This is the debut album from international death metal band Unblessed Divine.
Featuring ex-members of Malevolent Creation, Sinister, and Decapitated, Portal to Darkness contains 45 minutes of expressive and atmospheric death metal.
Unblessed Divine combine 90s-influenced death metal with keyboard enhancements, (and clean vocals on two tracks), resulting in songs that mix an old-school sound with a more modern one. Imagine parts of acts like Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Illdisposed, Vader, Grave, Behemoth, and even the heavier, death metal parts of Scar Symmetry and the atmospheric aspects of Fear Factory, as a starting point. Then, further embed keyboards and effects, and you’ll have an idea of what Portal to Darkness offers.
The songs are well-written and focused around gruesome hooks and atmosphere that blend a science fiction feel with a esoteric mystical one. The music is layered with macabre atmospheres and electronic effects, which provide extra detail to the music, making the tracks more textured than is normally the case for band that exists within the death metal space.
The album boasts a huge sound that serves the music well, allowing the songs to make the most of their meaty, muscular presence. The riffs hit like boulders and the drums pound like dropped rocks. I like the singer’s earthy roar, and the keyboards enrich, rather than distract. All of the music’s different ingredients come together to make songs that hit the spot.
Portal to Darkness is an enjoyable collection of electronically enhanced death metal tunes that offer a satisfying and engaging listen. Unblessed Divine’s debut album is well-rounded and accomplished, so make sure that you give this a blast.
Highly recommended.
Wonderbox Metal 