PORTRAYAL OF GUILT - Suffering Is A Gift 12"EP (Clear w/ Olive, Bone & Beer Splatter Vinyl)

Label: Closed Casket Activities

Suffering Is a Gift, feels more like a full-borne assault. With a ten-minute runtime, the EP mostly focuses on blistering screamo and powerviolence, with only a hint of their melodic elements thrown in for good measure.

Songs like "Self-Inflicted" and "Scarcity" are fast and harsh blasts of noisy hardcore with the latter incorporating a bit of groove. "Dissolution" comes across like a hardcore band taking a stab at black metal with a mix of harsh tremolo riffs coupled with high shrieks while holding a distinctly punk approach.

Even though the songs are mostly built from chaos, the band still offer listeners some ambience in "A Futile Light" and "Moral Decay," with the latter also offering some burly sludge riffs.

Overall, Suffering Is a Gift just further shows Portrayal of Guilt are a band to keep an eye on over the next few years — particularly for the skill they have in intertwining different stylistic approaches to their music.