The Portal Tapes

About

"The Portal Tapes" is an official release, under the CYNIC banner, of songs that Paul Masvidal and Sean Reinert worked on as a side project with then-current CYNIC guitarist Jason Gobel, bassist Cris Kringel and keyboardist/vocalist Aruna Abrams in 1995, under the name PORTAL. Elements of Portal’s sound are immediately familiar to any Cynic fan. Reinert’s signature drumming style, the jazzy chord phrasing and fretless bass are all present. The biggest difference between the two bands is the near-abandonment of Cynic’s death metal stylings (aggressive riffs, harsh vocals, double bass, etc.) in favor of more atmospheric layerings and an emphasis on clean female vocals courtesy of Abrams. The full-on embrace of jazz fusion is understandably an immediate turn-off for some fans, but if you were a fan of that aspect of Cynic’s sound, it’s cool to hear that territory explored more thoroughly. The band splashes and moans through the first two cuts, “Endless Endeavors” and “Karma’s Plight”, accompanied by crawling bass lines and keyboard ringing. “Circle” (previously known as “The Circle’s Gone”) is almost a stab at a pop song, with a catchy guitar lick and a big, dramatic chorus. It’s clear that with songs like that and the following “Costumed in Grace”, the Portal crew are aiming for a more approachable sound, but they sometimes sound like elevator smooth jazz in the process. It’s a hard line to walk, and Portal are prone to succumbing to their indulgences, but there are songs like “Cosmos” that sound close enough to Cynic to forgive some of the more cheesy moments.

via Last.fm