Portrait "The Host" CD
Release Date: June 21, 2024
For almost 20 years, Portrait from Sweden have delivered their 'heavy metal darkness' to the world. The bands' development since the debut demo in 2006 is remarkable. Ever since then, Portrait has managed to develop and stretch their sound into several territories, without losing touch with their original core. Their current day live shows are testimony enough of this, in which songs from the first album or even the Welcome to my funeral demo can be thrown into the set and blend in perfectly with songs from later releases, even though the songwriting and musicianship have developed greatly since the early days of the band.
Following up 2021's acclaimed At One With None, the band returns with their sixth album The Host, the first album to feature guitarist Karl Gustafsson as part of the bands' line-up.
Founder and guitarist Christian Lindell describes the new album as "an occult tale of sword and sorcery, accompanied by some of the most passionate heavy metal ever recorded. The Host is our first concept album. The story takes place in 17th century era Sweden and revolves around an unnamed protagonist who, because of his experiences with the injustice and hypocrisy of this world, decides to seek truth and strength through its' Adversary."Although partly inspired by historic events, the story should not be mistaken for a history lesson.