Portal - Swarth
October 15 2009 at 09:36:40 AM
I know a portal to connote an imposing entrance. I also know it to be first and foremost a thing, something with tactile qualities, something I can rest against or piss on after I’ve filled my bladder with Ovaltine. Australia’s Portal is neither, although I have already emptied my bladder of its Ovaltine on the promo copy I received of the band’s latest experiment,
Swarth.
Portal has been shedding weight since its debut,
Seepia; reconfiguring its unified and claustrophobic sound into something neither unified nor claustrophobic. Follow-up,
Outre, besides featuring some of the most unflattering production I’ve heard, showcased a band quite adept and tearing its take on composition apart even as it sought to perform said composition, which makes Portal probably the only band who makes music where the adjective, “deconstructive,” is not only applicable, but overly warranted. This is the sound of Death Metal roughly dissected and turned into Jazz sport – never a good thing unless you're a 17-year-old with disposable income who likes to buy music that goes well with an entire day spent doing bingers and watching
Eraserhead with the sound turned down. When I was 17, I listened to
Live Undead and drank Pabst (wasn't remotely cool then) until I threw up.
Death Metal that works at unworking Rudolph Grey while some guy pounds out unrelated “Metal” sounding fills over growled vox will go only as far as its audience is willing to let it. The world is rife with tolerant folks. But I’m not one of ‘em. I’m nearly positive it would be cool to see this band play live. The guys with the dusty suits. The dude with the clock head. The pointy hat thing, etc. Sure, OK. But it’s fun to watch chickens fight, too.
[Stewart Voegtlin]
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