Band:	Portal
Album:	Avow
Style:	Experimental death metal
Release date:	May 28, 2021
A review by:	X-Ray Rod

01. Catafalque
02. Eye
03. Offune
04. Manor Of Speaking
05. Bode
06. Drain

Portal have surely carved a name for themselves with their impenetrable sound, intriguing themes of cosmic horror, and an inhuman intensity. With over two decades up their sleeve and plenty of bands drawing inspiration from their murky, cavernous sound, it is still gratifying to know that Portal keeps its own identity intact.

From the very beginning the whole thing sounds downright terrifying, with unnerving riffing on "Catafalque" that devours the entire room as if they were a hive of swarming insects. The biffy riffs remain extremely alien, especially once they speed up and add further dissonance, reaching a climax that will make you feel like the walls are closing in on you, the doors around your home beginning to inexplicably slam on their own as you just fall through your chair into the void, Get Out style.

The two elements of Avow that picked up most of my attention would be the vocals and drumming. This could be one of The Curator's strongest performances yet, if not the best. The whispering, throaty howls have so much volume and fire up the songs instantly as they pull the whole structure of their sound together with their beast-like presence. As for the drumming, I can certainly agree with some people that at times, especially during some of the slow dirges of the album, they may sound lifeless. To me, this is not a disadvantage, as it solidifies the non-human themes of the band. When they get a furious injection of speed, they become highly disturbing and distressing, like on the tracks "Bode" and "Manor Of Speaking", while also evoking an almost tribal, ritualistic vibe throughout the tracks. The whole thing just sounds primitive and mad.

I'm sure most listeners were curious about Avow considering how different the previous album was in terms of production. Ion was a polarizing album. It had a much thinner and descant sound. To some fans it meant a less meaty affair, but to others it meant an electrifying sound that allowed the listener to get a further glimpse into their intricate songwriting. Avow did take some pages from that detour in their discography. Sure, the band sounds incredibly cavernous and low-tuned by conventional standards and do recall the sound from older records, but it still plays somewhat clean and direct. Unfortunately I don't think the band capitalized as much with the cleaner sound this time around, as I don't think the songwriting is particularly richer than previous releases and may at times linger aimlessly near the end of some tracks.

Overall, Portal presents us with another hellish and imposing release but I can't say Avow surpasses the classics like Outre' or Swarth. New listeners may certainly appreciate it for its cleaner yet still murky sound as it makes the album a bit more accessible. Still though, this is Portal doing what only Portal can do. The unleashing of cosmic terrors unto humanity leaves one question hanging though: How would Earth look like after hell breaks loose?