ITP REVIEW: PORTAL: SWARTH

BAND: PORTAL ( BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA) GENRE: DEATH METAL/AVANT GARDE/DARK AMBIENT LABEL: PROFOUND LORE RECORDS RELEASE DATE: 10/20/09











PREVIOUS RELEASES (CATALOG): SWARTH (2009-PROFOUND LORE RECORDS), OUTRE' (2007-PROFOUND LORE RECORDS), LURKER AT THE THRESHOLD (DEMO-2006), THE SWEYY (EP-2004-BLACK TALON MEDIA), OUR DREADFUL SPHERE/ THE SWAYY (SPLIT-2004-BLACK TALON MEDIA), SEEPIA (2003-BLACK TALON MEDIA/PROFOUND LORE), THE END MILLS (EP-2002-BLACK TALON MEDIA/DISSIDENT RECORDS), DEMO (1998)

BEST RELEASE(S): OUTRE' (2007), SEEPIA (2003)
TRACKLISTING: PORTAL: SWARTH:
1. Swarth
2. Larvae
3. Illoomorpheme
4. The Swayy
5. Writhen
6. Omenknow
7. Werships
8. Marityme

ITP RATING: ****

PRODUCTION: ****

SONGWRITING: *** 1/2

PERFORMANCE: ****


PORTAL are an avant garde, dark/ambient, blackened, death metal band from Brisbane, Australia. PORTAL invoke another world of apocalyptic dark/ambient atmospheres akin to walking through dark rooms, while intoxicated and reading HP LOVECRAFT novels.

PORTAL's riffs are not defined, as the "riffs" are notes played in essence by sliding ones hands
down the fretboard, a backdrop to an enigmatic, anonymous, dreaded entity lurking in your nightmares.
Australia's PORTAL continue to push the boundaries of "extreme", dividing those whom would expect something even close to structure, or melody as PORTAL are a vortex of the unconventional, a surreal soundscape of the primitive, a bleak, dissident buzz of horror.

...And if the world shall end, I shall listen to PORTAL's latest release "SWARTH" as we resign our self for the pending apocalypse.
PORTAL's latest release "SWARTH" opens with the title track.."Swarth" crashes in with a dark atmosphere and very unconventional and BRUTAL percussion, as the drumming paints a dark collage of riffs, (as one would expect from guitars), not from blast beats but an almost tribal, triggered and defined drum roll/cymbal crash. Curator's vocals creep under "Swarth"'s buzz at
1:37 in union with swirling riffs and primitive chaos.

PORTAL's "Larvae", for starters, takes a similar rhythm approach as defined guitar riffs are consolidated with the drumming. "Larvae" invoke riffs that dance in an out of tribal blast beats like toes on coals of fire. At 1:36 the floor drops out of PORTAL's "Larvae" with a creepy chug, chug, chug riff, and in it's repetition, it IS creepy. After "Larvae" chaos, the tune evens out for
some melancholic riffage, ending in an ambient, bleak horror.

"Illoomorpheme" invokes a tight, brutal dark atmosphere, akin to PORTAL's efforts on SEEPIA.
"Illoomorpheme's"riffs are well defined, not technical but rhythm oriented and tightly played in PORTAL's version of primitive death/black/thrash. The subtle aspects of Ignis Fatuus drumming propels the band, and improved production allows the riffs to be heard with intent.

"The Swayy" enters with brutal intent, intense with a dark atmosphere painting dissident riffs everywhere. At 1:08, "The Swayy" slows down to mid pace with a pronounced bleak and dissident riff, repetitive and memorizing. PORTAL's "The Swayy" ups the ante for chaos before a bleak wave of darkened atmospheres are explored as that dreaded entity from OUTRE' creeps up closing the tune with Curator's most horrific howl. :Looks under chair to see what is lurking there:

PORTAL's "Writhen" is heavy, brutal and chaotic..Until 1:08 when PORTAL slow down the pace for a doomy, downtuned dark experience of sludge induced dark horror.. Yes, we are guilty. PORTAL picks us up off the ground for another round of swirling, dark riffage, and bleak pounding horror.
"Omenknow" enters in a with melodic, primitive drone, as the drumming, low in the mix and understated balances the tune."Omenknow" features unconventional riffs thrown in everywhere.. However Curator's vocals are too low in "Omenknows'" mix, consolidating with guitar rhythyms.

"Weirships" is SWARTH's longest nightmare at 8:36, a tribal war march of hateful, primitive and evil experimentation. Curator's vocals creep into "Weirships" at 2:55, almost insignificant to the music, as such could be instrumental. Still, "Weirships" morphs into a sludgy black/doom
slug out, intense and powerful, as the longer the music pounds the listener, Curator's vocals seem to join the wrestling match, personifying that creepy, dreaded entity that is indeed "Weirships".
PORTAL's SWARTH closes with the track "Marityme", as the song drones in with a creepy, repetitive, riff, and picks up momentum with heartbeat kick drumming, until 1:27 when "Marityme" enters some sort of "convention" in a tribal mid pace with Curators vocals low in the mix, segueing into blastbeats. From there, "Marityme" ends where it started, with a singular, droning, unconventional, but significant riff, buzzing into a surreal chaos.
...I'm again, devastated.
If one would expect PORTAL to consistently write "conventional compositions" you are simply barking up the wrong tree. PORTAL's SWARTH takes a more confrontational, brutal approach with a collage of unconventional, complex riffs, strengthening PORTALS arsenal and pummeling the listener. Vague compositions paint SWARTH's bleak soundscapes relying less on the dark, ambient/noise realm explored on PORTAL's "OUTRE' "creating instead, a suffocating and intentionally murky atmosphere of brutal, complex, enigmatic dread.
If PORTAL personify that enigmatic, dreaded entity haunting your nightmares, PORTAL's SWARTH is the very same entity shadowing you into a dark alley and this time pummeling you.

ITP RATING: ****

PRODUCTION: ****

SONGWRITING: *** 1/2

PERFORMANCE: ****

Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-\m/ -l-