.JPG)
Guilt Tradition is a hardcore band from the Rose City, Portland, Oregon. Comprised of members of Pressure Cracks, Dying For It, Right On Time, Enact, and Time Void.
The group just kicked the year off by dropping a superb 7-song release, Our Season, across all streaming services. Guilt Tradition singer Matt Zuniga (aka Zuni) and drummer Thomas Vanderpol answered some questions about the band and how the veterans of the 2000s hardcore scene came together.
Tell us how Guilt Tradition came together.
Matt Thornton (aka Thrustie) and Jon Moore started this band in 2023. I remember Matt calling me and telling me how he wanted to play heavy music again and how Jon is a riff machine (true statement). I play guitar in Time Void, but had really wanted to do vocals in a band as well.
Thrustie and I played in a band together here in Portland called Twohands from like 2007-2011, and that was the last time I had done vocals in a project. I didn’t know Jon prior to joining the band, but we immediately clicked.
In early 2024, Thomas Vanderpol and Dan Bieranowski joined the band. Both of them have been a huge part in shaping the identity of this band. We knew we wanted to play music with others who had been around for a while, and had gotten to know Thomas and Dan from their tenure in local bands like Blu Blaz (Thomas) and Black Force Energy (Dan). Dan was also the sound engineer for Mano Oculta (RIP)–the venue that kept things going in Portland right as venues were recovering from COVID closures.
Every member of Guilt Tradition has been involved in hardcore for 20+ years. While Matt and Zuni came up in Portland, Jon, Dan, and Thomas are all transplants to the city with similar backgrounds in the south, Southern California, and Northern California, respectively. That love that’s kept all of us coming back feels important to us. While we all love bands from back in the day, we are equally stoked on the new generation of hardcore bands.
What style of hardcore would you say Guilt Tradition is playing?
We all grew up in the early 2000s scene, and while we each have our own specific tastes, the core elements of this band are firmly rooted in the traditions forged by bands like The Hope Conspiracy, Terror, Integrity, Allegiance, and Buried Alive.
Our Season is a summary of where the band has been, where we are now, and where we’re going. This is our first proper release with the current lineup. It’s a redux of the Illusion Rot EP in some ways, but we re-recorded both of the songs “Contortion Artist” (the band’s first single) and the title track “Our Season”, which had previously come out on Anti Gravity Comp: ONE, which was pressed on a short run of cassettes.
When the band initially started, it was a totally different lineup and we leaned into very different musical influences than we do now. Eventually, we all realized we wanted to play more straightforward hardcore and these songs are the result of that.
All of the songs are brand new recordings recorded, mixed, and mastered by our guitarist Dan. You should check out his custom guitar pedals here: Spooky Vibes FX
.JPG)
What's on deck for Guilt Tradition?
Our next show is on Friday, January 17 with Regional Justice Center. The wait will not be long for more jams.
What other bands from around the Portland region should we check out?
Portland has a great local scene right now with bands like Aggro, These Fucking Hands, No Enemies, Slime, Misery Whip, At The Heart of the World, Jade Dust, Time Void, Mad Choice, Shellshock, Street Policy, Suffer, 2 to the Teeth, and of course the heavy hitters, Dry Socket. Still waiting on the return of Blu Blaz and new music from Not A Part of It and South Mouth.
Shout out to Chip and Kieran for holding down the booking and making shows happen here.
Within the greater NWHC hardcore scene we love Odd Man Out, Chopping Block, Punitive Damage, Filth is Eternal, Tolls, Tears of Joy, Denial of Life, Boltcutter, End of Dayz, KAIZO, Apex Predator, Juice, Rejection Pact, and Wake of Humanity.
NORTHWEST ON TOP.
***
Guilt Tradition on social media: Instagram
Tagged: dying for it, enact, guilt tradition, pressure cracks, time void
