If there is any band that deserves to be ripped off more than they currently are, Mercyful Fate is that band. It’s not difficult to find the dime-a-dozen Maiden/Priest/Sabbath clones, but the dark melodic riffing of Melissa and Don’t Break the Oath, while wildly influential to a wide swath of bands, hasn’t inspired the horde of copycats that other classic acts have.
Sweden’s Portrait are one of the few acts serving a modern fix of Mercyful Fate-inspired riffing. That’s not to say that Portrait is a straight-up copy of the band that gave the world King Diamond, but it’s blatantly obvious who their primary influence is and they are very, very good at reproducing the Mercyful Fate atmosphere without ripping them off. After the fair bit of buzz that surrounded 2011’s sophomore effort Crimen Laesae Majestatis Divinae, the band returns with Crossroads, a slightly smaller but no less delicious slab of traditional heavy metal.
Crossroads is defined by the same occult, dark atmosphere that was present on Crimen Laesae Majestatis Divinae, with plenty of sinister melodicism going around. Obviously (both in listening and because I’ve stated it multiple times) they take plenty of cues from the Mercyful Fate, but the riffs betray a touch of Dissection and Bathory influence even though the band doesn’t cite them as a direct influence (I also detect touches of early Dark Quarterer, though that may be a coincidence). So, needless to say, this album is fuckin’ dark, just as the band’s previous albums were.
Where Crossroads differs from its predecessor is in scope. Crimen Laesae Majestatis DIvinae was massive, with songs that were packed with riffs and were all on the longer side of reasonably-lengthed. Crossroads comes in at about 10 minutes shorter with the same amount of songs, with the average song being about 4-5 minutes instead of 6-8 – though, the album closer ‘Lily’ comes in at 9 minutes, much like Crimen Laesae’s ‘Der Todesking’ – but that should not be taken to mean that the album has been dumbed-down. While Crossroads is a bit simpler, the approach works wonders, as the album is incredibly fun to listen to and very headbangable the entire way through. ‘We Were Not Alone’ and ‘Ageless Rites’ are incredibly catchy, and the groovy ‘Black Easter’ will absolutely make you move.
Most importantly, the atmosphere that defined Portrait’s previous work has remained intact. It has certainly been altered and molded to fit the approach of the new album, but Crossroads has every bit of creepiness that Crimen Laesae did, the same creepiness that defined Mercyful Fate and which King Diamond took with him to his solo career. And that is why Portrait have been so effective at playing this style of metal – any competent band can copy another band’s riffing style, but it takes real talent to capture the same energy and feel that makes a classic band so great, and Portrait have got that figured out.
Crossroads is sure to be one of the best traditional heavy metal albums of the year. Does it help that there are few others vying for space in the same dark, shadowy corner of the genre? Perhaps, but let’s not pretend that Portrait would have any problems standing up to their competition. These guys are insanely talented songwriters, and their success is a product of that and that alone.
