"I am blown away by the abilities of this band, and by their detailed presentation/interpretation of subjects that are emotional, controversial, artful and personal! I don’t believe that a second of this CD was recorded without careful scrutiny of its context within the song or the project! Portal is an incredible band on almost every level you can think of."
~ Mark Lush, midwestbands.com
2005.10.20
portal: reviews
"Canadian bands aren't often thought of being the spirit of progressive rock but Portal's here to change all that. Delivering glistening prog-rock that anyone could appreciate, Portal is a band that's going global damn quickly."
~ J-Sin, Smother.net
2005.08.07
"Projects such as Portal are a rare but humbling proposition in the modern era..., delivering material written entirely for the sake of musical expression and achieving in the process the unthinkable - collections of songs which can meet the demands of those who wish to be challenged, while remaining accessible... for the hordes simply seeking the comfort of engrossing melodies within meticulously crafted songs."
~ Chris Williams, IAYM
"I had to acknowledge the obvious skill and emotive pull of the lyrics - I really had to listen to the foundations of each and every song. There is some huge songwriting talent in this band. I hope most listeners will dedicate the time it takes to understand Portal."
~ Amber Authier, Exclaim! Magazine
"Portal... are an extremely accessible group that will certainly gain the attraction of the masses if given the chance to reach them. This is intellectual man's rock with thought provoking lyrics... and enough edge to create havoc."
~ Adam Roncaglione, DecoyMusic Magazine
"The live lineup takes the songs and rips them apart, reconstructing them into edgy, in-your-face rock. Each member plays off the energy of the music to give the audience an amazing show."
~ Myke Atkinson, University of Calgary Gauntlet
"I've been listening to Element non-stop..., checking back in with the lyrics every once and a while. They're deep, passionate, intelligent and the purest translation of muse, thought and emotion possible. I wish I could find the words that you do so seamlessly for such intense feelings. Your words are inspiring on ridiculous levels, and seem to be the dialogue to life lessons I'm both going through and bound to go through."
~ Chris Verbeek, Regina, SK
"I just can't stop saying good things about this. You guys are like my dream band... Please keep making music because you guys are the best band I've ever heard here on garageband.com and definitely one of the best bands that could be playing in the major music scene today."
~ Daniel Wright, Seattle, WA
"[The Vast Expanse Diminishing] is enthralling, essential listening. Music both thoughtful and visceral. Very cool. Should be heard and digested at length..."
~ Pete Foley, London, UK
"Like the discs alot. 'Insergent Few' is a hot track. I also like 'The Paradigm' & also very much, 'With You'. 'Shallow' is my favorite from the first disc. The lyrics really add alot to the songs. I really like them. They were one of the first things I noticed...that and the rather 'odd' time signatures that you play in. Very cool."
~ Ryan Goodnight, Mullica Hill, NJ
"Nothing less than perfection. I cannot wait to hear what else Portal has in store. Finger Eleven used to be my favorite band, but now here comes Portal to take the crown."
~ Dennis Cangemi, Connover, NC
"[A Taste of Things to Come...] is perfect. Portal is in a class of its own. I recomend this album to anyone who even knows that metal is a genre."
~ Jeff Moffett, Beverly, MA
"Incredible! I can't believe this is a debut album! It takes most bands their entire career to create music of this depth. My CD collection has just been given a new reason to exist."
~ Greg S. Owens, Fairhope, AL
"This is intelligent hard rock at its indie best. Money well spent and I can't wait for these guys to hit it big."
~ Cody Zimmerman, Manassas, VA