Two of the heavy music underground’s harshest young bands — Portrayal of Guilt and Slow Fire Pistol — have joined forces for a new split EP.
After touring together a couple years ago, the two bands finalized their long-shared desire to release a record together. It’s the second such release from Austin’s Portrayal of Guilt, following their split with Soft Kill last year.
“We had the pleasure of having Slow Fire Pistol on a few of our tour dates a couple of years ago and have kept in touch about doing a split ever since,” guitarist Matt King said in a press release. “We’re happy to finally get this out and are appreciative to be working with Run For Cover [Records]. ‘The End of Man Will Bring Peace to This Earth’ sets the tone for our second full-length coming later this year [on Closed Casket Activities]. I think it speaks for itself.”
The practice of the “split” channels the economical ethos of the classic emo and post-hardcore acts who’d share sides on 7-inches in the ’80s and ’90s (and still a breadwinner for labels like Run For Cover).
Those influences also permeate Portrayal of Guilt’s music, which douses the templates for post-hardcore and screamo in atmospheric black metal. If anything, they’ve become even bleaker — both lyrically and sonically — on their A-side, “The End of Man Will Bring Peace to this Earth”. The more overtly screamo Slow Fire Pistol bring the poignant “Heart of Discernment” on side B. A similar philosophical thread binds the two tracks.
“There’s a contrast between each band’s song that allows them both to stand out and be something very unique, while also complimenting each other in a way that makes perfect sense to us,” Slow Fire Pistol drummer Blake Hall said. “We hope ‘Heart of Discernment’ resonates with listeners in a way that causes them to examine how we as individuals can afford to have a little more empathy for people who aren’t just like us.”
Portrayal of Guilt will be headed on a North American and European tour this spring, sharing a three dates in the South with Slow Fire Pistol. Get tickets here.
Order the split via Run For Cover. See the full list of tour dates and listen to the tracks below.
Portrayal of Guilt 2020 Tour Dates:
03/06 – Houston, TX @ Red Dwarf *
03/07 – Baton Rouge, LA @ The Woodshop *
03/08 – Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub +
03/09 – Tampa , FL @ Blue Note +
03/10 – Miami, FL @ Churchill’s
03/11 – Gainesville, FL @ The Atlantic ^
03/12 – Jacksonville, FL @ Rain Dogs ^
03/13 – Columbia, SC @ New Brookland Tavern #
03/14 – Atlanta, GA @ The Bakery #
03/15 – Birmingham, AL @ Seasick Records #
03/16 – Hattiesburg, MS @ Sin Den
03/17 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa
03/18 – Dallas, TX @ Three Links
04/03 – Helsinki, FI @ Cactus
04/04 – Tampere, FI @ Kenneli D.I.Y.
04/05 – Berlin, DE @ An Der Autobahn
04/06 – Weimar, DE @ Gerber 3
04/07 – Leipzig, DE @ Felsenkeller
04/08 – Stuttgart, DE @ Club Zentral
04/09 – Paris, FR @ l’ESS’pace
04/10 – Nottingham, UK @ Stuck on a Name Studios
04/11 – Sheffield, UK @ Network
04/12 – Bristol, UK @ Rough Trade
04/13 – London, UK @ The Black Heart
04/14 – TBA
04/15 – TBA
04/16 – Hasselt, BE @ WERF
04/17 – Bochum, DE @ Die Trompete
04/18 – Darmstadt, DE @ Oettinger Villa
04/19 – Tilburg, NL @ Roadburn Festival
* = w/ Chat Pile
+ = w/ Horsewhip
# = w/ Slow Fire Pistol
^ = w/ PeZ
Portrayal of Guilt and Slow Fire Pistol Team Up for New Split EP: Stream
Jon Hadusek
