Band: Portraits of Anger
From: Ontario, Canada
Their formation story:
(Vince, guitar): "We met going to shows in the Southern Ontario hardcore scene and started POA in early 2024. Everyone in the band has some affinity for metalcore because we came up in the 2010s where it was heavily entwined with gateway hardcore, especially on a local level. The new wave of bands on DAZE and Ephyra inspired us to go back through the vaults and fall in love with things we’d either discarded or forgotten about.
"Perhaps most importantly, we wanted to bring the metalcore revival sound to Toronto and let kids experience it in a live setting. Internally, the vibes have been right since our first practice. We’re all excited to contribute and bring out the best in each other."
Their sound in their own words:
"Turn of the century metalcore, to put it simply. Trem riffs, chugs and double kick. Lucas and I bonded over 7 Angels 7 Plagues in our previous band, so we made a point to write some melodic and dissonant elements into POA. At the same time we all geek out on bands like Reprisal and Day of Suffering who are hard as nails and incorporate early '90s extreme metal in their sound.
"We’re also dyed in the wool hardcore kids, so elements of classic-era Victory Records peek through occasionally. We cover Buried Alive and the very beginning to 'Chains of the Past' is a rip of 'Zombie Prescription' by Snapcase.
"All five of us bring different influences and ideas to the table. My favourite current label is Designated Moshers Unit. Lucas grew up listening to skramz. Speedy had a Mohawk in grade four. If your band uses an HM2 pedal, Junaid has probably heard it. Dave is my go-to guy for '70s folk and jazz recommendations. We’re on some real music nerd shit and I hope people hear that in the songs."
Latest release info:
"Our bassist Speedy recorded, engineered and produced the demo at Fast Track Studios in Mississauga. Our focus was capturing the songs in a way that felt raw and natural while achieving the technical competence required for this kind of music. The studio was in an industrial park, and there’s a bunch of funny stories about us pissing off the building’s other tenants spending all hours of the day and night trying to bang the demo out. I knew we were on the right track after our first noise complaint. The six that followed were cherries on top.
"The demo was mastered by the goat 'Chill Will' Killingsworth at Dead Air Studios and features art contributions from Seth Neilsen and FDHill. It’s currently available on all streaming platforms. Yetzer Hara Records did a run of tapes which we’re hoping to have in hand for our upcoming shows. You can also purchase a copy and stream the demo on their Bandcamp."
Future plans:
"We’re doing a weekend of shows opening for The July Effect in September: Sept 12 at Toronto Style Bar and Grill, and Sept 13 at the Queens Hotel in Barrie.
"We also have music in the hopper and are already playing a new song live. Hopefully we can drop again by mid 2026. In the meantime we are looking to play shows, so if any promoter reading this wants to book POA, give us a shout. Our goal is to tour, make friends and play fun shows with cool bands. Hardcore kid shit."
What other bands from their region should we check out?
"Not from our neck of the woods but some bands from Canada doing a similar sound that we enjoy are Heavenscoldhands, The July Effect and Unmoved.
"As for Southern Ontario there’s lots of good stuff happening. POA is part of the Klobber extended universe which includes Klobber, *plush, Rhythm and Wasteland. Check those bands out.
"If you like our sound check out Enhanced Lethal Abilities, Wrought and Mile End. If you like straightforward hardcore check out Mil-Spec, Wild Side, Terminator, 100% Pure and the Total Supply roster. If you like heavy shit check out Destined to Burn, Reality Denied, Hostile Thoughts and Slewfoot. If you have a brain check out all those bands and then keep digging.
"Shout out Be About It Records. Shout out GLW. Shout out Perfect Limbs. 50K all day. DA Army forever."
Demonstration '25 is available on cassette via Yetzer Hara Records.
Portraits of Anger on social media: Instagram
Tagged: portraits of anger
