Outré (Portal album)

Outré is the second studio album by Australian extreme metal band Portal. The album was released on September 11, 2007 through Profound Lore Records. The band has described the album as "the end result of the Seepia clearing, the Vint-Age of our ideal barren landscape and atmosphere, a time heralding antiquated and stern artifacts which yield only the foul."[1]

Outré
Studio album by
Portal
ReleasedSeptember 11, 2007 (2007-09-11)
Genre
Length36:36
LanguageEnglish
LabelProfound Lore
Portal chronology
Lurker at the Threshold
(2006)		 Outré
(2007)		 Swarth
(2009)

Background

Portal were unhappy with how their previous album, 2003's Seepia, as they intended for a darker, more atmospheric sound. "After some years of exploration and many songs scrapped we had finally found what we were looking for, with a more simplisitc, minimal and ritualistic approach, letting the music breathe and utilizing more powerful simplistic drum patterns had opened up the door to make pure darkness with our sound, we used the speed and technicality when it was appropriate, something "Seepia" lacked with unintelligent choices in drum arrangements."[2] In 2006, the band released a demo tape titled 'Lurker at the Threshold' which was intended to bridge the gap between the more extreme sound of Seepia and the style the band sought to articulate on Outre', and has been described by the band as a "transition period". These songs were later modified and re-recorded, and all three are featured on the final version of Outre', and the band considers the album versions superior.[2]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Metal Injection7.5/10[3]
PopMatters[4]

Outre received generally positive reviews from music critics and fans. Critics praised the unorthodox nature of the band's sound as well as their Lovecraftian horror-influenced lyrics and aesthetic, which critics noted felt returned a sense of horror and danger to death metal. Writing for PopMatters, Adrien Begrand described the album as "truly friggin' terrifying." Begrand compared the band's lyrical approach to William Burroughs, described the production as "unrelentingly stifling", and wrote that "Not unlike black metal, it’s more preoccupied with atmosphere and less with technical proficiency, the songs constantly projecting a supremely creepy vibe, from the awkward cadence of the percussion, to the haunting thrum of bass (or as the liner notes put it, the “Writhing Undertow of Omnitidings & Rift”), to the lo-fi churning of guitars (wait, is that a melody in “13 Globes”?). [...] the astonishing Outré is not only a highly disturbing slice of extreme music, but also an essential one." Metal Injection gave a positive assessment of the album, arguing that the band "challenges the very notion of what is death metal." They suggested that the album's production style had both its strengths and weaknesses, writing that "Blastbeats sometimes bubble up, as do death growls here and there. But this album gives listeners no help. With virtually no repetition or predictability, it's more of a soundscape than a series of tracks. Thus, it can be a slog. The title track sounds like a howling headache. But it's also strangely addictive. This is death metal from another dimension, an alien jolt to the senses."

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Moil"1:35
2."Abysmill"4:46
3."Heirships"6:06
4."Omnipotent Crawling Chaos"5:17
5."Black Houses"5:00
6."Outre"2:32
7."13 Globes"4:08
8."Sourlows"7:18

Personnel

References
  1. 29, Hello June; Pm, 2014-5:00 (June 27, 2014). "Entrance Into the PORTAL Hath Been Granted (Interview)". Deaf Sparrow. Retrieved January 12, 2017.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. www.voicesfromthedarkside.de. "PORTAL - www.voicesfromthedarkside.de". www.voicesfromthedarkside.de. Archived from the original on October 9, 2013. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  3. "CD Review: PORTAL - Outre". Metal Injection. November 9, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
  4. Begrand, Adrien (October 25, 2007). "Portal Outré". PopMatters. Retrieved January 12, 2017.
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