Warhog – The Dystopian Chronicles Vol. 1

Warhog
The Dystopian Chronicles Vol. 1
Out: June 28^th, 2024
Playing time: 25:11

The four-piece Heavy Metal band Warhog was founded in Dallas (Texas) at the beginning of 2020. Actually, an unfavourable time. The coronavirus pandemic had broken out. All public life came to an almost complete stop. This also made it difficult to produce new albums. But thanks to the internet, the band was able to record demos without being in the studio together. And so, they managed to release their debut album ‘Call of the Voyager’ in mid-2022. Further singles followed. The EP ‘The Dystopian Chronicles Vol. 1’ followed in June of this year. Warhog are influenced by classic Metal giants such as Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath. So, it’s certainly worth a listen.

Two-and-a-half-minute intro? Fortunately, ‘Already There’ is the better kind. The track can certainly be described as an overture. After a quiet orchestral beginning, it builds up step by step. With ‘Hunt Of The Cybertooth’, the time for contemplation is finally over. It begins with a guitar storm. Then the drums kick in. Scott Beetley’s vocals sound a little weird at first. But the chorus invites you to sing along. ‘Emperor’ is dominated by hard, low-pitched guitar riffs. And a heavily distorted lead guitar. The whole thing is rounded off by a bass line. The tempo picks up a little on ‘Next’, mainly driven by the drumming but also the high-speed riffs. Later on, however, the vocals are extremely melodic. The short drum introduction to ‘Downtrodden’ suggests a quiet song. But far from it – frying guitars lead into a fast piece of Heavy Metal. The hectic guitar solo later does the rest.

On ‘The Dystopian Chronicles Vol. 1’, the influences of the two bands mentioned really shine through. Progressive elements à la Iron Maiden are paired with Black Sabbath Doom. Warhog thus create their own sound. Original, handmade Heavy Metal, the kind you don’t hear too often these days.

Warhog – Hunt of the Cybertooth: https://youtu.be/ew-X32H62QM?si=H-NOB-6qi8XobK1C

Lineup:

Scott Beetley – Vocals, Guitar
Eric Kendall – Guitar
Justin Hopper – Bass
Robert Powers – Drums

Track list:

• Already There
• Hunt Of The Cybertooth
• Emperor
• Next
• Downtrodden