Portal - Outre

[wEEman33]

I received this in the mail today after being impressed by the sample track available on their website.



Musically, it seems to meld the off-kilter riffing styles found in works like "Blessed Are the Sick," "Dimension Hatross," and "Obscura" with the infernal atmosphere presented on albums like "Onward to Golgotha" and "Failure For Gods."

As the compositions are rather dense, I think I will need further deliberation to decide whether or not this has the lasting impact of the abovementioned albums, but nonetheless, my initial reaction is positive, and at the least, I would go so far to say that this is the best-executed attempt to break out of the death metal mold that I have heard since "The Luster of Pandemonium" by Crimson Massacre.

[chrstphrbnntt]

I would go so far to say that this is the best-executed attempt to break out of the death metal mold that I have heard since "The Luster of Pandemonium" by Crimson Massacre.

I don't understand that album at all. It's much better than, say, Necrophagist, but still incoherent.

I'll give this album a listen, however.

[wEEman33]

"The Luster of Pandemonium" is definitely a difficult and demanding listen, but if the listener puts enough time and effort into it, I think he/she will find that the spirit it conveys is more powerful than just about anything to come out of death metal since Gorguts' "Obscura."

In fact, no other death metal album released post-2000 has spent as much time in my CD players as "Luster..." has, and at current, its playing time even rivals that of any number of classics on caliber with those that I mentioned in my first post.

Anyway, this thread is about Portal, not Crimson Massacre, so if you'd like to discuss "Luster...," please do so in another thread. Having spent many, many hours analyzing the album, I am more than happy to go into greater detail as to why I hold it in such a high regard.

[Prospero]

I hear some Demilich and Azagthoth, I like it, could you upload it?

[wEEman33]

Yeah no problem.

I’ll get a rip posted in the audiofile section by tomorrow afternoon.

[Bereft]

this is the best-executed attempt to break out of the death metal mold that I have heard since "The Luster of Pandemonium" by Crimson Massacre.

The Luster of Pandemonium was very impressive, but Portal's previous album, Seepia, easily surpassed it. I hold it in the same regard as Obscura, and in five or ten years time, I'm sure people will look back on it with the same respect. People outside Australia really need to hear this band, they really bring the spirit of Lovecraft's incomprehensible, monstrous horror to life.

I think it's about time I order my copy of Outre.

[wEEman33]

I was not familiar with "Seepia," so I went ahead and ordered it along with "Outre."

I am trying to reach a verdict on the latter before I begin my investigation of the former.

Both albums will be uploaded by the end of the afternoon.

[chb]

I have listened to it once and liked it so far. This means nothing, of course: I liked Nattens Madrigal a lot when I heard it for the first time. Turned out that the album wasn't that great after all, but Outre might be really good. I definitely have to listen to this again. You rarely encounter a DM album that is this atmospheric. It's almost like ambient music.

[neoclassical]

Portal mp3

[Skjold]

I saw this band live a couple of times around 2 or so years ago, and they seemed to put on a decent show. So I went home and downloaded Seepia, and I am quite sure I listened to it a couple of times but I can't actually remember a single song and haven't had the desire to play it again. Not sure if it was boring or I just didn't give it enough of a chance. Think I might put it on again, see what I think about it this time around.

[esoteric]

I received this in the mail today after being impressed by the sample track available on their website.



Musically, it seems to meld the off-kilter riffing styles found in works like "Blessed Are the Sick," "Dimension Hatross," and "Obscura" with the infernal atmosphere presented on albums like "Onward to Golgotha" and "Failure For Gods."

I'd like to hear a more detailed explanation on why, if possible.

About 95% of the riffs are made up of 32nd or even-valued notes and chords. Putting melody aside, this observation alone completely puts their style at odds with all of those bands you mentioned. They aren't so much 'riffs' shaped from sound as Gorguts and Immolation created as fragments of melody designed to penetrate by wearing down the senses of the listener. There's no microstructure. This is a black metal or even doom style. I can see the later Morbid Angel reference in the drumming patterns, but this is really the only death metal element in the music.

This kind of approach really puts the onus on the melody to bring something interesting, and Portal doesn't really do that. The closest to this I've heard is Morbid Angel's Heretic, which I have to say was much more inventive.

[ice-t]

You have to be trying pretty hard not to hear what he’s referring to, though honestly one could hear in it as much Blut Aus Nord and Thorns as Gorguts and Immolation, which I think is probably not too far from their aims.

[born for banning]

I hear the Thorns influence as well, although unlike Mayhem they've decided to let the odd harmonies lead the music instead of forcing them into a preexisting pattern.

[buckets_of_rain]

Well I listened to Seepia and so far all I can say is that the approach is someone different, but the music is not.  I feel like I have heard these melodies before, although with different rhythm playing and different production.  I can hear some Incantation riffs in a lot of it.

[Incoherrant]

Portal reviews (Seepia, the Sweyy, Outre)