Into the void
PORTAL “Vexovoid” Review

photo credit by Krvna

“Vexovoid” marks the long-awaited return of the Oceanian gods of death metal, after four years since the amazing “Swarth“. At this point I must warn all skeptics to abandon any glimmer of hope they might have if you think that “Vexovoid” is the album that will finally convert you to enjoying Portal. To the old fans of the band, there may be a split of opinions over this new album: either you are going to love it, or you might think that this album might not hit you as deep inside as their previous releases did. No matter what you think about it, just look at the artwork designed by Reverend Kriss Hades; this album ladies and gentlemen, is going to mess with your brain.

The opening track, “Kilter,” immediately sucks you in without any kind of warning – no signals, nothing. As the dense notes crumble around us, we fall endlessly into a surreal world of terror orchestrated by Curator and his fellow henchmen. Behold, we are now before this new beast, crafted by the dark preachers of mythological Lovecraftian horror. A beast that moves sinuously through the darkest corners of our mind, injecting horror at every opportunity. The rhythm of this track reaches with extreme precision all of our nerve endings, sending signals of distress to our brain, but it’s late. We’re too caught up in this downward spiral towards the deepest of the chasms.

photo credit by Krvna

After being overwhelmed by “Kilter”, “The Black Wards” appears immediately glued to it. A rain of furious beats and fulminating blast beats that, little by little, will entrench painfully in our brain, causing massive waves of horror throughout our whole body. The bass, conjugated with the sound of the guitars, forms an impenetrable wall of distortion, a very well known and common factor in such a characteristic band like Portal that keeps on pushing us to the bounds of psychological terror.

The three drum hits that strike down like thunder lead the way to one of the best tracks of the album, “Curtains.” As the name implies, a black curtain rises and suddenly we are standing before this horror scenario worthy of a Lovecraft tale – incredulous and powerless, our senses are bombarded by this surreal scene. A black mass preached by these strange and slender figures dressed in black. The sound ranges from the most schizophrenic to slow, almost doom-ish crushing riffs, infecting the air and poisoning us slowly, leaving us lost and disoriented in this mental maze.

photo credit by Krvna

The thick and murky riffs in “Plasm” seem to grab and hold our mind like a rag doll, making it oscillate up, down and sideways. One of the most notable aspects of this track is that it suddenly morphs from a scenario where you’re suddenly being attacked by a swarm of locusts into this haunting and tenebrous heavy environment creating a passage to “Aureyon” that unfolds like an avalanche from where we can hear the voice of the Curator echoing through this chaotic maelstrom. I just love the twist that the band gives into this track right in the middle of it. Under a mesmerizing rhythm, the sound of it, the atmosphere created here feels almost as if we are face to face with one of the Old Ones… Cthulhu himself, emerging right before our eyes.

With the initial notes of “Obmorphia” already crawling in our mind, this track morphs itself into a sinister atmosphere where each riff is almost like small misshapen creatures that move like insects. You see these kind of arachnid creatures on the cover of “Vexovoid“? It’s them, moving frantically, penetrating deep into our brain and injecting their poison as we dive into a state of dormancy, yet we are very aware of everything that is going around us. The drums blast furiously as the Curator hisses in his very own occult and ancient dialect.

Finally we reach the last track on the album, “Oblotten,” an instrumental track laden with a heavy, almost palpable atmosphere. A track that reveals the culmination of something sinister, something that ultimately transformed us. As we see our own reflection in the dark water, we do not recognize what’s on the other side. Where once there was a face, now there’s nothing; just a hole, a void. Amid the decaying notes and repetitive rhythm that echoes from the drum, making the walls almost fall upon us, “Oblotten” closes in the most enigmatically and sinister way. It feels like it’s not over… yet. The beast returns to its niche, where it curls up. Although it seems to be sleeping, one of its eyes is always open, lurking in the shadows.

In “Vexovoid,” everything is perfectly crafted to the smallest detail. Nothing is left to chance. Despite being a serious contender for one of the heaviest albums of a year that has just begun, after a few auditions of “Vexovoid” I feel that this new album didn’t hit me like “Outre” or “Swarth” did. I miss that chaotic whirlwind in tracks like “Omnipotent Crawling Chaos”, “Abyssmill”, “The Endmills” or “Larvae.” But hey…it’s been four years since their latest album, let’s not look back, let’s look forward into the future. “Vexovoid” left me thirsty for more; in fact, the album lasts little more than half an hour. As you start to hear this album, time flies, and when you realize it has reached the end, it will leave you in a masochistic state, clamoring for more. This new beast created by Portal, should be treated with the same respect and attention as their previous works, since it’s coming from these unique visionaries and storytellers. Like their previous efforts, it’s not an easy task to digest a Portal album at first listen – it requires your time before it slowly grows up inside you, in order to create long-term psychological damage. A very dense album to discover and to listen to very carefully, enjoy every single detail of it. Another great milestone in the career of these unique masters of fantastic terror.

“Vexovoid” is already available to purchase from Profound Lore Records, the vinyl edition will follow not long after the CD release. Don’t miss one another great gem brought to you by Portal.