bill, even when DC’s Red Death had to drop out over scheduling issues. A few text messages got NYC black-metalers Black Anvil (former members of Kill Your Idols) to come in their place.
“We wanted them to come down and play and they were really into the idea,” Foresta said. “It’s usually pretty easy [to book shows] especially when it’s playing Richmond cause people know it’s gonna be a good time.”
Other bands on the line up tonight include RVA legends Kepone, featuring GWAR’s Mike Bishop, and RVA noise outfit SUPPRESSION.
Doors at 8p // Show at 9p
$12 adv, $15 dos
Find out more about tonight’s show here, and keep up with Municipal Waste on facebook here.
