MEAN MISTREATER
“Do Or Die”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

9/10

Mean Mistreater are a heavy metal band from the USA formed in 2023 releasing their debut album ‘Razor Wire’ in 2024, and sophomore album ‘Do Or Die’ in 2025…

…emerging less than a year after the bands blistering debut! Mean Mistreater are a savage blend of urgency and brash boldness, the bands brand of heavy metal unapologetic and occasionally frenetic. Melding the sounds of such luminary bands as Rock Goddess, Warlock and W.A.S.P., the five piece outfit from Texas boast an unchanged line-up featuring bassist Jon Gibson, drummer Joaquin Ridgell, guitarists Quinten Lawson and Alex Wein, and vocalist Janiece Gonzalez – ‘Do Or Die’ a fast paced twenty six minutes and eight songs, ‘Killer Red’ immediately into its stride, pounding the ground hard with pace and power! Not to mention the incredible head bang ability, Mean Mistreater seamlessly carrying on everything they achieved a year ago with ‘Razor Wire’. It’s almost like the last twelve months have merged into a single day, and it was only yesterday that I was listening to the bands debut for the very first time! And giving a great big head nod to the glorious NWOBHM, ‘One Survivor’ oozes a sound and feel that was prevalent during the eighties evolution for heavy metal – the band, may be five thousand miles and forty years away from the birth of traditional heavy metal right here in the UK, but Mean Mistreater are strutting their stuff like its 1985 and not 2025!

An absolutely barnstorming double to open the album, ‘Do Or Die’ picks up speed courtesy of the foot to the floor ‘Nothing’s Free’, the level of head bang ability shooting right through the roof as every listener, metaller and mosher on the planet goes fucking bananas over this one! And by go bananas, I mean get very excited – ‘Walk With Fire’ entering the fray with a more melodic heavy metal feel than everything heard so far, Mean Mistreater maintaining the phenomenal intensity the album began with! Intensity that has everyone’s attentions in a tight grip with no intention of letting ’em go any time soon – so settle down, strap in, and get ready for more as the title song ‘Do Or Die’ accelerates through the gears to obliterate the sound barrier with consummate ease! And despite the songs red hot pace, the chorus is a highly sing a long-able affair that everyone is gonna join in with – so come on, all together now “We ride, we ride into the night, We ride, we ride into the night, It’s do or die”. Fucking sensational stuff!

There’s just no stopping the band when they’re in this mood, the momentum well and truly rolling just like a slinky rolls down stairs – the band returning the classic sound of the iconic NWOBHM to the fore with ‘Road Dogs’, the foot firmly planted on the monitor as the band roar by at a perfect head banging pace! In fact, the entire album is roaring by at a perfect head banging pace, methinks Mean Mistreater knows no other way. And as I say that, the band deliver the slowest song heard up to this point, ‘Three Of Swords’ adopting a mid tempo anthemic march that shudders the ground, sending shockwaves all around the world! ‘Release The Wolf’ ends ‘Do Or Die’ (the album) as the fastest song on offer, the band upping the levels of everything to beyond maximum for the (albums) final hurrah – a final hurrah that’ll invoke the most vigorous head banging among listeners everywhere!

Overall, a rampaging foot to the floor, foot on the monitor gallop of traditional heavy metal with a sky high infectious level.

TRACKLIST

Killer Red
One Survivor
Nothing’s Free
Walk With Fire
Do Or Die
Road Dogs
Three Of Swords
Release The Wolf

https://meanmistreater.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/meanmistreatertx/

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