Crossroads

Welcome to our panel discussion. The subject today: "What's the real metal?" One section of the audience screams "Freewheel Burning", some very old guys squawk "Paranoid" and the group with the Moonblood shirts is just looking grim. Finally, four senile geezers in ridiculous costumes who called themselves "Kings of Metal" were refused access. However, there are good arguments to call Portrait's "Crossroads" real heavy metal. Why? Well, it does not have many features that indicate its belonging to a sub genre. Instead, it is perfectly placed in the middle between death and hair "metal", thrash and hardrock, grindcore and progressive metal. Still better, it proves evidence that real metal has an inner strength that keeps the flame of this music burning without being dependent on additional elements.

"Crossroads" deserves attention, because it combines traditional elements with modern song patterns. The guitars create a relatively vehement sound without worshipping fury as a value in itself. The lead vocalist does not scream his heart out. He rather prefers a powerful yet comparatively melodic style. The songs do not lack drive, but most of them are not interested in entering the regions of speed metal. All these details seem to fail in order to give the music a fresh feeling, but the opposite is the case. Inter alia due to the exciting, mostly non-conservative but still comprehensible structures of the tunes, "Crossroads" emanates lively vibes. The energy of the longplayer is almost tangible.

This is no album that starts extremely strong and ends very weak. Portrait wait to open the secret compartment of their treasure chest until the sixth song. This does not mean that the somehow fleet-footed songs on the positions one to five lack quality. The circling opening riff of "Black Easter", for instance, shows that the group is able to form catchy sections. Nevertheless, "Ageless Rites" beats the previous material. Its slightly stomping configuration is combined with expressive leads right from the beginning. The strong vocal performance and the pretty dark leads generate an occult atmosphere. This song brings Steve Harris and Denner/Sherman together, but the vocals are less extreme than that of the Danish King. An almost playfully light instrumental section forms a counterweight to the generally dark mood and the more or less spooky chorus completes the picture. Anyway, the best is yet to come. "Our Roads Must Never Cross" is one of the songs on "Crossroads" that border on speed metal. (The other one is the swift "In Time" which is based on a very energetic approach.) Its comparatively straight pattern ensures that the track comes directly to the point and the impulsive bridge unleashes jolts of energy. I really recommend these two fantastic songs that represent the style of the album.

The production has a very natural touch. On the one hand, it does not lack heaviness, on the other hand it leaves room to breathe. Portrait did not produce an acoustic ton of bricks that buries the listener under itself. The generic sound matches the more or less archetypal musical approach. I wanted to give you more information, but excuse me, I have to get back to the panel discussion. What's going on her? The different groups celebrate a party together while the sound of "Crossroads" fills the room. This album, there can be no doubt, has brought them together, although the full-length does not deliver a grain of black metal. However, the dark aura of the songs has even convinced the Moonblood fans. Of course, they still look grim, but they seem to be lucky.

A few years ago, Crimen Laesae Majestatis Divinae blew the minds of oldschool traditional metal fanatics worldwide with its deadly combination of high energy post-Painkiller high intensity driving force and classic King Diamond styled occult-themed dramatics. Added to this however was a touch of earlier Germanic-styled power/speed metal and an understated but incredibly evocative black metal influence in its harmonic sensibilities. Simply put Portrait’s sophomore effort did not only improve on everything on their self-titled debut and successfully recapture the spirit of olde, but also legitimately created their own distinctive sound from it, offering a new perspective of what can still be. Not surprisingly, they set an incredibly high standard and as you might already tell, one they haven’t really been able to live up to this year. No, Crossroads isn’t terrible but it is very disappointing. It makes the grade into “good” territory but unfortunately doesn’t consolidate on the ground gained in 2013.

