Band:	Portrait
Album:	The Host
Style:	Heavy metal
Release date:	June 2024

01. Hoc Est Corpus Meum (Intro)
02. The Blood Covenant
03. The Sacrament
04. Oneiric Visions
05. One Last Kiss
06. Treachery
07. Sound The Horn
08. Dweller Of The Threshold
09. Die In My Heart
10. Voice Of The Outsider
11. From The Urn
12. The Men Of Renown
13. Sword Of Reason (The Steel Of Revenge)
14. The Passions Of Sophia

What we have here is a Portrait of The Host, but will the host provide some quality NWOTHM for its honourable metalhead guests?

Although it's highly unlikely the new wave of traditional heavy metal (NWOTHM) scene will ever reach the same quality standards as the mighty original NWOBHM scene, there's plenty of bands still capable of continuing the legacy of the once great, domineering traditional heavy metal genre. Other than Canada, there is one other nation that's been leading the way in the NWOTHM scene in the last 20 years, that being Sweden, who've introduced us to fine bands such as Enforcer, In Solitude, Steelwing, and of course the band in question here, Portrait. Two years following their formation back in 2006, Portrait released their self-titled full-length debut Portrait, and they have been steadily climbing in form since. This latest offering, The Host, marks the band's sixth release to date, and features a 5-man line-up that has remained unchanged since their previous record At One With None, with only guitarist Christian Lindell and drummer Anders Persson remaining from the band's original line-up.

Let's start with the amazingly sinister cover art (something this band has become particularly renowned for), created by none other than Adam Burke, depicting a severed human head placed next to a goat in a striking blood-soaked vista. Now I'm not sure what else this could possibly symbolize other than a Satanic ritual of some kind, but then occult themes are nothing new to heavy metal, and this would seem the likely case here too with track titles such as "The Blood Covenant" and "The Sacrament". The album is unusually long for the genre, clocking in at just over an hour in length whilst featuring a hefty 14-track total. This all begins with a short symphonic-based intro titled "Hoc Est Corpus Meum", which is then followed by an eerie whispering male narration at the beginning of the main opening track "The Blood Covenant"; it's here where the album truly begins.

The vocal performance by Per Lengsted is straight away an instant highlight for me; his King Diamond-like operatic squeals are quite staggering, but so too is the cutting guitar tone and heavy bass presence. With all the usual elements in place from classic leads, traditional heavy riffs, and a catchy chorus, this is an opener that seems like the band really mean business. "The Sacrament" follows, and this is an early highlight with its striking bass lines, haunting keyboard melodies, memorable leads overlapping galloping riffs, church bell sounds, and eerie chant-like backing vocals, all of which screams out Mercyful Fate/King Diamond more than any other track. Just to spice things up, there are two powerfully performed ballad-like songs. Firstly comes "One Last Kiss", driven by a classic catchy traditional main riff, and passionate softer vocals in the vein of Bruce Dickinson. Secondly is "Voice Of he Outsider", a second shot at a ballad, only this time with a slightly darker and blackened approach.

However, let's just say this album doesn't go without its forgettable moments, although admittedly, out of 14 songs, you'd at least expect a few fillers, or this would be a modern heavy metal masterpiece that we'd be shouting about for years to come. Unfortunately, by the midway point, it's hard to keep yourself engaged as it does start to feel a tad monotonous; the lack of originality certainly doesn't help provide inspiration in the songwriting department. "The Men Of Renown" does make up for a less inspiring second half of the album though, showing some of the finest intertwining riffs on display so far, so not all is lost by the final stages of the album. Most songs are generally not much over 5 minutes in length, so the total running time isn't due to the consistent presence of lengthy epics. However, the 11-minute closer "The Passions Of Sophia" makes for an epic conclusion that combines everything you've heard prior to it on the record, although by the time you've reached this point, the hour-long duration has already reduced some of the listener's motivation to stay the course.

Obviously Portrait aren't at the same level as Mercyful Fate, Iron Maiden, or Judas Priest, but in terms of modern day heavy metal, they're a well established name who've been churning out reasonably good quality albums for nearly 2 decades. This journey has now led them to The Host, their most structurally diverse and mature release yet, but despite being crammed top-to-bottom with nostalgic moments, it just falls short in that all-important memorability factor. I just sometimes feel too many unmemorable tracks can hinder the overall enjoyment of an album. That's the case I find here, but it's far from an under par effort.