Pipe Bomb: “Hell Hole” Album Review

Remember the days of Josh Scogin racing around on stage like an absolute mad man? That kind of insanity has inspired the next generation of chaotic metal found in Pipe Bomb, the solo project of Mitchell Layton. Self-described as “Chaotic Christian Metalcore,” Pipe Bomb is ready to drop their first full-length album, Hell Hole. Birthed out of personal betrayal and the aftermath, this record explores where we place our focus and what truly can save us from ourselves. We were fortunate enough to secure an early listen to this absolutely explosive album.

Hell Hole Album Review:

Tracks: 10

Release Date: March 18, 2026

Label: Independent Release

Hell Hole starts straight out of the gate with a gritty guitar intro, packed with plenty of distortion on the opener “Under God’s Heel.” The high pitch squeal of the guitar gives me flashbacks to the early days of The Chariot.

“If the devil wants me dead, he’ll have to do it himself.”

This is just the beginning, but lyrically this has to be one of the best written records in a long time. They’re not afraid of holding anything back with their lyrics. I love that line about if the devil wants me dead, because it harkens to where in the bible talks about our bodies can be harmed, but not our souls.

Not holding anything back, we dive right into “Choke.” Mitchell lists multiple musical influences ranging from Every Time I Die to The Chariot to Norma Jean. When you listen to the vocals and the guitar riffs, you can hear that influence especially in this song. This is one of those songs that really gets you headbanging.

“We’re called to carry our cross, but you burnt it just to keep yourself warm.”

This song goes after the false teachings that are found in the church. There are people who will corrupt the gospel to the point where it will justify their lifestyle. The line about carrying our cross but burning it to keep ourselves warm just reminds me of how sometimes we’re more focused on ourselves than we are about making sure that Christ is Lord in our lives.

The title track, “Hell Hole,” leans into an industrial metal sound, driven by reverberating guitar riffs and rhythmic drum beats that perfectly reinforce the instrumentation. This unique sound compliments the spoken word style of the intro. Vocally, it reminds me of early Project 86 with the soft spoken portion. The vocals are simple and dark to go with the looped twinge guitar sound. The song is written from an experience of personal family betrayal. The passion coming from that experience drives the performance of this song.

“Hell-bent surrogate. Paid for the hell we live. Hell-bent surrogate. Paid for the hell we deserve.”

Sure, there is betrayal and we all have experienced some level of betrayal, but despite it all there is always forgiveness, grace and mercy. We deserve the punishment, but it is through Jesus that we are spared of that.

Do you think the album slows down? Nope. “Tabloid” starts with an absolutely frenetic opening. It is just going nuts. This is one of those songs where you can picture the crowd going wild, all over the place. People flying in the mosh pits. The breakdowns in this song have to be some of the best written.

The hype and anticipation for the album started early with the release of the first single and our next track, “I Will Kill The Worst Part of Myself.” The guitars and drums set the tone with the alternating pushes of aggressive sound.The pandemonium continues with “Hate Club.” There is a repetitive effect on the vocals with this soft spoken portion that we hear in this song and others. It’s a great effect as it breaks up the screams that are being thrown around.

“Victim mindset plague. My pity is running out.”

Mitchell really doesn’t hold back. The victim mindset that some people have is draining and it drives people away, rather than being there to support others. This applies to both believers and non-believers.

The Chariot is listed as one of Pipe Bomb’s influences and we hear it in “Mob Rule.” Between the fast tempo and thunderous drum patterns, this just screams all over the place metal. There are portions of the song that remind me a bit of “Yanni Depp” by The Chariot. As the song is titled, this song is about rather than having open discourse, people rather gather their mobs and torches and pitchforks and go after those that don’t agree with them.

There’s a brief moment at the beginning to catch your breath in “Bliss,” but it goes straight into the fast, frenzied tempo again. This is a short but heavy song. “Straight Edge Hate” is next and another quick song. These two songs are incredibly short, but they pack so much explosive energy in a small window of time. The progression of the guitars highlight the technical powerhouse that Pipe Bomb is developing.

Before you know it, you find yourself listening to the last song, “Concrete.” I love the feedback squeal, because if you’re going to label yourself chaotic metal you need to have some level of squeal. The spoken portion with the scripture (Matthew 7:21-23) is a nice touch to add to the message of the song. This song is centered around those who claim to be Christians and yet don’t truly believe in repentance and the true gospel.

“Hell-bound in ‘love,’ narrow the gate. Call everything outside you ‘hate.’”

Some who claim to spread love quickly label those with differing views as hateful. The album ends on a great song with a message focused on the true gospel.

This album has to be an early contender for album of the year. Each song presents its own personality, but centered around the format of chaotic metal and the theme that our lives are worth more. I appreciate the boldness that Mitch writes with and the passion that he has for the gospel. There are times when people want to keep quiet about the gospel, but sometimes it just requires people to speak up. 

I’m sure when people see the album title, they may ask themselves “is this a Christian album?” After listening through and reading through the lyrics, oh yeah, this is clearly a Christian album. The overarching story of the album is to remind ourselves that we serve the only true king, Jesus Christ. All in all, if you’re a fan of bands like The Chariot, Norma Jean and Every Time I Die, this is a record that you need to listen to!