Rating: 8 / 10 Stars
WARHOG is: Scott Beetley (vocals, guitar), Eric Kendall (guitar), Justin Hopper (bass), Robert Powers (drums)
REVIEW – From the moment “Unleash the Beast” explodes out of the gate, it’s clear that WARHOG isn’t easing into anything on The Dystopian Chronicles, Vol. 3. Released June 27, 2025, this climactic entry in the band’s sweeping dystopian trilogy is a ferocious, deeply layered, and emotionally raw offering that refuses to pull punches. With punishing riffs, poetic vitriol, and a cinematic sense of scale, WARHOG has crafted a metal epic that pushes their boundaries while staying rooted in the heavy, progressive sound that has defined them since their 2020 debut.
If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out our review of the single “Unleash the Beast” here.
The track lives up to its name—channeling the chaos of 24-hour news cycles, corrupt leadership, and the cyclical violence we allow ourselves to repeat. “Kings and clowns trade thrones and lies” isn’t just a lyric—it’s WARHOG’s indictment of the spectacle of power, and the deliberate unleashing of our worst instincts on one another in exchange for profit and control. It’s anthemic, it’s pissed off, and it sets the tone for everything that follows.
“Future Shock” dives deeper into the emotional fallout of a broken world. Layered with experimental guitar synth textures and warped vocal effects, this track is a sonic descent into dystopian despair. It’s disorienting in all the right ways, perfectly capturing the blurred line between progress and destruction, and posing the unsettling question: How did we let things get this bad?
Midway through the EP, the band shifts tone dramatically with “Hollow”, a haunting reflection on injustice inspired by the murder of George Floyd. Stripping away abstraction in favor of raw vulnerability, WARHOG delivers one of their most powerful and introspective tracks to date. With sorrowful precision, they explore institutional rot and human loss without sacrificing the heaviness that defines their sound. It’s a moment of painful clarity that lingers long after the last note.
“Stewards of a Broken World” brings the trilogy full circle, thematically uniting the threads of societal decay, environmental catastrophe, and existential reckoning. Originally written for another project, it found its true home here as the emotional and sonic finale. Its brooding passages and soaring dynamics elevate it into an environmental lament, warning not with preachy tones but through immersive storytelling. “The harvest of a dying garden, compelled to finish what we’ve started” is less a warning than a truth we already know but can’t stop repeating.
And just when the journey seems complete, WARHOG closes with “signal_pulse27103_28_057_undefined_anomaly”, a cryptic 17-second transmission from the ether—part epilogue, part teaser. With a new chapter titled Ethereal Journey already on the horizon, the band ends this volume not with resolution, but with possibility.
Musically, Vol. 3 is WARHOG’s most confident and versatile outing yet. From crushing breakdowns to experimental ambiance, their evolution as composers is undeniable. The entire band operates with surgical precision—Scott Beetley’s vocals are commanding, the dual guitar work with Eric Kendall is tightly interwoven, Justin Hopper’s bass tone is thunderous, and Robert Powers lays down grooves that are as punishing as they are dynamic.
The Dystopian Chronicles trilogy has always been more than just music—it’s a narrative, a sonic manifesto. With Vol. 3, WARHOG doesn’t just stick the landing—they raise the bar. This is heavy metal storytelling done right.
For more information on WARHOG, visit:
www.WarhogBand.com
www.Facebook.com/WarhogDFW
www.Instagram.com/WarhogDFW
www.YouTube.com/@WarhogDFW
www.Spotify.com/Artist/Warhog
Warhog.Bandcamp.com
www.TikTok.com/@WarhogDFW
