Mass Worship – Portal Tombs
Century Media Records
Release Date: 04/02/22
Running Time: 38:30
Review by Rick Eaglestone
6.5/10
Stockholm’s Mass Worship have unleashed their second full length assault Portal Tombs. Opening track ‘Specular Void’ is an early indication of their destructive intent which spills over into the title track ‘Portal Tombs’, which not only has an accompanying video but also features a guest vocal appearance from Napalm Death’s Barney Greenway.
‘Revel in Fear’ is an apocalyptic amalgamation of heart thumping drums and vocal changes, it also has a great solo so it should come as no surprise that this was my highlight track of the album. Unfortunately, everything I enjoyed in the previous track I just couldn’t gel with on ‘Orcus Mouth’. This track has such a great cinematic video that just doesn’t translate for me on its own but the slow ominous build up to next track ‘Unholy Mass’ has me immediately back in, as does ‘Dunes of Bone’.
I’m really enjoying the slower build up tracks of the album and ‘Scorched Earth’ not only has this, but brings back the more primal sound that the band manages to embed within this release. It’s like the next track ‘Empyrean Halls’ is reading this, as it takes everything from the previous tracks and adds some added background tones that are really enjoyable.
The album ends with the largely instrumental 7 and a half minute ‘Deliverance’ and whilst musically it’s great, the length of track feels a little out of sync with the rest of the album as it could’ve easily been halved and still been enjoyable.
MASS WORSHIP states, “We as humans are approaching a state where we don’t believe in anything, and we can’t seem to envision any alternatives. Our elected leaders are merely there to sustain a seemingly perpetual status quo, and to grab whatever opportunity they can to shift our focus away from what’s important. What happens behind the scenes is a slow and steady collapse of our financial, political, ecological, spiritual, and cultural world. We’re all perfectly aware of where we are heading, but we can’t seem to envision any alternative — it’s far too late, and far too terrifying to try to stop what has been started. ‘Portal Tombs’ symbolises that Death is the only true way forward. MASS WORSHIP is an attempt at putting the current state of humanity’s affairs and suppressed emotional state into music and words. We want to capture the fears, the pain, the uncertainty, and the total disbelief in the future of mankind. As we spiral towards an abyss of our own making, MASS WORSHIP is the soundtrack that will resonate loudest of all.”
‘Portal Tombs’ Official Video
TRACKLISTING:
01. Specular Void
02. Portal Tombs
03. Revel in Fear
04. Orcus Mouth
05. Unholy Mass
06. Dunes of Bone
07. Scorched Earth
08. Empyrean Halls
09. Deliverance
LINE-UP:
Gustav Eriksson – guitar
Dadde Stark – bass
Claes Nordin -vocals
Fred Forsberg – drums
LINKS:
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