Pig Pen - Mental Madness

When a hardcore supergroup emerges from the shadows, boasting members of genre-defining outfits like Alexisonfire, Doom’s Children, Daniel Romano’s Outfit, and Young Guv, expectations naturally skew high. But Pig Pen, the Niagara-born brainchild of longtime friends and musical conspirators, tears past expectations and into the gutter on their ferocious debut, Mental Madness, out June 27, 2025, via Flatspot Records. It’s not polished, it’s not pretty, but it’s powerful, cathartic, and absolutely real.

Born from pandemic boredom and bonded by shared history in hardcore, Pig Pen is helmed by chef-turned-actor-turned-frontman Matty Matheson (of Niagara hardcore footnote Hanging Hearts), joined by longtime collaborators Wade MacNeil, Daniel Romano, Ian Romano, and Tommy Major. Recorded over just two days after writing ten songs in one session, Mental Madness carries that immediate, volatile, demo-tape energy that rarely survives post-production—yet here, it’s perfectly captured and bolstered by Arthur Rizk’s mix and Alan Douches’ mastering.

Musically, Pig Pen dig into the classic ‘80s hardcore well but dirty it up with rock’n’roll swagger, courtesy of Daniel Romano’s signature melodic grime. There’s the reckless stomp of Negative Approach, the noisy abrasion of early Black Flag, and shades of Poison Idea’s drug-addled punk defiance. But despite the homages, Mental Madness doesn’t feel like cosplay—it’s lived-in and personal.

Lyrically, Matheson wields his guttural bark as a sledgehammer against his own psyche. “Mental health shit,” as he likes to calls it, and he means it to the fullest extent. Tracks like the album's title track, “Mental Mentality,” are brutally self-aware: “Teach me to hate myself / Teach me not to care / I’m sick. I’m sick. I’m sick.” These aren’t just classic hardcore lyrics thrown around for aggression’s sake—they’re honest examinations of internal rot and of mental spirals that persist no matter how good things look on the outside.

The duality of Mental Madness is striking. While the lyrics explore isolation, anxiety, and the self-sabotage of mental illness, the project’s very existence is rooted in joy—old friends reconnecting over riffs, screaming into microphones, and, by all accounts, having a full-on blast. That tension makes the album more potent: despair dressed in camaraderie.

Standout tracks include the extremely speedy crossover thrash number “Pig Pen,” “Rabid Beach,” a two-minute blitz of grimy, animated rage paired with Jesi Jordan’s striking visual accompaniment (which can be watched above), “Venom Moon Rising,” which injects a welcome dose of melody beneath the feedback and violence. The latter could pass as an early Fucked Up cut, all the more fitting considering the band’s shared scene history. Finally, the album's closing track, "XJXIXDX," which is less hardcore than it is a mid-80s sounding death metal song—a nice switch up to end their debut record off.

In true hardcore spirit, Pig Pen don’t overstay their welcome. Mental Madness is a ten-track gut-punch, a shot of adrenaline, and a well-earned scar. It’s loud, it’s fast, and—importantly—it means something deeper down. While some supergroups feel like cynical cash grabs or nostalgia trips, Pig Pen is simply five guys making noise because they need and want to. It’s therapy, it’s brotherhood, but at the end of the day, it’s hardcore.

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Find out more from Pig Pen:

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