ITP V.021 REVIEW: PORTAL: "AVOW"

 

BAND: PORTAL (AUSTRALIA)

GENRE: BLACKENED, DEATH METAL

LABEL:PROFOUND LORE RECORDS

 RELEASE DATE: 5/28/2021

TITLE: "AVOW"

   PREVIOUS RELEASES (CATALOG): 

 "HAGBULBIA", 5/28/2021 via PROFOUND LORE RECORDS. 

"ION", 1/26/2018 via PROFOUND LORE RECORDS.

PORTAL/BLOOD OF KINGU (SPLIT), 10/29/2014 via HELLS HEADBANGERS RECORDS.

 "VEXOVOID",  2/19/2013 via PROFOUND LORE RECORDS. \

"SWARTH" 10/20/2009 via PROFOUND LORE RECORDS

"OUTRE" 9/11/2007 via PROFOUND LORE RECORDS

"LURKER AT THE THRESHOLD" (DEMO-2006), 

"THE SWEYY" (EP) 7/1/-2004 via BLACK TALON MEDIA

"OUR DREADFUL SPHERE"/ "THE SWAYY-"(SPLIT) -2004-ANCIENT DARKNESS PRODUCTIONS

"SEEPIA" 11/12/2003 via BLACK TALON MEDIA/PROFOUND LORE),

" THE END MILLS" (EP) 2002-BLACK TALON MEDIA/DISSIDENT RECORDS), 

 DEMO (1998)

 

 

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PORTAL:"AVOW"   TRACK LISTING: 

1."CATAFALQUE" 

2. "EYE"

3. "OFFUNE"

4."MANOR OF SPEAKING" 

5. "BODE"

6. "DRAIN"

 

BEST RELEASE(S)   "OUTRE" (2007), "SEEPIA" (2003), "SWARTH" (2009),  "VEXOVOID" (2013)

 

 

 

 

  ITP V.09 REVIEW: PORTAL: SWARTH: 

http://spak-individualthoughtpatterns.blogspot.com/2009/10/itp-review-portal-swarth.html

 

ITP V.021 REVIEW: PORTAL: "HAGBULBIA": 

 https://spak-individualthoughtpatterns.blogspot.com/2021/06/itp-v021-review-portal-hagbulbia.html

 

   ITP RATING: *** 1/2
PRODUCTION:*** 1/2
SONGWRITING: *** 1/2
PERFORMANCE  ****

PORTAL are an Australian blackened, experimental,  death metal band from Brisbane, Australia.

Here ITP V.021 has PORTAL's "AVOW", the more "musical" of the pair of new releases the band has spawned.

PORTAL'S "AVOW" kicks  off with ."CATAFALQUE"..Primal riffing and blastbeats are painted by simple chord changes as "CATAFALQUE comes to life at 2:09 with a sinister vocal performance."CATAFALQUE'S riffing ups the ante with frenetic and faster riffing as blast beats pummel the soul. 

Up and down the guitar scale "CATAFALQUE" goes. At 5:33, the bottom drops out of "CATAFALQUE", for a truly demented and doomy experience. At 8:08 into"CATAFALQUE", one can hear the sound of blast beats, the light at the end of the tunnel, as the track ends at a frenetic pace.  .  

 PORTAL'S "EYE" , is a well written opus with definitive riffing, break neck speed, and technical riffs galore. At 2:35 into "EYE", the tempo slows down for a dissonant slow doom dance. .   

PORTAL'S "OFFUNE"enters with relentless speed. :46 seconds into "OFFUNE", the band rides the sickest riff as the band segues into heavy doom. At 3:30 into "OFFUNE" the band changes riffs keeping a slow and epic tempo into the sunset. 

PORTAL'S "MANOR OF SPEAKING" enters with bended notes until the track picks up the fast pace. At 1:50 into "MANOR OF SPEAKING" the band slow down the pace over CURATORS demented sermons into doom. . 

 .  

PORTAL'S "BODE" enters as mid paced doom. At 2:52 into "BODE", CURATOR barks out his sermon as the music as now at a snails pace. At 4:58 into "BODE", the tempo speeds up into a moshable, death pit.

PORTAL'S "AVOW" closes with "DRAIN"as the track kicks off as classic PORTAL (blast beats, sick vocals) . At 1:24  into "DRAIN", the floor drops to a discordant riff and slow paced death, doom. At 3:44 into "DRAIN" , it only gets weird, with a twangy riff and a play of dynamics as the band is off to the races with speed, blast beats and doom. 

 The kings of murk come back with two experimental releases.PORTAL'S "AVOW" is highly experimental affair dabbling in the dynamics of extreme speed and blackened doom. 

However, some of the tracks are too long and repetitive namely  "MANOR OF SPEAKING" and "DRAIN".

The fast to slow dynamics is nothing new to PORTAL, better executed on "OUTRE". However, the slow parts featured on PORTAL'S "AVOW" are very long and/or repetitive. 

The first three tracks from PORTAL'S "AVOW" are far more interesting combining musical variety with excellent musicianship, demented ideas and decent songwriting..

 PORTAL'S "AVOW" features better production as the nuances in the their sound can easily be heard. 

PORTAL are an enigmatic entity, a shadow to your subconsciousness. PORTAL are as reliable as they are experimental, as it is the darkness that endears us to this band.    

.  . 

     ITP RATING: *** 1/2
PRODUCTION:*** 1/2
SONGWRITING: *** 1/2
PERFORMANCE  ****

 

PORTAL: "AVOW": 

https://spak-individualthoughtpatterns.blogspot.com/2021/05/portal-post-new-release-avow.html

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

 

 

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