Swarth
Portal · 2009
40 min · 8 tracks · black metal
A cacophony of dissonant melodies and chaotic rhythms envelops listeners in an unsettling yet captivating auditory experience.
Top tracks — play these first
-
→
Swarth — The title track encapsulates the album's chaotic essence with its relentless tempo shifts and haunting atmosphere, setting a precedent for the sonic journey ahead.
-
→
Illoomorpheme — This track showcases the band's ability to blend unsettling melodies with intricate rhythmic patterns, exemplifying their distinctive sound and musical experimentation.
-
→
Werships — Spanning over eight minutes, Werships is a sprawling epic that intertwines atmospheric elements with ferocious instrumentation, representing the album's thematic depth and complexity.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
The album's complex structures and unique sound create a distinctive listening experience within the black metal genre.
What we noticed
- The album opens with a title track that features a slow build of dissonant guitar layers, establishing an unsettling atmosphere.
- Each track typically runs between four to six minutes, allowing for extended explorations of chaotic rhythms and complex arrangements.
- Vocals are often buried in the mix, creating a sense of abstraction rather than traditional lyrical delivery, which adds to the overall disorientation.
- Composition 25% of the score
-
7/10
- Craft 20% of the score
-
8/10
- Durability 25% of the score
-
6/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
-
9/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
-
7/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Significant within its genre. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- unsettling auditory explorations of chaos
- immersive engagement with dissonant sounds
- dynamic shifts in rhythmic intensity
- captivating layers of chaotic melodies
Maybe skip if you
- prefer harmonious and soothing sounds
- want straightforward song structures
Where this album fits
- Career context
- Released in 2009, Swarth is Portal's third studio album, following their acclaimed 2007 release, Outre. At this point in their career, the band was solidifying their reputation within the extreme metal scene, known for their experimental sound and unique approach to black and death metal.
- Stylistic neighbors
- Ulcerate· Mitochondrion· Gorguts
Tracklist
Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.
- 1 Swarth 4:15
- 2 Larvae 4:26
- 3 Illoomorpheme 3:16
- 4 The Swayy 5:22
- 5 Writhen 4:51
- 6 Omenknow 3:03
- 7 Werships 8:36
- 8 Marityme 6:53
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
Sync your library
Everything you track here works immediately — no account needed. Create one when you want to sync across devices.