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deeper, more resonant, with more midrange. We’re talking small but important increments, but this is moving toward traditional rock values." They went on to write that on a structural level, "It sounds upside-down and backward. Most Portal songs are loosely connected chains of arrangements; the unity is not on the song level but on the largest level, the band’s constant use of certain modes and rhythmic patterns. You don’t remember how the songs go, but you do remember their weird feeling, their atmosphere. Every beat is articulated, and because of the upward guitar strokes and the fast, ungainly drumbeat combinations, the rhythm sounds like rising rather than landing — as if the beats were being pulled upward out of the drums."
198:'s surrealist horror films, pounded into the clearest-sounding Portal album yet, as if stripping away the murk for something that much more terrifying." Pitchfork also streamed the track 'Curtain', writing that "for the six minutes, as long-running Australian crew Portal twist time and again from death metal build to black metal blur to noise rock distortion, the song remains enormous and crushing." A music video for the song 'Curtain' was released in October 2013, directed by Zev Deans. The concept for the video was loosely adapted from
570:(a review aggregator site which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 from music critics), based on 7 critics, the album has received a score of 76/100, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". The album has been noted for providing clearer production values than heard on previous albums, which renders the band's "intricacies...more apparent" without detracting from the band's mysterious qualities, which were described as a "temple to the inscrutable". Writing for
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179:. It was released on February 19, 2013 through Profound Lore Records. The band's guitarist, Horror Illogium, has described the album as "the evolution by sickness, the advancement by mutation where all has become clear, the third eye open, think tanks in construct." The album received positive reviews from music critics, and was notably reviewed by
226:
emerge from and climb above dins that once seemed irreparably unordered. Songs that, for the first minute, appeared to have but one aim and direction find a half-dozen new missions and vectors in a five-minute span." They also noted the wide-ranging influences beyond those typical for a death metal album, including
218:
noted that
Vexovoid represents a further incremental development in Portal's sound, writing that "Each one reinvents the guitar tone; what you hear on “Vexovoid,” from the guitarists Horror Illogium and Aphotic Mote, is clearer and more elegant, a little less scoured and crackly. The drum sound is
590:
and horror-related themes, describing the album as "a temple to the inscrutable, and the geometries and inscriptions featured in its blueprints seem inked in a language only accessible to those whose sanity the Old Ones have already shattered." They went on to write that "It’s Portal’s ability to
225:
noted in their review the unsettling, dissonant character of the album, writing that "the expected shapes have been mutated and multiplied into orders so strange they seem surreal. Rhythms stay the course where you expect them to shift before finally switching without warning. Sharp-barbed riffs
31:
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wrote that "Where black metal conjures symphonic whirlwinds of minor-key mayhem and death metal froths with jagged pessimism, Portal have found a middle ground where all forms of extreme negativity work in concert."
578:, "Portal retire the idiosyncratic production style that had people mentioning vacuum cleaners and wind tunnels...The added clarity imparts a new sense of urgency" to the band's approach.
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invoke the strange aeons beyond death that makes their music so uncannily horrific. Their death metal refuses to stop at death and continues even deeper into the darkness."
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praised the album's depth and complexity despite its short runtime, describing it as "meticulous" and "merciless".
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streamed the song "The Back Wards" in advance of the album's release, commenting that "this is the stuff of
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896:"Twisted Music Video of the Week Vol. 206: Portal "Curtain" - Bloody Disgusting!"
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795:"Entrance Into the Portal Hath Been Granted (Interview)"
871:"Portal "Curtain" spooky music video - Metal Injection"
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Industrie Chimère Noire - additional graphics, design
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was met with positive reviews from music critics. At
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921:Ratliff, Ben; Chinen, Nate (18 February 2013).
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171:is the fourth full-length album by Australian
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1007:Smith, Rod (March 2013). "Portal, Vexovoid".
956:"Reviews for Vexovoid by Portal - Metacritic"
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748:Nihilistic WarFucker - additional graphics
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821:"Song Premiere: Portal, 'The Back Wards'"
574:, Rod Smith concurred, noting that, with
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770:"Portal – Complete Work On New Album"
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1082:"Portal, 'Vexovoid' (Profound Lore)"
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1080:Grow, Kory (15 February 2013).
