Album Review: Portal - Anno Mundi (Doom, 2026)

The brand new Portal album still speaks to all the lovers of the traditional doom metal genre. That's surely not a surprise to anyone who has ever heard songs of them. Anyway the newest output comes with some small changes every and there that made me listen closer. At the end of the day I was filled with enthusiasm for the new material.

The new Portal album shows a wide variety of guitar sounds.

This feeling came up through the riffs that are present on "Anno Mundi". Just take the heavyness of Wholly Roller. It's crushing riff rolls right over you. On the other hand it comes with soft vocals and lot's of melody inside all of the brutality. Others then that you've got very high sounding melodies like in "The Bronze Age" along with extended solo sections.

It's also a direct album that comes more to the point. You don't need to think too much around the corner once "Paschal Lamb" is running on your device. It's a compact number but changes towards the end where it goes in a rougher and harder direction. 

If you like to dive deep into guitar sounds then I recommend the title track "Anno Mundi" to your attention. Those layers are going up and down many times and they are much more present in the front of the sound that other tunes of the album. It should make all guitar players listen closer to find out how to play this. 

"A Charmed Life" shows the more faster and grooving side. It calls out to headbang to it and is a pure dose of fun to listen to. It's so fine to hear that the guitars shake the riffs all the time that it's hard to stop listening. 

Finally "Thunderclap" comes a lighter way with softer riffs and vocals. It's a unusual song for a band like Portal but put's a good balance in contrast to most of the heavier album content.

The vocals should be pointed out, too. They are going with more intensity. You can feel that they're sounding more direct and slightly heavier on this album. This put's a much welcomed change into the sound.

You can hear three songs of the record on thedoomportal.com for free streaming. The album is sold as high quality wave files at the shop tab of the website for six dollar each copy.   

CD Review: AlogiA - Semendria (Symphonic Power Metal, 2020)

Finally after some time a brand new AlogiA album see's the light of day. What happened in the four years since the last release?

The cover creates a positive feeling in me.

I think a lot of work and re-thinking has gone into the creation of "Semendria". First of all the sound underwent changes. This time around it's far more compact and dry. It's not that pumped and blown-up anymore. This makes the tunes lighter to enjoy. The new tunes are compact in duration. A eye was held on a limited tme frame so the tracks come to the point.   

New sound meets tradition

Most of the songs are sourced of traditional symphonic power metal sounds. This lays down a classic foundation to the sound. This impression continues with the vocals that add more high screams than ever before.  

But "Semendria" is far from being a "standard" or one of the many albums out there. This becomes evident on clearer moments that shine through. Just listen to the verses of "The Calling" - they slowly build from softer to faster/harder each verse-round.

The title-track is a good example for the evolution. While lyrically and in the basics a classic track it's the fine elements like the flute or the acoustic guitars that give it a special touch.

Refrains like the one on "Visantia" are outworked with a finetuned melody - leave your ears open and you'll recognize.
Finally piano passages make "From East to West" stand out of all of the tracks. A nice way to end the record in a softer style.
 
All in all I'd like to point out the newest output of AlogiA to your attention. It has more to offer than ever before. It has got a lot of variation in it that is a welcomed aspect. Listening becomes a joy. The shorter way to present the music prevents boring lengths and also gives the music a chance if you're cut short on time.   

Also guest performances of Tim "Ripper" Owens, Mark Boals and the fantastic organ of Fabio Leone make it a even bigger highlight than it already is.

CD and Vinyl available
Make sure to pick a phystical CD copy of the album directly of the online shop. Currently a limited vinyl edition of the record is up for pre-order through Elevate Records at a lower price (20 Euro, will be 24 Euro later. Both prices plus shipping and handling.