Portal {1994-}

Portal ~
Seepia (2003)

I. Glumurphonel {5:05}
II. Vessel of Balon {2:42}
III. Tempus Fugit {4:20}
IV. Sunken {3:10}
V. Atmosblisters {4:11}
VI. Transcending A Mere Multiverse {3:03}
VII. Antique {2:41}
VIII. The End Mills {6:41}

Total Length ~ 31:53


Appealing to our subconscious sense of or desire for the infinite, or for ego death, experienced in the face of near chaos, or perhaps to a desire for what lies 'behind' currently accepted human designs, Portal emerges with its first full length work which proves to be an exercise in sustained discordance par excellence. The relatively thin and grainy production used for the album adds to the rhythmically fragmented and musically atonal nature of the material, where nothing is as it seems it should be.

This is a truly challenging work, for Seepia combines the employment of rhythmic unpredictability when the structure of notes being used is more agreeable/perceivable, with tonal unpredictability when the rhythmic/timing structure is instead somewhat more perceivable. 'Ecto surreal abysmill horror', as the band describes it, indeed.

Portal would seem to be spot on in labelling their art as surreal, in the sense that its aims are, in light of its discordance, to appeal to our subconscious feelings rather than our conscious rational powers (...used to perceive structure etc, for in this release structure is, even relative to some other extreme metal, minimal). The last two tracks possibly provide the greatest amount of relief, though minute, from the cacophony, with an electronic/soundcape piece and then a metal track with sustained use of barely melodic themes, and the question begs itself as the album closes and the piece loses what ever consonance it had, as to whether music should forsake our need for structre as us much as this release does.

To this writer, Seepia proves to be an interesting exercise in art, although it seems too ready to disregard as 'unreal', like much Surrealist/Dadaist/Absurdist art, what Julius Evola would call the 'conscious and sovereign principle of the person' in favour of the 'irrational, unconscious and nocturnal dimension of the human being', and as a result it often lacks the power to do much other than disturb and coldly agitate the listener. Here structure, and particullary the principle of tonal structure, is violated, leaving the listener with little to work with.



Portal ~
The Sweyy (2004)

I. The Sweyy {5:05}
II. Werships {6:11}
III. Doors {2:57}

Total Length ~ 14:13


The Surrealists from Queensland returned, quite soon after their 2003 cacophony, Seepia, with an additional guitarist to deliver a new but short length release possibly hinting at what is in store from this band for the future in the form of increasing use of structure and adherence to boundaries.

The first track on this EP most closely resembles the heavily discordant Seepia album, although it is a little more focused in that many phrases take the listener in a sustained direction for longer before unravelling into the fragmented atonality and also sometimes rhythmic irregularity this band is known for. But then boundaries to the randomizing combination of elements are again erected around the phrases and the piece explodes forward with this traction once more enabling a sense of defined spacial direction. Similarly, but in certain of the not so completely discordant section of the piece, tones float above the sustained and rigid stream of percussion below in an ambient but slightly detached manner, akin to debris floating to and fro in a gentle river eddy as the current spills on right next to it, before being pulled back into a main flow and pummelling onward down the musical stream.

The second and last 'metal' track on this release displays an even greater awareness from this band of what the human brain perceives as structure in music. Long and sustained phrases stretch in and out, almost as if reality is breathing, to create a majestic sway against the rigid and grounding use of percussion before again briefly exploding forward and then finally unravelling into disarray. A soundscape wraps up the EP.

In all, this release is poignant for its ability to so vividly portray the human consciousness as it moves between the contemplation of all that it cannot achieve without an adherence to structure or design on the one hand, and a realisation of the sharp unfolding clarity and direction which suddenly emerges when those conditions are met on the other.



Portal ~
Outre (2007)

I. Moil {1:35}
II. Abysmill {4:46}
III. Heirships {6:06}
IV. Omnipotent Crawling Chaos {5:17}
V. Black Houses {5:00}
VI. Outre {2:32}
VII. 13 Globes {4:08}
VIII. Sourlows {7:18}

Total Length ~ 36:36

Moving further into uncharted territory with this release, Portal manage to fully incorporate ambient composition into their increasingly blackened brand of death metal. Their use of extreme dissonance resembles bands such as Averse Sefira and Immolation, but here it is taken one step further, allowing it free reign to guide the music through seemingly random yet subtly ingenious structures.

After a brief, disturbed intro which builds tension the music moves seamlessly into blasting dissonance; this build up without resolution in characteristic of this album, which utilises constant churning chaos without immediately recognisable structure to penetrate the darkest recesses of the listener’s subconscious. Drawn out tremolo picked melodies are repeated for long periods accompanied by the more usual highly dissonant technical riffs. The repetition is complemented by the increasingly ambient style of drumming, which now often resembles a black metal pulsing blast more than regular death metal drumming. These elements create a chaotic and atmospheric style, directly assaulting the listener’s perception.

The structures may alienate the average hessian at first because of their complete rejection of standard metal forms. They more closely resemble the droning dark ambient style of Raison D'Etre and Lustmord in their constant development and lack of cycles. Each riff is used and then discarded in the constant unrelenting chaos of this album, and multiple variations on themes ensure that these songs are not linear but more closely resemble the growth of a tree, with parts shooting off in every direction. This is brutally penetrating; its surrealistic tendencies serve only to reflect the dynamic nature of reality, communicating the seeming omnipotence of both continuation and change.

Internally these songs are held together by melodic and rhythmic devices, which may allow some degree of familiarity for the listener. As a melody shifts a rhythmic idea remains constant, or melodic ideas are transposed to another riff with a different tempo. This gives each song a vague sense of continuity which was less developed on their previous album. As each song begins the chaos is gradually decoded to reveal a continuous narrative. These gradual rises and descents between chaos and order have no definite beginning and end as might be found in other metal, rather it seems they are in constant motion, this allows a great deal of freedom or the listener to find their own meaning within this maelstrom of dissonant harmony and ambient style song structure.

While this is without doubt a challenging listen, this album is relentlessly inventive and at times, beautiful. Beyond the immediate chaos there is a sense of order established that puts this release above much death metal and Portal are beginning to realise their potential and clearly display an ability to transcend the metal genre. This reviewer recommends that listeners become familiar with ambient music in order to gain a better understanding of this release.