Municipal Waste Tickets

Virginia thrash metal outfit Municipal Waste head this way from 7–16 October, taking to the stage in London, Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham.

Formed at the turn of the millennium in Richmond, Virginia, Municipal Waste – with vocalist Tony Foresta and guitarist Ryan Waste at the helm amid several changes in line-up – lead the way for thrash metal's triumphant resurgence while keeping a crossover with hardcore punk.

Their riotous debut live performance paved the way for their trademark raucous and high-octane energy, which was bottled and sealed on their 2003 debut full-length Waste 'em All – a title that was not shy in acknowledging the huge influence of Metallica. With no track longer than a minute-and-a-half long, their blistering first album caught the attention of (the suitably named) Earache Records, who signed them in 2004 and a year later the band released the zombie themed Hazardous Mutation, which included hugely popular hits such as 'Unleash the Bastards' and 'The Thrashin' of the Christ'.

Municipal Waste's 2007 third album The Art of Partying took them to Europe on a headline tour as well as spots at Wacken and Reading and Leeds festivals. The band had become magazine cover stars, and in 2009 after more touring – plus an appearance at Download Festival – the band released their fourth album Massive Aggressive, which included tracks 'Wolves of Chernobyl' and 'Shredded Offering'. This was followed three years later with The Fatal Feast, which was their first on Nuclear Blast Records. The following years saw the release of Slime and Punishment (2017), the four-track EP The Last Rager (2019) and their seventh studio album Electrified Brain (2022).

In 2023 Municipal Waste returned to Download for the festival's 20th anniversary edition.