The Sweyy

The Sweyy comprises three tracks taken from the band's split with Rites of Thy Degringolade released the same year. This version consists of two additional live tracks from Seepia from a festival appearance in 2003.

The two main tracks ("The Sweyy" and "Werships") are basically demo versions of tracks that would be on the Swarth LP in 2009. Portal is one of those bands that workshopped new tracks for a while before putting them on an LP, and any fan of the band might be interested in hearing how these compare.

"The Sweyy" itself has an absolutely batshit series of solos and descending motifs that wind down the end of the track, and it's fantastic to hear in comparison to the cyborgian and stilted sounds of the LP. Don't get me wrong - the Swarth LP is great on its own - but there's something uniquely organic about the kind of production Portal used on this and the Lurker in the Threshold demo from 2006 that wildly contrasts with the LP versions.

"Werships" still has its slow and borderline death/doom sound that would be on Swarth, but as with "The Sweyy", it's still got some sheer riffiness that non-fans claim is often lost on Portal's LPs. If it weren't for the fact people who don't like Portal almost certainly are not going to check out their non-LP material, these two tracks might even be a good place for them to listen. The Immolation influence is more noticeable here than on even Seepia.

Finally, "Doors" is just a brief three-minute dark ambient outro that sounds like it would be lifted from an 80s low-budget reinterpretation of Nosferatu. Totally fitting for Portal.

The two live tracks are nice windows into Portal's live show insanity - and arguably they were at their craziest in the mid/late 2000s with the clock-faced shenanigans. "Transcending a Mere Multiverse" has this great mid-track chugging sound that sounds even more off-kilter than the LP version on Seepia. Given that it's Portal of all bands, I'm not inclined to think it's a mistake - it's just yet another take on their overarching weirdness, where even the unsettling can be tinkered with.

The Sweyy is great alternate take on other releases for fans, even if it overall isn't exactly one hundred percent necessary now that the band's got a few decades under their belt. Still, I like the Swarth tracks for their sheer liveliness.

The Surrealists from Queensland returned, quite soon after their 2003 cacophony, Seepia, with an additional guitarist to deliver a new but short length release possibly hinting somewhat at what was in store from this band in the future in the form of increasing use of structure and adherence to boundaries.

The first track on this EP most closely resembles the heavily discordant Seepia album, although it is a little more focused in that many phrases take the listener in a sustained direction for longer before unravelling into the fragmented atonality and also sometimes rhythmic irregularity this band is known for. But then boundaries to the randomizing combination of elements are again erected around the phrases and the piece explodes forward with this traction once more enabling a sense of defined spacial direction. Similarly, but in certain of the not so completely discordant section of the piece, tones float above the sustained and rigid stream of percussion below in an ambient but slightly detached manner, akin to debris floating to and fro in a gentle river eddy as the current spills on right next to it, before being pulled back into a main flow of structure and pummelling onward down the musical stream.

The second and last 'metal' track on this release displays an even greater awareness from this band of what the human brain perceives as structure in music. Long and sustained phrases stretch in and out, almost as if reality is breathing, to create a majestic sway against the rigid and grounding use of percussion before again briefly exploding forward with profound force and then finally unravelling into disarray. A soundscape wraps up the EP.

This release is poignant for its ability to so vividly portray the human consciousness as it moves between the contemplation of all that it cannot achieve without an adherence to structure or design on the one hand, and a realisation of the sharp unfolding clarity and direction which suddenly emerges when those conditions are met on the other. All the sections in this release in which the stream of music forms a sustained metallic attack are amazingly majestic and energetic and embody sharp clarity and force. Highly recommended listening.

From Corrupt Australia: http://australia.corrupt.org/category/Art

After the strong impact "Seepia" had, in addition to the bands horrific and bizarre live presence, I was truly looking forward to hearing this release.
Suffice to say, it dosent dissapoint, continuing the journey into dimensions of dissonant and challenging deathmetal. To those yet to hear Portal, that might conjure images of prog tendencies, but rest assured that the core influence on this music is Immolation-esque technical death metal, but played with a genuinely unique ethos and atmosphere....songs segue into harrowing darkambient moments, punctuated by the curious and unsettling rasp of the Curator...its a rare moment to find a riff which does not mutate or spin off into chaos,although this is less prevelent than its twisting effect than it was on seepia.

The Lyrical focus is once again H.P.Lovecraft and Brian Lumely (many of the allusions in all portal materiel to date involve the Titus Crow novels of the latter), but presented in such a way that it is never self-concious or humourous, but closer to the antique horror of the 1920's expressionist horror films a quick look at the bands website will testify are an influence.
Whoever is responsible for the lyrics also possesses a remarkable gift for odd manipulations of language, conveying disturbing implications by use of truly odd spelling and grammar.
Coupled with the excelent packaging, these features give "the Sweyy" a density and impact far in excess of the short run time and the fact that two tracks are live recordings of "Seepia" materiel.