Visceral, volatile and spewing venom in all directions,
LPBYG was, undeniably (and probably purposefully) a little bit all over the place, but still managed to retain
just enough cohesion to stop it all flying apart at the seams… while still feeling like it might do so at any given moment.
The band’s recently-released second album,
We Are Always Alone, by contrast, may be a little less
feral than its predecessor, but it’s still a wild, whiplash-inducing ride, make no mistake, whose erratic bursts of frenzied ferocity arguably benefit from an increased sense of focus and direction which allows them to land more cleanly and hit that little bit harder.
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With ceaseless, snarling brutality, the Texas post-hardcore trioâs second album finds a new level of confidence to express the pointlessness of existence.
Remember the cautious optimism of February 2020? Texas trio Portrayal of Guilt buried it under a flood of flesh-melting sludge called âThe End of Man Will Bring Peace to This Earth.â Nine months later, they commemorated New Yearâs Eve with a filmed live performance titled â2020 Will Burn in Hell Forever.â Their second LP arrives at a queasy time, when most resolutions are already abandoned andâmonths into a pandemicâarbitrary points on the calendar feel more arbitrary than ever. But it doesnât matter if the glass is half full, half empty, or just something to smash against a wall: On
Serrated by extreme metallurgy throughout debut full-length
Let Pain Be Your Guide, their coiled hardcore rampages resolutely and absolutely. So opined this instant convert at the ass end of 2018, and what a difference 425 interminable days (give or take) make. As thoroughly self-possessed as Portrayal of Guilt s celebrated bow resounded in punk and metal pits, follow-up
We Are Always Alone now standardizes the locals splatter into a trademark sound. Success breeds fearlessness, focus, certainty; No. 2 harnesses No. 1 s tempest. Dealing one less cut than its predecessor but adding six minutes – nine songs in under a half-hour –
We Are Always Alone lives by one of its own titles, It s Already Over, a brooding, hostile, undead face-eater that hides a goth-pop ditty at its poisoned heart (