Now, that isn’t to say it’s a drastically different Portrait. You’ll still recognize the desperate shrieks of Per Karlsson (now Lengstedt after his marriage) and the rough and ready riffage, punchy and furious but rarely possessing the same degree of lower end muted strum emphasis as thrash. All the components for solid traditional metal are there but that same wild-eyed and vast sound they had on the predecessor is gone. If anything this debut seems to be moving back to the simpler and more basic sound of the debut, albeit with a vastly improved production job with one of its strengths being that the basslines are more audible now. Unfortunately that doesn’t stop it from stifling the rest of the band, something which only exacerbates that feeling of unnecessary restraint.

Some bands do benefit from dialing down the raw aggression a bit and focusing a bit more on songwriting and making sure all tracks have room to breathe. However in this case, that vital energy would have been sorely needed. While Portrait were very aggressive, they were able to channel high tempos and a consistent barrage of molten riffing into ghoulish atmosphere and well paced songs. Here the songs simply fall into middling walking tempo strolls and half-hearted gallops and while it’s still far above the usual Alpha Tiger/White Wizzard/Three Inches of Blood fare, as a whole simply lack the firepower, urgency, and carefully planned and selected shapes that contributed so strongly to the mood of fiery occult doom that has always been this band’s objective. They’re basically running through the old motions but without the same enthusiasm and daring-do that made them initially work.

Crossroads isn’t a death knell but it is a discouraging sign of where things might possibly go for Portrait. All the musicians here are talented and highly capable, but this is clearly not them at their finest. There are the occasional flashes of prior glory and in truth this slower sound is not a bad idea inherently. However if they really are to make it work they will need to change up their approach to riffing and feature a more dynamic approach to songwriting direction. A much stronger production job would also be greatly welcome. As it stands this is merely somewhat above middle of the road at best.

Originally posted on The Metal Observer

The Swedes know how to do heavy metal—no big secret there. Portrait did some nice things before “Crossroads,” making themselves a rising force in the Swedish insurrection of heavy metal like a nuclear powerhouse during the Cold War. For Portrait, there are the albums before “Crossroads,” and then there’s “Crossroads” itself. Portrait’s efforts before “Crossroads” were excellent Mercyful Fate-based pieces of passionate, burning heavy metal, which showcased complex compositional themes and admirable musicianship. “Crossroads,” however, completely changes the game for Portrait; it is far beyond and above the group’s early works. From a cult whose leitmotifs not only know the Devil’s harmonies but naturally integrate them into the pitch black and the splendidly wicked, “Crossroads” is heavy metal at its absolute best and a superb moment in the evolution of this wonderful band. A masterpiece? You better believe it.

Portrait’s take on heavy metal never needed a makeover; while they were never reinventing the wheel to begin with they proved that they could decorate it to fit their identity throughout their debut and “Crimen Laesae Majestatis Divinae.” Those records felt like the group was still experimenting conceptually with certain song structures and themes, which ended up making very fine releases, but not of the sought-after element of perfection. “Crossroads” works out the kinks of Portrait’s former works and offers eight remarkable anthems that are simply astounding. These tracks are multilayered and intricate, each exhibiting marvelous riffs and progressions that once again closely mirror the guitar work and structuring of Michael Denner and Hank Shermann of Mercyful Fate fame. However, their interpretation of Mercyful Fate’s style is updated and individualistic, not some half-assed tribute.

“Crimen Laesae Majestatis Divinae” sealed its fate as a winner due to its passion and its intensity, which were thankfully carried over on “Crossroads.” Stylistically Portrait is the same, but their songwriting abilities have multiplied significantly. They soar through perplexing, prog-ish riffs on “Beyond the Ghost Gate” with ease and transition effortlessly to rip-riding, Mercyful Fate/King Diamond-esque metal onslaughts like “We Were Not Alone” (superb chorus!) and “In Time.” Per Lengstedt has also morphed into a dominating vocalist; his falsettos and low-register vocals grab the desired vitality of a highflying, meaningful singer, putting his performance here among the elites. The lead melodies and solos are similarly plentiful in number and enrich the package considerably. Every piece of every track is animated; the amount of care put into these songs is just unbelievable.

