It’s never easy reviewing albums from artists who change their sound with each release, mainly because you have less relevant material to refer to for comparison and contrast. Having said that, it is refreshing when a band do whatever they want and forget about the genre they allegedly belong to. Portrayal of Guilt are prime culprits when it comes to upsetting scene loyalists, as each of their records tries something new that doesn’t fit with their original grindcore/screamo roots. 2023’s Devil Music was no exception, as it gave us classical reworkings (including cello, tuba and French horn) of the albums five original tracks, and I have to say it worked rather well too. 2024’s Christfucker II was an eclectic bag of remixes which included EDM, glitch, drum n bass and more. …Beginning of the End takes the Austin, Texas trio into new territory yet again, this time leaning into industrial and hip-hop influences, but the biggest dalliances here are with pop sounds and structures. Some of the hooks on offer are ludicrously catchy, to the point where you might be asking yourself, “should I be enjoying this as much as I am?”
Lead single "Ecstasy" is certainly one of those moments with its programmed beats, Korn-esque guitar licks and clean (yet decidedly eerie) vocal chorus. It certainly stopped me in my tracks the first time I heard it, and I think that was down to how purposefully accessible it sounded. This may be experimental but it was no accident. There are some nods to Post Self era Godflesh, but that doesn’t do this track justice, as it’s clearly trying to push boundaries and take Portrayal of Guilt into a new realm, and ultimately a new audience. “Chamber of Misery Pt IV” is another WTF moment with its unabashed hip-hop worship, including killer guest vocals from fellow Texan, Slim Guerilla. It’s a shame the track doesn’t last longer than sixty-six seconds because I would love to have heard where this effortlessly slick composition could have gone.
The POG boys have clearly been listening to a lot of Crippling Alcoholism, and that shouldn’t come as a surprise considering they released last year’s Camgirl on their own label. The influence of the Boston outfits gothic post punk is there for all to hear on tracks like “Death From Above” and most noticeably “Object of Pain”. The latter is dripping with melancholic gloom and the evocative lyrics of “I want to feel it on the inside. I want to feel it on the outside” conjure some vivid imagery. The vocals on the second half of "Under Siege" somehow reminded me of the recently departed legend Thomas Lindberg in The Great Deceiver side project, where his acidic rasps were often accompanied by dissonant melodic passages. I’m a sucker for this kind of juxtaposition and when it’s done well, as it is here, the effects can be quite chilling. In fact, “chilling” sums this album up rather nicely, because for all its genre juggling and verse/chorus familiarity, you can’t get away from the fact that there is an unrelenting air of menace on even the most melodic parts of …Beginning of the End. Sure, the flashes of blast beats and monstrous riffs such as “Total Black” are downright disgusting in every way, but these more typical visceral barrages likely won’t be the moments that will stay with you from this album. It’s the creatively risky, left field passages that get their hooks in and duly pump you full of shadowy adrenaline.
If this really is the beginning of the end for the Portrayal of Guilt we have known so far, then the road ahead looks mighty intriguing and I'm going to be sticking my thumb out ready to jump on board for the ride.