REVIEW: Pig Pen - Mental Madness

Let’s be honest - if you heard that The Bear’s Matty Matheson was fronting a new hardcore band, your first instinct might’ve been to roll your eyes. A chef, a TV personality, an actor… now a punk vocalist? On paper, it’s got all the hallmarks of a chaotic vanity side project. But those who’ve spent time in and around the hardcore scene know better. Matheson’s connection to this world isn’t some passing trend - it’s been part of his life for years. Long before he was a household name, he was fronting grimy Ontario band Sex Tears, shouting his lungs out in the corners of DIY venues and staying tethered to the culture that shaped him.

And then you factor in Wade MacNeil. Yes, that Wade MacNeil - Alexisonfire guitarist, Gallows frontman, and a generational voice in post-hardcore. Throw in Daniel and Ian Romano, plus Tommy Major (all from Daniel Romano’s Outfit), and suddenly, this isn’t just some novelty record - it’s a serious lineup with serious pedigree. Written and recorded in just two days, Mental Madness is a raw, urgent blast of classic ‘80s-style hardcore, supercharged with anthemic hooks, swaggering riffs, and a sense of joyful menace. It’s fast, loose, and loud as hell - but it’s also built with purpose by people who know exactly what they’re doing.

Mental Madness is a blistering crash course in '80s hardcore, filtered through a modern, scorched-earth lens. It’s ferocious, fuzzed-out, and unrepentantly raw - true chain-punk energy from start to finish. The guitars snarl and grind, the drums swing like wrecking balls, and the whole thing feels like it’s teetering on the edge of chaos in the best way possible. But the real surprise? Matty Matheson’s vocals. Drenched in reverb and delivered with guttural force, his performance is equal parts unhinged preacher and hardcore lifer - commanding, cathartic, and totally convincing. For anyone who only knows him as the lovable chaos merchant from The Bear or his joyful cooking videos, it’s a total gut-punch. This isn’t cosplay. It’s conviction.

Written and recorded - supposedly - in just two days a few years back, Mental Madness feels anything but rushed. There’s urgency, sure, but it’s not slapdash or half-baked. It’s tight, focused chaos - the kind that only comes from players who’ve been doing this for decades and know exactly how to channel instinct into impact. Each track is crafted with intention, whether it features a rapid blastbeat or a heavy, stomping groove. The chemistry among the band members is unmistakable. You can sense the trust, the relaxed vibe, and the shared musical language that has developed over years of friendship. Though it may have been recorded quickly, the result sounds like the culmination of a lifetime of experiences.

The record is a whistlestop tour through a variety of hardcore styles - never content to sit still, never dragging its heels. 'Highway', for example, swerves into almost classic rock territory, riding a swaggering groove that wouldn’t feel out of place on a fuzzed-out biker soundtrack. It’s got that same grizzled charm and southern-fried stomp you’d find on a Cancer Bats deep cut - gritty, catchy, and laced with a wild-eyed confidence. Elsewhere, tracks dive headfirst into frantic thrash, knuckle-dragging stompers, and moments of unhinged, feedback-drenched noise. It’s all delivered with the same fearless energy, like the band’s throwing every influence they’ve ever loved into the fire just to see what burns brightest.

We went into this record with some (admittedly reasonable) reservations. Would Pig Pen end up being just a fun, short-lived passion project? A celebrity side quest for Matty, and another entry in Wade’s ever-growing discography? But from the first track, any doubts are flattened. There’s real, and entirely unsurprising, talent on display here. This is a solid, cohesive hardcore record built on chemistry, conviction, and a deep-rooted love for the genre. It’s simply too good to be a one-off.

Of course, with Matty’s filming commitments and Wade juggling more bands than most of us can name, the question isn’t if Pig Pen can keep this momentum, but how. Will this become a full-blown project, or is it destined to exist in flashes between filming schedules and tour cycles? Either way, we’ve got two simple requests. First: keep playing shows and keep making records. Second: UK tour soon, lads? We’re waiting.

Score: 7/10

Mental Madness was released on June 27th 2025.

Words: Andrew Nile

Photos: Pig Pen