PORTAL — The Sweyy (review)

PORTAL — The Sweyy album cover EP · 2004 · Technical Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
UMUR
"The Sweyy" is an EP release by Australian death metal act Portal. The EP was released through Blacktalon Media in July 2004. It bridges the gap between the band´s debut- and sophomore full-length studio albums "Seepia" (November 2003) and "Outre'" (September 2007). "The Sweyy" consists of 3 studio tracks and 2 live tracks (recorded at the Bloodlust II Festival in 2003). Both live tracks were featured in their studio versions on "Seepia". The 3 studio tracks were also released on a split with Rites of Thy Degringolade the same year. Otherwise the material is exclusive to this EP release, and doesn´t appear on the two full-length releases surrounding the EP.

Stylistically Portal continue to play their cacophonous, dissonant, murky, and almost avant-garde death metal style and "The Sweyy" is a natural successor to "Seepia". The sound production is maybe a little more clear than the case was on the preceding album, but since it´s Portal we´re talking about, you should of course not expect anything clean or sterile sounding. This is still murky, brutal, raw, and filthy death metal, which is both unusual in structure, and anarchistic in the way it´s performed. Think how Incantation would sound if they were put through an avant-garde grinder and played even more raw and extreme death metal than they already do. Both the opening title track and "Werships" sound like that, but "Doors" is an experimental noise/sound effect track. An eerie atmospheric instrumental track which could well be used as a horror movie soundtrack. The two live tracks are lo-fi recorded and they are so murky and raw that you´re not really able to hear what´s going on. Not a great way to end the EP.

"The Sweyy" is both a hard and a harsh listen and like everything Portal have ever done it´ll make some people confused and terrified, while others will devour the foulness, the chaos, and the adventurous progressive nature of the music. The two new original studio tracks are great, "Doors" is dragging and lasts too long, while the two live tracks feature a sub par live recording quality, so the EP is actually a bit hard to rate, but a 3 star (60%) rating isn´t all wrong.
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

Nova Atlantis Power Metal
KINGCROWN
Buy this album from MMA partners
Deep Down The Tides Melodic Death Metal
PRECIPITATION
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Years Ahead, The Miles Between Deathcore
CYTOKINE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Deviance Deathcore
ASHES INTO BLOOD
Buy this album from MMA partners
Equilibrium Atmospheric Sludge Metal
BESRA
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

PRECIPITATION - Cosmic (Official Video)
PRECIPITATION
Bosh66· 1 day ago
PRECIPITATION - Hideout (Official Video)
PRECIPITATION
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Cytokine - Old Exit 50 (Official Music Video)
CYTOKINE
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Cytokine - Henry Law (Official Music Video)
CYTOKINE
Bosh66· 1 day ago
Cytokine-Man On Fire(Official Lyric Video)
CYTOKINE
Bosh66· 1 day 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