Quickly building as one of the most exciting new bands of 2025, Pig Pen reveal their third single “Venom Moon Rising.” The Canadian outfit, comprised of Matty Matheson (vocals), Wade MacNeil (guitar), Daniel Romano (guitar), Ian Romano (drums), and Tommy Major (bass), combine their love of ‘80s hardcore with a rock ‘n’ roll flair that’s as rugged as it is melodious. The riffs are dirty, the drums are thick, and meeting the contrast of clean sung vocals and primal grunts, the song ignites a fury made for swinging in the pit and chanting along.
Following “Mental Mentality” and “Rabid Beach,” the song is the final preview of the band’s debut album Mental Madness, out June 27th on Flatspot Records. You can stream “Venom Moon Rising” HERE and Mental Madness is available for preorder now through Flatspot Records.
Pig Pen have announced two record release shows in July – a headliner on the 3rd in Welland, ON, and Brooklyn, NY on the 5th with labelmates Jivebomb. The band will also make their first festival appearance in October at Furnace Fest in Birmingham, AL. More info below.
After spending months passing along riffs and playlists filled with inspiration, the ten tracks on Mental Madness were written in a day and recorded the next. With a band made up of career musicians, the do-it-yourself approach for the album was a no-brainer, taking the wheel by self-recording and producing. The tracks were sent off to Arthur Rizk (Cold World, Fucked Up, Power Trip) for mixing and Grammy award-winning engineer Alan Douches for mastering. The ten songs are tough and harsh, dark and noisy, and pack depth within the lyrics. The subject matter on Mental Madness sticks to themes that Matheson describes as “mental health shit”: topics like isolation, loneliness, and “letting your mind destroy you.” It’s built on pushing through negative mindsets with positive energy and profound friendship, latching onto formative years of the hardcore scene the members of Pig Pen grew up in.
