Interview: Mongrel's 'Baptized In The Gutter' already sets the heavy bar for 2025 very high

San Diego's Mongrel (not to be confused with the alt metal band Mongrel we have covered in past incarnations of this mag) are a force to be reckoned with. Purveyors of some of the most bombastic riffing and mojo this side of Power Trip (without the post-Riley let downs), this band wastes no punches. 

Daze/Hardlore have backed their latest release, the fittingly grim entitled slammer entitled Baptized In The Gutter. This band really feels one with purpose and hopefully are here to stay. East Coast readers can check them in April with God's Hate, Twitching Tongues and more with Philly and Amityville shows on deck! 

It was cool to talk to Conor and Tristan (vox and one of the axe players, respectively) about the history, passion and prowling presence of the project!

1. First off, I wanna say off the bat I knew you guys had it in you. "Tightrope Walk" opens with almost Megadeth riffing then drops into unforgiving Merauder/Stigmata-esque old school influenced brutality. The precursor to the more watered down pop metalcore we get now. I thought when I heard the first Off The Leash EP awhile back that it was the meanest shit I'd heard in awhile (even more than some recent heavy TX bands), but would you agree you've raised the bar here while still sounding "street"?

Tristan: First and foremost, thank you. It really means a lot that you, and people are digging this stuff. It’s really fun to hear the different elements certain people hear when they listen. It feels like everyone hears it different. The music I write I this band is just the music I’ve always wanted to hear. We’ve all been going to hardcore shows and listening to hc and all different types of metal/aggressive music for our whole lives. The music is just a direct reflection of the impact those influences have had on us. There’s very little thought into those things other than making the sickest music we can possibly make and executing that vision as perfectly as we can into every facet of the band.

2. You seem to be maybe the heaviest band out of San Diego right now. It is a lot of fun there and there is a lot of beauty nearby, but also it is expensive and there is a conservative streak of some people demonizing the homeless or people struggling. There also is an amazing and rich history of alternative, punk and heavy music. From stuff as mainstream as Stone Temple Pilots to the band Heroin or OHCULT. What first got you into heavy music and did you ever feel like you have to work harder to make a mark than LA bands? 

Conor: Growing up in Oceanside, I got into surfing and the punk scene early on. The city was really grimey when I was younger. There were lots of great bands from around here that never did anything outside of San Diego. That’s definitely changed in the last several years though, and the scene is doing well. We’ve been lucky enough to make friends with bands from all over. I don’t think about working harder than any other bands, just about making the sickest music possible that will reach people everywhere. 

Tristan: The first hardcore show I ever went to was our drummer Face’s band Life or Death in a garage in San Marcos when I was in eighth grade. I bought their cd “Sentenced” and that kind of set the whole tone for me as far as wanting to make music that’s as hard and creative as possible. San Diego is a place that’s always been full of bands that are not only good but dedicated to the musicianship and creativity of their projects. LA has built one of the best scenes in the country and if anything they’ve really helped us get to where we’re at. As far as working harder goes I mean we share a practice space and members with Take Offense, Mizery and ROC. The attention to detail in the music that gets made right here creates that feeling of needing to push yourself to keep up.

3. What are your favorite San Diego venues? Or you prefer house shows? I like Tower Bar a lot. And Til Two is fun. Those are prob too small for how crazy you guys seem like you'd get live though. Do your fans knock buildings down? Haha.

Tristan: When I first started going to shows I feel like every show I went to was in someone’s garage haha. Face had bands like 100 Demons, Cast Aside, Hoods all play in his garage when I was in high school. Kinda seems unreal that something like that is even possible now. Che Cafe is obviously a San Diego landmark and we have a venue called Corazon del Barrio in Logan that’s probably the closest space to Showcase Theater we’ve had since they shut it down. The shows are what it’s all about and if you mosh the wall instead of your bros you’re the WORST. It’s hard enough to keep venues going in SD.

4. So you had Dan Swano, Taylor Young and Alex Jacobeli working on this with you. That's quite the dream team. Did you feel like they really understood you and what was the experience like? Obviously they have legit reputations in the genre. 

Tristan: You’re 100% correct we had the dream team. We’ve known Alex and Taylor and been playing shows with their bands for YEARS so it was really cool to work on this project with homies who know exactly what we’re talking about when we’re explaining how we want it to sound. Dan Swano is 100% the secret sauce. He’s been doing this and playing music since the bands we’re influenced by were in their prime so he not only knows what we’re talking about but exactly how it’s done. We’ve been really fortunate that everyone we’ve included creatively in this band is as neurotic and insanity level focused on detail in their lane as we are with the music and vision for the band.

5. 'Baptized In The Gutter' is an interesting name in that while it implies suffering, you also feel like it means you are maybe tough enough to survive. Was that the intent?

Connor: Yeah, it’s something like that. The full line the name comes from is, “when you’re baptized in the gutter, there’s no getting clean.” Baptized is like being born again, and the record is about flipping the concept around and being reborn in all the filth and chaos we’re surrounded by. It’s definitely about survival and embracing the hand you’ve been dealt. I’m also talking about substance abuse and life after addiction. It’s me saying that for some people, there’s no such thing as getting clean. 

6."The Aftermath" as a sober person felt very intense to me from the opening sample to the heaving riffage with almost Morbid Angel flourishes melded to hardcore impulses. It is crazy how you can have a lot of time and still something can recall the worst and lowest moments of addiction. But also that can build resolve. What inspired you to write this one? Probably hit me the hardest.

It's the subject matter that’s familiar and comfortable to me. I tried to write a song that would be relatable to anyone living in the aftermath of something terrible, whether it be addiction, trauma, abuse, or anything that feels like a black cloud hanging over their head. The idea for the samples came later. I didn’t want to be too on the nose about the subject matter, because I want people to be able to take away from the lyrics what they want, but it just made too much sense not to use them for that song. These are ideas I’ve been kicking around in my head for a long time, and I was just trying to write about them in the most honest way I can.

7.What are you looking the most forward to about the rest of the year? Society is fucked but it must feel good to draw strength from music and your friends. You guys have chops but it really feels like there is a unity there as well and not just showing off. 

Tristan: When we started this band we never thought we would ever do anything with it beyond put some songs out and play a few shows here and there and to see what the whole thing has turned into is so cool. More than just 5 guys making music, Mongrel is an entire community of homies pushing each other to make something that is as sick as it can possibly be. From the music, to the visuals, to the shows, even down to how the music is released.  I’m filled with gratitude and I’m excited to bring the live aspect of this project out wherever we can with our homies and keep building on this thing we’ve been so fortunate to create.

Photos Credit: Kevin O’Bryant

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