Tag: Warish Next to Pay

Review: Warish – Next to Pay

Let’s just start with this: Warish‘s new album, Next to Pay, is not a happy-go-lucky record. Lead singer / guitarist Riley Hawk has said that the album “is about a sense of imminent doom, everyone is going to die.” So, be prepared for what’s to come when you hear it.

What you’ll hear is a lot of rage, screamed vocals, blaring guitars, punk drumming, and throbbing bass. Warish’s love of Nirvana is prevalent on the album, as the influence of Misfits and Black Sabbath‘s crazier material. The title track opens the album with guitar riffs that sound like they’ve been deep fried as Hawk sings about time slipping away from him and the Grim Reaper getting one step closer each day. Hawk’s guitar on “Another No One” blares like a tornado warning siren. “S.H.M. (Second Hand Misery)” could’ve been a Bleach-era Nirvana B-side in another life. Hawk’s voice sounds like it’s going to crack at any second throughout it.

“Burn No Bridges” has Hawk trying to fight his way through physical and metaphysical storms. “Do you have a broken mind, or is it just your brain?” Hawks asks on “Say to Please,” a song that rages about the little guy fighting for the dreams of rich elitists. His guitar solo on it is a damn barn burner. “Seeing Red” is powered by Alex Bassaj‘s cool yet heavy bass walk. The drums and cymbals on “Destroyer” pound so hard that the song more than earns its name.

“Woven” is one of the jauntiest songs on the record, but is no less fuzzy and fiery. Hawk’s voice takes on Kurt Cobain qualities during the chorus. Bassaj’s bass cranks up on “Scars,” while Hawk tells everyone he doesn’t care what they think of him or anything else and new drummer Justin de la Vega puts down precision beats like Gatling gun rounds.

“Ordinary” takes on a bit of a doom energy and the vocals sound a a bit goth. “Superstar” takes off at about eighty mph and doesn’t let off the gas for a second. “Make the Escape” reminds me of Iron Maiden with its epic metal riffs and vocal styling. Hawk’s voice takes on a deeper tone and a break from the screaming he’s done through most of the album. The effect is excellent. The closer, “Fear and Pride,” brings back Hawk’s guttural growls and I’m sure will bowl over audiences once they get to play it live on a regular basis.

It’s a loud, heavy record, but what else do you expect from Warish? The band had plenty of rage to purge that was built up in 2020, and Next to Pay is here to help the rest of us burn that rage out of our system.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Dave at US / THEM Group.]

Warish release wild new single from upcoming album.

Southern California trio Warish share a new video & single from their anticipated sophomore full length, Next To Pay (RidingEasy Records) today via Kerrang! Watch and share “Second Hand Misery” HERE. (Direct YouTube and Bandcamp.)
Consequence of Sound recently shared the single “Seeing Red” HERE. Revolver Magazine premiered the video for “Say To Please” HERE. (Direct YouTube.)

About the video, Riley says:“This video came to mind when I heard the ‘If you’re happy and you know it’ song by Barney playing somewhere while I was in a bad mood and was thinking, this song is kinda evil sounding. Then I went home and instantly started editing the video to the track S.H.M. Because it’s the polar opposite of If You Are Happy And You Know it. It fit nicely I thought, hah.” 

With a name like Warish, the San Diego noisy punk-metal trio assured listeners they were in for a maniacal bludgeoning from the get-go. But the band has never been as dark and bitingly vicious as the wholly ominous Next To Pay. The band’s mix of early AmRep skronk, dark horror rock and budget doom antipathy is taken to a whole new level on this 13-song invective. 

“‘Next To Pay’ is about a sense of imminent doom, everyone is going to die,” vocalist/guitarist Riley Hawk says. “It’s not the happiest record, I guess.” To say the least. On the title track opener, Hawk screams through shredded vocal chords with the tuneful rage of Kill ‘Em All era James Hetfield and the seething desperation of Kurt Cobain. 

“This album is more of an evolution, it’s a little more punk-heavy,” Hawk says of the group quickly founded in 2018. “We figured out what our sound was.” And with that evolution comes a change in the lineup. Original drummer Nick (Broose) McDonnell plays on about half of the songs, while new drummer Justin de la Vega brings an even tighter urgency to the remaining, more recent tracks. Bassist Alex Bassaj joined after the debut album was recorded and here showcases muscular and melodic low end previously missing. Riley Hawk is also the pro-skater son of Tony Hawk. 

Inspired by early-Nirvana, The Misfits, The Spits and Master of Reality-era Black Sabbath, Next To Pay keeps things heavy and pummeling at all times. The guitars are heavy and powerful, though decidedly not straightforward cookie cutter punk; more like Greg Ginn’s and Buzz Osbourne’s wiry contortions, and occasionally drenched in chorus effects. The rhythms bash right through it all with aggressive force ensuring that nothing gets overly complicated. Warish’s cover of 80s DischordRecords punks Gray Matter turns the emotive flail of “Burn No Bridges” into a Motorhead style basher. 

Next To Pay will be available on LP, CD and download on April 30th, 2021 via RidingEasy Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Dave at US / THEM Group.]