Misc. Day – Killer Beast

Not to be confused with the 2018 release, the self-titled release Warthog (2016) takes the hardcore New York tendencies to a desperate level of darkened stabs and wild, belligerent ability. Within the nine-minute, 12-second track attack comes the aggressive push toward the deep end without a safety rope.

Forming quickly to the opening track “Culture?”, Warthog rushes in and deliberately wastes no time creating a wave of red blood that flashes within the pan as the percussion and immaculate screams push to the foreground. The band skips the theatrics and goes straight for a hardcore two-stepping dance that becomes a cult classic and underground beat down. Not only does it put the listener in these coffins disguised as tracks, but Warthog (2016) illustrates the metric ton of unapproachable hardcore that lives within the darker recesses of dive bars and sketchy websites.

Without knowing where to look, Warthog could go entirely under the radar and leave the public missing out on the giant hammer that comes crashing down directly on their head. As punishing as it is, Warthog (2016) is a constant rise that provides no vices on the listener as it is also incredibly freeing. Without fail, the stage divers and mosh pit frequenters are going to find a solace within Warthog’s animalistic motions. While the release is short, it is necessary as the tracks push to become a broken structure of random and sporadic movements.

“Tightrope” forms around the chaos as the band really starts to hunker down and double-tap with a bass drum that commands over. Warthog is rapid and almost unfazed by the short intermissions done between tracks as the track list starts to fall to a close. From the three out of four tracks together, there is no break within one moment in between. Rather, there is a punch fest that ends with the “Coward” which surprisingly, is the slowest track in the mix.

“Coward” miraculously becomes the last waltz for one of the better punk records to recent memory. And it may be a fast and almost impossible to understand what happens through each moment, the relentless action is a beast of burden that surprisingly does not weigh as much as it could have. The final track is a perfect send off into the unknown ether without destroying everything in sight. The Earth might crash and burn, Warthog however, can withstand the attack and continue on in the post-apocalyptic world they create.

Listen To Warthog Here!!! – BandCamp/Spotify