Warthog: Live! Cassette

Description

A ripping set Warthog performed a few months back at Zebulon in Los Angeles. They didn’t have time to come in and lay down a Beat Session, and I was doing sound at the show anyway, so I multi-tracked and mixed it for fun. It turned out so powerful that we decided to release it. Hit after hit from a bunch of their releases. One of my favorite bands to see live and you can really hear why on this one. 8 song set.

Our take: 8-song live cassette from perhaps the best current hardcore band in the game, New Yorks Warthog. This comes to us on the same label that puts out those excellent Beat Sessions cassettes, and while this is a recording of an actual live gig rather than a proper studio session, it maintains the level of quality we expect from Shout! While all 8 tracks have appeared on Warthogs previous records, the vibe here differs from Warthogs studio records. Everyone in Warthog seems to be a virtuosic musician and their studio recordings are clear and meticulous, but this tape hits you like a jackhammer. Chriss vocals are savage, often overloading the mic and creating and overwhelming wash of sound that tramples you like an opposing army. To me, a great live record doesnt feel redundant because it captures something that just doesnt come across on studio recordings. By that measure, this tape qualifies as a great record by one of hardcores greatest current bands.