18:2013 studio album by Portal
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214:In their review of the album,
1:
1138:"Vexovoid - Portal | Credits"
923:"Albums by Portal and Iceage"
726:Horror Illogium – lead guitar
1285:Profound Lore Records albums
846:""Curtain" by Portal Review"
729:Aphotic Mote – rhythm guitar
735:Omenous Fugue – bass guitar
54:February 19, 2013
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978:"Portal - Vexovoid Review"
1024:Walschots, Natalie Zina.
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710:Personnel adapted from
586:emphasised the album's
774:Profound Lore Records
745:Kriss Hades – artwork
187:Release and promotion
1280:Portal (band) albums
740:Additional personnel
732:Ignis Fatuus – drums
723:The Curator – vocals
252:Professional ratings
1109:Phillips, Matthew.
253:
1111:"Portal Vexovoid"
927:The New York Times
902:. 13 November 2015
900:Bloody Disgusting!
251:
247:Critical reception
216:The New York Times
204:The Conqueror Worm
181:the New York Times
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1054:"Portal Vexovoid"
1052:Currin, Grayson.
1026:"Portal Vexovoid"
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80:avant-garde metal
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801:. 27 June 2014
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1197:Studio albums
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1013:(101): 71–72.
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850:pitchfork.com
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694:Total length:
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595:Track listing
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280:Review scores
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210:Musical style
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196:Dario Argento
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173:extreme metal
170:
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116:Profound Lore
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1145:. Retrieved
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1120:. Retrieved
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1089:. Retrieved
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1063:. Retrieved
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987:. Retrieved
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959:. Retrieved
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938:. Retrieved
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904:. Retrieved
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878:. Retrieved
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853:. Retrieved
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828:. Retrieved
824:
815:
803:. Retrieved
799:Deaf Sparrow
798:
789:
777:. Retrieved
773:
764:
709:
674:"Orbmorphia"
588:Lovecraftian
575:
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39:Studio album
15:
1290:2013 albums
232:black metal
85:black metal
75:Death metal
1274:Categories
1147:12 January
1091:12 January
961:12 January
940:12 January
906:12 January
880:12 January
855:12 January
830:12 January
805:12 January
779:12 January
756:References
685:"Oblotten"
568:Metacritic
271:Metacritic
236:noise rock
228:doom metal
125:chronology
58:2013-02-19
1258:The Sweyy
1059:Pitchfork
983:About.com
935:0362-4331
714:credits.
706:Personnel
663:"Awryeon"
641:"Curtain"
580:Pitchfork
454:Pitchfork
294:About.com
223:Pitchfork
202:'s poem "
192:NPR Music
1226:Vexovoid
1142:AllMusic
1031:Exclaim!
712:AllMusic
619:"Kilter"
576:Vexovoid
564:Vexovoid
393:Exclaim!
168:Vexovoid
145:Vexovoid
51:Released
41: by
24:Vexovoid
1122:30 June
1065:30 June
1037:30 June
989:30 June
825:NPR.org
652:"Plasm"
156:(2018)
149:(2013)
140:(2009)
56: (
1219:Swarth
1205:Seepia
1190:Portal
933:
718:Portal
611:Length
288:Rating
285:Source
275:76/100
265:Rating
262:Source
234:, and
177:Portal
136:Swarth
123:Portal
94:Length
44:Portal
1212:Outré
698:34:03
608:Title
175:band
111:Label
67:Genre
1149:2017
1124:2013
1093:2017
1086:Spin
1067:2013
1039:2013
991:2013
963:2017
942:2017
931:ISSN
908:2017
882:2017
857:2017
832:2017
807:2017
781:2017
688:5:16
677:2:40
666:4:21
655:5:47
644:5:57
633:4:16
622:5:46
521:7/10
516:Spin
240:Spin
1243:EPs
1233:Ion
604:No.
206:."
153:Ion
1276::
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1101:^
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101::
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