The monolithic cyclops that adorns the cover
art of Draghoria’s “Portal To Extinction” tells you everything you need to know
about this record: it unleashes devastating brutality and crushes everything in
its path! This album is Draghoria’s debut effort, and is certainly an inspired
effort. The basic approach is a relentless thrashing attack with vocals that toe
the line between death metal and thrash metal (leaning more towards the
latter). The riffing is a constant barrage of enjoyable, albeit predictable,
guitar work. All of the classic thrash metal techniques are in full display, as
there is plenty of staccato playing, palm-muting, absurdly fast down-picking,
and galloping.
Even though the band has a moderate range
of tempos, most of this record feels as though it goes by in a flash because of
the consistent vocal attack. Draghoria’s singer spits out words at a rapid fire
pace, leaving little room for breathing. The result is something akin to
Demolition Hammer, though obviously not quite as strong. In general, Draghoria’s
songs would benefit from being a bit shorter, as most of them fall between 5-6
minutes. Given the constant chaotic riffing, these tracks would be better
served by stripping them down into more digestible sizes. Nevertheless, there’s
not a moment on this album that doesn’t rule. Both “Suicide Serenity” and “Crowning
The Tyrant” have particularly memorable sections scattered throughout, and even
if the songs feel a bit directionless at times, they continually offer great
riffs.
The lone exception to this sound is “The
Visitor”, a shorter instrumental piece. This song is the classic acoustic
interlude, and rules as much as any other I’ve heard. Draghoria even pays homage
to possibly the greatest classical instrumental of all time: Annihilator’s “Crystal
Ann”. “The Visitor” closes with a line from “Crystal Ann”, and sets the stage
for the aptly titled “Awaken The Wicked” that follows. At this point, the band
resumes their thrashing course. As you may have guessed, “Portal To Extinction”
does nothing to reinvent the wheel, and that’s the way many thrashers like it.
This is a far better effort than what many other similar bands are doing, and
it shows absolutely no compromise. With slightly tighter songwriting, it is
easy to see Draghoria ascending to the heights of bands like Havok or Exmortus.
For now, they are still capable of putting together an excellent thrash release
that should appeal to all fans of the subgenre!
Highlights
"Suicide Serenity"
"Crowning The Tyrant"
"Kill Or Be Killed"
Final Rating
4.25/5 or 85%.
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