Portrayal of Guilt at Turf Club (08/28/2023)

It was loud and heavy, and to the delight of the crowd that gathered there was a heavy amount of thrashing.

Wanderer first took the stage with The Louvin Brothers “Satan is Real” playing them on. They are a Twin Cities band comprised of Dan Lee on vocals, Mano Holgin on drums, Jack Carlson on bass and Brent Ericson on guitar. They launched into a high-octane, at times blistering pace, playing songs from their debut album “Liberation From a Brutalistst Existence.” And as quickly as they started, they were done as Steely Dan’s “Hey Nineteen” started playing through the main speakers.

Fearing was up next. They are based out of Oakland California with James Rogers on bass and vocals and Brian Vega on guitar and vocals. Their sound is described as dark coldwave. It had the feel of 80’s synth music stripped down to its core. The themes were still bleak, but not as much screaming and distortion as the previous act.

Fearing’s latest release Destroyer will be available on September, 29^th.

Gag was up next and they instantly upped the thrashing level. Luckily, I was standing behind a half-wall when the moshing commenced. What I found surprising is that no one looked upset or angry. Instead everyone had big smiles on their faces even if those faces were about to get accidentally slapped or elbowed.

Gag is based out of Olympia, Washington. They are comprised of Adam Barnes on vocals, Jose Mora on guitar, Ian Jeffries on guitar, Jeff Caffey on drums and Paden Reed on bass. They were loud, their sound was heavy and they were having a blast. They definitely sent a jolt through the crowd, as Vice Magazine best described in February 2016: “Like all the best punk and pop, the songs are over before the listener can fully acclimate, but the bewilderment is part of the thrill.”

Portrayer of Guilt finished off the evening with an impressive set. NPR described their music in a November 2018 article as: “… hardcore, noise, grindcore, death metal, powerviolence and turn-of-the-century scream…” (The album being reviewed was Let Pain Be Your Guide.) They are based out of Austin, Texas with Matt King on guitars and vocals, Blake Given on bass and James Beveridge on drums.