THE END MILLS

"The End Mills" is an EP release by Australian death metal act Portal. The EP was released through Blacktalon Media in 2002 and it´s the band´s first label release. It features 2 tracks and a total playing time of 8:19 minutes (some versions feature an additional outro track). Both tracks would be re-recorded and included on Portal´s debut full-length studio album "Seepia" (November 2003).

So the versions of "Tempus Fugit" and "The End Mills" found on this EP can be viewed as rough early versions of the tracks. No less powerful, dark, chaotic, and mysterious than the versions found on "Seepia" though, as Portal already this early on presented their listeners with a dark, brutal, gloomy, and chatic take on death metal. dissonant, abstract, and suffocating in nature, Portal sought to break down boundaries, and they succeed pretty well doing that with the material featured on "The End Mills". Although I wrote rough early versions of the full-length studio versions of the tracks found on "Seepia", these EP versions are actually a bit more accessible and "normal" than the even more chaotic and murky produced versions on "Seepia".

"The End Mills" is a great introduction to early Portal, although it´s mostly for the completists since both tracks from the EP are also available on "Seepia". As mentioned these early versions are also quite interesting and great too though, so in my opinion "The End Mills" is still worth a listen or two. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives).