PORTAL

Andrew ventures into other dimensions to communicate with Australia's Extreme Metal Overlords PORTAL...

FEBRUARY 2014

Australian extreme metaller's Portal are about to embark on a supporting tour with cult mythological metal warriors Absu in March for what is going to be one of the darkest and heaviest tours of the year. We managed to throw out a few questions to Portal before the tour to see what the band have planned for the fans.

Andrew: Hi thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions for us. Portal is one of the most extreme metal bands in Australia so who or what inspired you to create such heavy music in the way you do?

Portal: The feeling and psychology of horror and to escape into a world that is solely ours.

Andrew: How much more heavy do you think music can get? Have we reached the most extreme point as far as heaviness goes or can it go further that what we have seen so far?

Portal: There will always be something new to accomplish this.

Andrew: What is your take on the current metal scene in the country at the moment? Good or bad?

Portal: Bands such as Innsmouth, Nocturnal Graves, Denouncement Pyre, Impetuous Ritual and Grave Upheaval are presenting a strong front in the extreme underground in general, there are many more out there and we are proud to be representatives of this country when we tour abroad.

Andrew: The tour with Absu is going to be amazing. What can we expect from you guys as far as setlists and the shows themselves on this tour?

Portal: As usual we will perform a varied set spanning our discography, sensory destruction.

Andrew: How did the band become part of this tour?

Portal: We had the honour of touring with Absu on their first Australian encounter in 2012.

Andrew: Any favorite Absu albums and songs?

Portal: All of The Sun of Tiphareth, The Third Storm of Cythraul & Barathrum are monumental. You cannot fault any of their albums overall.

Andrew: I have to ask about your last album "Vexovoid", it's a little different from your previous albums especially in the sound. What caused the changes and is this something that will be seen on future albums?

Portal: It is tighter in perfomance after many many months of rehearsing, we record the albums ourselves so perhaps experience shaped the way the album was delivered. The future textures will depend on what we want to hear in the soundscape.

Andrew: A lot of your lyrics are inspired from work by H.P. Lovecraft, is there anything today that inspires you the same way and what books would you recommend to those who are interested in those kinds of stories?

Portal: Correction, only a grand total of 5 songs have anything to do with the Lovecraftian Mythos and infact we drew more inspiration from authors who paid tribute and none of those appear on the last 2 full length albums.

I can reccomend all of Lovecraft's work aswell as Brian Lumley's take on the Mythos. Overall (always) we are inspired by films, antique artifacts and other tools that spark our imaginations towards the feeling of dread and horror, the imagination in it's own soup, the occult and superstitions are very important also.

Andrew: What's next for Portal?

Portal: We are currently mining for new compositions. Talks for overseas adventures are already in the works but we are in no rush.

Andrew: What would it take to reveal your identities?

Portal: We reveal our true selves at our most honest everytime we hit the stage.

Andrew: What is the meaning of life?

Portal: PORTAL

Andrew: Thanks for answering our questions and look forward to seeing you in March!

Portal spoke to Andrew Schizodeluxe February 2014