“Crossroads” appears as if Portrait challenged itself not on a technical level but a creative one—this is verification of their victory. The selection of prime leads, Maiden-esque gallops, bass-heavy sound quality, and tremendous songwriting all merge together perfectly under the band’s blazing passion; from the acoustic licks of the introduction to the nine minutes of the monstrous “Lily,” “Crossroads” burns like a torch in the night. They have captured perfectly the haunting, ghostly atmosphere of their main influences while presenting meaningful slabs of celebrated heavy metal, stuffed from end to end with vibrant compositional patterns and some of the finest instrumental chemistry I have ever heard. And as Lengstedt bellows, “Our roads must never cross!” on the record’s seventh anthem, one thing is clear: from “Crossroads,” we will never turn back.

This review was written for: www.Thrashpit.com

Swedish heavy metal band Portrait was, along with In Solitude, one of the pioneers of the Mercyful Fate worship trend that quite a few bands from that country (as well as a couple from other countries) have been undertaking. Despite its popularity, I haven't particularly liked a whole lot I've heard from this scene; not that most of it is actively bad, just mediocre or decent, with too many problems holding bands back. Even Portrait themselves, whose 2011 effort is highly lauded in many circles, didn't used to do much for me. Crimen Laesae Majestatis Divinae (CLMD) felt a bit confused too my ears, over-the-top in all the wrong places and with songwriting that didn't always seem fully developed. Again, I didn't hate it or anything, just thought it was merely decent and didn't really reach the band's potential. 2014's Crossroads completely blows that album and every other album from the scene out of the water, embodying everything I wanted CLMD to be and much much more, exceeding my highest expectations of the band.

The atmosphere and overall sound are pretty similar to that of the previous effort, but everything just fits together so much better. Vocalist Per Lengstedt, who even on the last release I thought was awesome, is even more awesome, with a bit more of a refined sound but still wild and aggressive as hell, with chaotic shrieks and unholy multi-tracking that just melts your face off. ("WE WERE NOT, ALOOOOOONEEEE!!!") The riff structures complement him much better as well, I feel, with a better flow to most songs and mind-blowing harmonies that are just perfect. In most of the songs, every note seems specially crafted for that particular moment, something I've said of Arch era Fates Warning and Slauter Xstroyes, which is the highest of praise for me.

Crossroads doesn't have that uber-progressive, constantly changing riff progression that those two bands possess, but that's not to their detriment in any way; that's not what they're going for here at all. The fact that every riff and vocal melody just seems perfectly in place is a testament to the band's seamless songwriting here. The level of maturity between 2011's CLMD and this year's Crossroads is insane; in 3 short years, the band has gone from decent to top-tier classic. Even the acoustic intro feels just right, and I usually skip instrumentals. It's hard to pick specific highlights here, as the whole album is just of the highest quality, but "We Were Not Alone" (which I couldn't help but quote earlier) is a personal favorite, as the dark, vast atmosphere just sucks you in and doesn't let go.

"Lily" is also worth mentioning as it's a bit different from the other songs on the album, a multi-part epic with a bone-chilling, murky and decrepit acoustic intro that fucking rules, followed by a monstrous galloping guitar riff and a lead that harmonizes perfectly, as usual for this record. Unfortunately, the vocal lines seem a little out of sync with the guitars when they come in, the only time on the album that happens, and something I noticed frequently in CLMD, but the riff is sweet enough that it doesn't really matter much. Once it switches to the next riff/vocal melody, this problem is gone, and the song becomes of insane quality once again, with multi-tracking out the ass and epic riff after epic riff.

A nearly flawless end to a nearly perfect album, really, and I can say with confidence that despite us only being five months or so into the year, this could easily be the best album of 2014, as you don't here an album of this caliber very often. With 2013 having the glorious Virgin Sails (Satan's Host) and this year producing the classic Crossroads, metal is looking to be the best it's been since the late 80s, I can't wait to see what album will blow me away next. If you're a fan of heavy metal, the Swedish MF-worship scene, or Portrait, get this album immediately, you absolutely will not be disappointed.