Portrait - The Host

Angry Metal Guy 70

Boy, life has changed since I last reviewed Sweden’s Portrait. Returning to the review of their 2021 release, At One with None, I apparently went off on a rant about working on this bitch of a diesel truck I called Karen. Now I’m here sitting in the AC, somehow with a position that titles me as a professional writer and editor. I know, it’s hard to believe based on my reviews. If it weren’t for all the writing I had to do for that job, maybe I’d be more coherent when it was time to pen a review for AMG. So, fuck you. But, I digress. Portrait is back with a new platter of King Diamond and Mercyful Fate worship. So, if your name is Doom et Al, you can leave and never come back. For the rest of you, The Host is the biggest album the band has ever released. With albums that typically range from eight to ten songs with forty-five to fifty-minute runtimes, the band has thrown all their restraint to the wayside to deliver fourteen tracks in seventy-five minutes. And more than ever, the band continues to take the KD/MF sound of old and mold it into their own.

Besides increasing the overall output of The Host, there are other differences between it and previous releases. Guitarists, in particular, are a revolving door for this band, and now they’ve added little-known axeman Karl Gustafsson to the fold. While the classic Mercyful Fate dual-guitar technique has never been foreign to Portrait, the harmonizations, dueling guitar solos, and mismatched guitar leads are even more abundant on The Host. Another difference, particularly when compared to At One with None, is the wide-open dynamics that allow the tasty bass to rise to the surface. Why the band allowed Tommy Hansen to bury the bass in At One with None’s pitiful master is beyond me. Especially considering they didn’t do that with their previous album, Burn the World. This time, the band’s very own vocalist, Per Lengstedt, took to the boards to mix and master their most adventurous album yet. With the stage set, how does the band fair on their first full concept album since conception?

After a short instrumental, “The Blood Covenant” gets the story going with a blistering-fast, old-school Mercyful Fate lick as our protagonist, a soldier fighting in the Crusades, renounces his loyalty to God in favor of Satan. Why? For greater safety in battle and the protection of his lover. As the riffs and stellar drum work carry the song, our pained soldier screams at the skies in tasty falsetto and gruff vocal fashion. The follow-up track, “The Sacrament,” is where things really get exciting as it sports one of the better choruses on the record and sees our protagonist stealing the holy bread from the church to perform a ritual at the crossroads. The song sees Lengstedt reach deep into his vocal repertoire with big, booming, multi-layered vocals and even hints of Symphony X riffage. But you’ll discover it’s not all balls-to-the-wall heavy metal when our hero says goodbye to his love in “One Last Kiss.” On his way to battle, this somber piece alternates between clean guitars and the power-ballad heaviness of Iced Earth. But, overall, I get a lot of Puppet Master sadboi vibes when King says farewell to Victoria in “So Sad.” Though, this song is a tad heavier.

While the band members proclaim their obvious influences, they continuously strive for listeners to understand they are no copycat. That statement has never been truer for songs like “Dweller of the Threshold” and “Sword of Reason (The Steel of Revenge).” The first track is a speed metal fanatic that rips and roars through various riffs as a mysterious character comes into our hero’s life, showing him the fate of his home and lover for denying the cross. Never in my life did I know I needed King Diamond falsettos on a speed metal track, but I did. The song also sports some fantastic guitar harmonizations that bring back the feels from early-day Mercyful Fate. After the Dweller guides the protagonist to revenge over the death of his lady friend, an unsavory blacksmith crafts a mighty sword to kill the priest who burned everything in his life. This intense track of vengeance is difficult to pin down because, during its five-plus-minute existence, it travels through black, death, heavy, and thrash offerings that keep you guessing what the next minute will bring. But the album’s epic is the closing, eleven-plus-minute “The Passions of Sophia.” Combining gorgeous clean guitars and vocals with Iron Maiden characteristics and King Diamond falsettos, we witness the sad demise of our hero. Revenge has been sought and it’s his time to disappear from this world and reunite with his love.

The Host is a great record and one of the more unique releases from Portrait. We all know I love a good story to go with my music, and Portrait delivers it. While a touch on the long side, the songs flow nicely between each other and the storyline. The production is quite satisfying but it’s obvious this was a monumental task for an up-and-coming producer. After multiple listens, it becomes apparent that the bass makes its way further up in the mix as the album progresses. While Fredrick Petersson’s bass contribution to the band is always a treat, the balance begins to fall apart as we near the end. By the time we get to “The Passions of Sophia,” the hammering bass is so strong that it distracts this perfectly good finisher. And that’s mainly why I cannot award this record higher. Though, I wish I could. That said, The Host shows a band breaking that copycat wall. It has a great story, impressive dual guitar work, and a flow that keeps me returning for more.



Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Metal Blade Records | Bandcamp
Website: facebook.com/portraitsweden
Releases Worldwide: June 21st, 2024

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