Hear a Dark, Brooding Song from Portrayal of Guilt's Five-Inch Picture Disc

Here’s a spicy music take: Not all bands should be allowed to make five-inch records. They’re weird to file in collections, they’re a pain in the ass to listen to (some turntables don’t even play them because the needle snaps back before you can set it down on the grooves), and they don’t offer much of a songs-per-dollar payoff. But for this thoroughly maddening format, an exception must be made for Portrayal of Guilt. The Austin band is soon to release a full-length LP produced by Majority Rule’s Matt Michel that is a jaw-dropping achievement in hardcore. For ten songs, it expertly weaves through heavy styles, at times grinding away at a screamo pace before crashing headfirst into thick doom. But in the meantime, the band has made an extremely limited (100 copies) lathe cut five-inch picture disc to hold listeners over.

The mini-record, and its song “Chamber of Misery Part I," offers only a tiny taste of what’s to come. The song never breaks out into the full roar Portrayal of Guilt is capable of, but instead produces a dark and brooding rumble, as guttural growls overlap with monotone chants before ending abruptly in pure calamity. The song's counterpart, "Chamber of Misery Part II," appears on the full-length.

Listen to “Chamber of Misery Part I” below and grab a copy of the five-inch if you’re lucky. Portrayal of Guilt will be on tour soon with Birds In Row, who are also releasing a thoroughly impressive full-length this year. Dates below. And in case you missed Portrayal of Guilt's seven-inch release last year, get on it.

July 22 - Wichita Falls, TX @ Stick's Place*
July 24 - St. Louis, MO @ Fubar*
July 25 - Chicago, IL @ Subterranean*
July 26 - Syracuse, NY @ Spark Art Space*
July 27 - Oakdale, NY @ Shakers Pub*
July 28 - Portland, ME @ Geno's*
July 29 - Boston, MA @ O'Briens*
July 30 - Manchester, NH @ Bungalow*
July 31 - Brooklyn, NY @ The Kingsland*
August 1 - Montclair, NJ @ The Meatlocker*
August 2 - Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie*
August 3 - Falls Church, VA @ VFW 9274*
August 4 - Columbia, SC @ New Brookland Tavern*
August 5 - Richmond, VA @ Strange Matter*
August 6 - Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar*
August 8 - Asheville, NC @ The Odditorium
August 9 - Nashville, TN @ That 70's House
August 10 - New Orleans, LA @ Santos Bar
*w/ Birds In Row