PORTAL — The End Mills (review)

PORTAL — The End Mills album cover EP · 2002 · Technical Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
UMUR
"The End Mills" is an EP release by Australian death metal act Portal. The EP was released through Blacktalon Media in 2002 and it´s the band´s first label release. It features 2 tracks and a total playing time of 8:19 minutes (some versions feature an additional outro track). Both tracks would be re-recorded and included on Portal´s debut full-length studio album "Seepia" (November 2003).

So the versions of "Tempus Fugit" and "The End Mills" found on this EP can be viewed as rough early versions of the tracks. No less powerful, dark, chaotic, and mysterious than the versions found on "Seepia" though, as Portal already this early on presented their listeners with a dark, brutal, gloomy, and chatic take on death metal. dissonant, abstract, and suffocating in nature, Portal sought to break down boundaries, and they succeed pretty well doing that with the material featured on "The End Mills". Although I wrote rough early versions of the full-length studio versions of the tracks found on "Seepia", these EP versions are actually a bit more accessible and "normal" than the even more chaotic and murky produced versions on "Seepia".

"The End Mills" is a great introduction to early Portal, although it´s mostly for the completists since both tracks from the EP are also available on "Seepia". As mentioned these early versions are also quite interesting and great too though, so in my opinion "The End Mills" is still worth a listen or two. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

A Sonication Technical Death Metal
OBSCURA
Buy this album from MMA partners
Hin helga kvöl Atmospheric Sludge Metal
SÓLSTAFIR
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Cycles of Suffering Black Metal
BURIAL OATH
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Suns of Perdition - Chapter IV: To Shadow Zion Black Metal
PANZERFAUST
Buy this album from MMA partners
Facilis Descensus Averno Death Metal
SAEVUS FINIS
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

DAWN OF REVENGE - Sanctuary [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 6 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Farewell [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 6 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Curtain of Death - [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 6 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Vengeance [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 6 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - I Need You [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 6 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed