Hidden Gems & Guilty Pleasures: Mean Mistreater (USA)

Mean Mistreater (Heavy Metal // USA)
Mean Mistreater is a five-piece heavy metal band hailing from Austin, Texas. Formed in 2023, the band features current and former members of War Cloud, Sabire, Powerhouse, Saber, Communion, Sans Soleil & more.
Hot on the heels of their heralded debut album, »Razor Wire« – originally self-released in early 2023, but released internationally by Dying Victims Productions later that summer – Mean Mistreater return with their second full-length, »Do Or Die«. Their debut served as a declaration of intent, showcasing a sound that is both feral and refined. Rejecting the confines of conventional labels like “female-fronted” or “NWOTHM,” Mean Mistreater here assert their identity as a powerful collective, committed to pushing the boundaries of traditional heavy metal. With their uncompromising attitude and undeniable skill, they stand out in a crowded genre, ready to carve out their own place in the heavy metal landscape.
The songwriting is largely unchanged on »Do Or Die« – classic metal melded with retro hard rock, with foremost influences being Warlock, Chastain, and early W.A.S.P. – but Mean Mistreater’s execution is off the charts here. Urgent, passionate, like street-walking cheetahs with hearts full of napalm, the Texas natives fire off one rough ‘n’ ready anthem after another here, keeping that songwriting short/sharp/shocked. Indeed, it’s difficult to find a record this concise – eight songs in 27 minutes – that also feels so complete. It’s fair to say, then, that this blazing band is firing on every cylinder as they ascend the traditional metal ladder, leaving audiences hungry for more of their unapologetic sound and intoxicating live shows.
Proving that they’re no flash in the pan, with »Do Or Die« Mean Mistreater continue to build on their early success, delivering the intense and captivating music that fans have come to expect from them.
Dying Victims Productions will release Mean Mistreater’s highly anticipated second album, »Do Or Die«, February 21th, 2025 on CD and vinyl LP formats. Pre-order HERE! https://tinyurl.com/myhnbkjr
Courtesy of Dying Victims Productions
Discography:
• »Bleeding The Night« Single (2023)
• »Razor Wire« LP (Dying Victims Productions, 2024)
• »Do Or Die« LP (Dying Victims Productions, 2025)
Mean Mistreater is:
Janiece Gonzalez – Vocals
Alex Wein – Guitar
Quinten Lawson – Guitar
Theron Rhoten – Bass
Terry Irwin – Drums
FFO: W.A.S.P., Sister Sin, Chastain, Warlock, Running Wild, Judas Priest, Accept, Stormwitch, Savage Master
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well