Athenaeum Of Sin Reviews

As soon as the listener presses that play button, the opening piece, Ruby Skies, greets the listener with a progressive, space, clean vocal introduction.
The listener embarks on a journey with the second piece, Polygonal Polliwog, and the remaining ten pieces, which delve into the concept of escapism and the eventual escape from escapism. The music and lyrics explore this central theme of the album, keeping the listener engaged and intrigued throughout the journey.

Portal Hopper is a thirty-eight-minute piece spread across twelve tracks. It follows the eponymous portal hopper’s journey out of the natural world and into a series of surreal worlds accessible only by the portal. “Being granted access to the portals by the dubious Flatwoods Monster, the portal hopper meets a variety of cryptids in these strange lands.”

“The hopper’s journey eventually leads to the Squonk Kingdom, where homely creatures hold access to the only space station able to reach the Akashic Records, a compendium of all knowledge past, present, and future. Overwhelmed with infinite knowledge and finite mortality, the portal hopper journeys back to the natural world to make peace with an earthbound fate. But must face the Flatwoods Monster in battle to gain freedom.”
After reviewing Mothman and The Thunderbirds’ debut, Into the Hollow, and Gazer releases, I was struck by their musical versatility and innovation. Their latest album, Portal Hopper, shows the band’s evolution from prog and sludge metal to a wide range of subgenres, including doom, thrash, space rock, prog, shoegaze, and folk.

This album validly showcases their diversity, exhibiting a distinct ‘dream metal’ style that fuses elements of adventurous prog, exhilarating hard rock, and ethereal psychedelia.

The album’s classic prog and complex rock elements, combined with heavy sections, funk influences, shoegaze-inspired passages, and electronic, experimental, and intimate acoustic folk moments, create a genuinely diverse and captivating listening experience.

Egor Lappo handled the production, mixing, and mastering. I must say that Egor has brought the sound of the production and music alive, also providing the listener’s ears with a clean, crisp sound that sounds personally and executed. Mothman and The Thunderbirds have outdone themselves with their latest album, Portal Hopper. The album is a captivating journey that keeps you engaged and intrigued from start to finish. Each song offers a unique blend of sound, tone, tempo, and instrumentation, creating an ever-changing musical landscape.