Genre : Modern death metal, Hardcore, Sludge
Released : February 4th, 2022
Label : Century Media Records
FFO : LLNN, Humanity's Last Breath, Napalm Death, Black Tongue
After hearing about all the unanimously positive feedback on this record I just had to check it out for myself and see what all the fuss was about.
Judging by the album's artwork I was expecting some dissonant death metal with an "oldschool" OG death metal approach.
Turns out I was right about the dissonance but what I didn't expect however, is Mass Worship's ability to channel quintessential elements of the death metal genre into a more modern and punchy style of production that highlights the bassier parts of their sound as well as the importance of syncopation in their rythms.
Usually, this is a production style you would rather expect within either the djent or sludgy post-metal sphere.
As such, "Portal Tombs" is an interesting mix of genres all combined in one, decidedly dark and hard-hitting package which boasts a few surprise guest appearances as well!
Now, I'm not entirely mindblown by the heaviness at work on "Portal Tombs" the way I was promised I would be; yet that is not to say I did not enjoy myself with this album whose bleak nihilistic themes seem to be quite fitting at the present time unfortunately.
That being said, I'm glad to have been introduced to Mass Worship with this album and will be keeping an eye on them from here on out.
In the meantime, if you have yet to be introduced to this fairly recent band, I can only recommend you to do so as a lover of all things heavy!
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