Municipal Waste, Napalm Death
The Observatory
November 13,2012
If you're a metal head with a lust for gore and violence (maybe that's redundant), there are two bands that you definitely want to see side by side before you die: Municipal Waste and Napalm Death. We're sure a few people's bucket list got a little bit shorter last night after watching both take the stage in all their headbanging glory at the Observatory in Santa Ana. Of course I knew it was going to be a good show when I walked up and I saw a guy passed out in the dirt and the security guard was telling him to stay there. This only proves that the fans were ready for the show. Some were just a little too ready,
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The venue itself is not that big of a stage or of a room so when Napalm Death came out onto stage, their amps alone were enough to fill it up. There was no denying that they were ready to hit the stage, in fact as the first song started to play, the fans started to circle pit within seconds. The band had come out with nothing but energy to give the crowd, which was gladly reciprocated. Their discography-spanning set included songs like, “Everyday Pox,” “Protect What you Preach,” and “Quarantined.” Although most fans were enjoying the music, one asshole decided that he would throw their shoe at guitarist Mitch Harris, but he managed to move his head and duck it with the speed of a metal ninja– you could tell he's had years of experience with this. There was so much energy coming from each of the members, they had put to shame some of the modern acts that have been coming through as of lately.
After Napalm Death finished, everyone was ready for the main act. When Municipal Waste had come onto stage, everyone was ready. They had come out ready to go and of course they had to bring it—they following fucking Napalm Death! As expected, they didn't disappoint. It was not one of those shows were the emphasis band before them took over the show. Coming out playing “Head Band Face Rip,” the band was keeping up with the tradition of playing a variety of songs that they knew their fans would want to hear. Rather then play a lot of songs off of their new album, they stuck mostly to the hits–shred-heacy classics like “Thrashings my Business….and Business is Good,” the first song they'd ever written. They had played that song with the same love and attention that they had played newer tracks like “Idiot Check,” off of 2012's The Fatal Feast. It was nice to see lead singer Tony Foresta and guitarist Ryan Waste, jump off of the amps at the same time because afterwards Foresta had made a joke about their sweet moves and how they do not practice in the mirror like the emo core kids. Of course not you're metal and you haven't tucked it back to fit into skinny girl jeans.
By the end, both bands delivered one hell of a show. There wasn't a single band that had upstaged one another; in fact they had only made this combination one of those epic shows you had to see. These are two staple metal/punk bands that if you were lucky enough to see this show, it will be a show you'll talk about for years to come.
Critical Bias:The highlight of the show was not the show itself but seeing the metal heads with a flower cover for his steering wheel.
The Crowd: Metal heads and punks of all ages, ranging from the early fans to teenagers.
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