Iron Reagan is a new band featuring two current members of Municipal Waste (Tony Foresta and Landphil) and one current and one former member of Darkest Hour (Paul Burnette and Ryan Parish), and that information alone should pretty much be enough to get you asking “Where I can hear this band?!?” And the answer is, right here, where the group is giving away their new demo for the low low cost of free.

I’m not clear who’s handling guitar duties — Burnette and Landphil are both bassists by trade, but presumably one of them is now rockin’ six strings instead of four — but that’s beside the point, I guess. ‘Cause the real point is this: the songs, which lean much more towards the Municipal Waste/neo-thrash side of things than the Darkest Hour/melodeath side of things, are more fun than wondering how Alzheimer’s-stricken Reagan was while he was running the United States. And I mean that as a high compliment, because I LOVE wondering how Alzheimer’s-stricken Reagan was while he was running the United States.

Iron Reagan will be playing their first show this Sunday, January 22, in Richmond, VA at Strange Matter; Weekend Nachos and Full of Hell are also on the bill, so if you live in the area you should definitely check that shit out. I do wonder how long the band’s set will be, ’cause this demo features four songs in five minutes. But presumably they have other tunes ready to roll, too, so they can stretch that shit to ten minutes, or maybe even fifteen, if they’re feeling ambitious.

Download the demo here, then weigh in with your opinions in the comments section below.

-AR

FEATURING MEMBERS OF GOD FORBID, SKELETONWITCH, CHARRED WALLS OF THE DAMNED, MUNICIPAL WASTE, TODAY IS THE DAY, LANDMINE MARATHON, AND SHAI HULUD

Every year year, MetalSucks asks musicians from across the vast spectrum of the metalsphere (or, in a few cases, the almost-metalsphere) what their favorite albums of the year have been. Death metallers, thrash metallers, black metallers, stoners, grinders, and djenters alike have graciously contributed lists to MS, and we’ll be running them in groups of nine to ten musicians at a time two to three times a day for the whole week.

After the jump, check out the next group… we hope you enjoy seeing what some of metal’s heaviest hitters were into this year as much as we have!

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FEATURING MEMBERS OF ISIS, MUNICIPAL WASTE, ELUVEITIE, WORMROT, LAST CHANCE TO REASON, ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA, GOD DETHRONED, OWEN HART, NIGHTFALL, HORSEBACK, AND OCTOBER TIDE

For 2010, we decided to do something special as part of our regular end-of-year festivities here at MetalSucks — namely, ask musicians from across the vast spectrum of the metalsphere (or, in a few cases, the almost-metalsphere) what their favorite albums of the year were. Death metallers, thrash metallers, black metallers, stoners, grinders, and djenters alike graciously contributed lists to MS, and we’ll be running them in groups of ten to eleven musicians at a time twice a day for the rest of the week.

After the jump, check out the fourth group… we hope you enjoy seeing what some of metal’s heaviest hitters were into this year as much as we have!

(And please note that these are musicians and that they, um, have a lot on their minds. So some of ‘em named albums that actually came out last year. Please don’t freak out.)

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I’m not much of a fan of Municipal Waste, though I respect what they do and totally understand why so many people dig their scuzzy brand of revival thrash metal. It’s sometimes easy to overlook that hardcore punk and thrash have intertwined histories, with many of the former genre’s pioneers subsequently becoming thrash metallers. D.R.I., Suicidal Tendencies, and even the Cro-Mags have made a mark on both styles. So when I learned that Municipal Waste frontman Tony Foresta was also in a hardcore band, I just had to learn more.

They’re called No Friends, and if your love of hardcore begins and ends in the 1980s, then this one’s for you. Foresta handles lead vocals for the group, which also features dudes from New Mexican Disaster Squad. The four songs streaming at their MySpace page recall Circle Jerks, Dag Nasty, Government Issue, and a less dorky Descendents. You can download a free MP3 of “Never Ending Fight” if that sounds like something up your alley. While you’re at it, pick up a copy of their self-titled debut through their record label here. It’s just $7 for the CD version and $8 for the vinyl LP (which comes with a digital download card). Oh, and next month they’re hitting the road for some East Coast shows. Check out those dates below.

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Our bro-dogs at Metal Injection were on-set for the filming of Municipal Waste’s “Wrong Answer” video last month, and have now posted their report – including an interview with vocalist Tony Foresta and bassist Landphil. There’s even a cameo by yours truly. MI’s Frank Godla shot me from a low angle, Michael Bay-style, so I’d look extra handsome.

While Frank and on-camera sexy d00d Rob Pasbani were doing their interview, I was on the other side of the set interviewing guitarist Ryan Waste and drummer Dave Witte. We’ll have the transcript of that interview, and some cool behind-the-scenes pics, for you sometime real soon.

-AR

At this point in time, unless you’ve lived in a cave for the past few years, you know that Municipal Waste’s previous three albums (and an EP) have been steeped in thrash, beer, and partying… in no particular order. In that brief time, Municipal Waste’s impending retro-thrash throwback almost single-handedly inspired a plethora of seventeen year-old kids to buy Reeboks and shamelessly – and unfortunately – unintelligently “borrow” Kreator, Exodus, and D.R.I. riffs coupled with an emphasis on party-centric lyrics and sharp, speedy riffs.

To The Waste’s credit, though, they’re one of the few bands that manages to bring something new to the table on a consistent basis. Over the course of the band’s brief history, Municipal Waste has shown evolution and gradual, albeit slight, updates and innovations to their sound, culminating in Massive Aggressive, which – as cheesy and clichéd as it is dub it this – is probably the band’s most mature offering to date.

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