If there is one thing that is advantageous for Heavy Metal music over other social demographics, it is the fact that its fans will take the tradition of its origins of sound; and hold it in a vice like grip of belief. Since the inception of the musical genre, Metal Blade Records has been one of the most significant and successful forces leading that charge and has become a globally recognized name. It speaks very highly of Swedish band PORTRAIT for them to boast they have been a Metal Blade band for nearly a decade, first signing with the label in 2008. And holding true to that legacy, PORTRAIT have released their latest album "Burn The World" with the robust support of Metal Blade.

It really does my heart good to hear the cast iron horns of tribute are as sharp as ever, PORTRAIT encompass every conceivable facet of "traditional" Heavy Metal and then amplifies it, this is really apparent in how well this album is produced. Every functioning arm of this beast is perfectly rendered into the musical landscape, the vocals emphasize power and emotion with routine efficiency; meanwhile the guitars and drums hold the fort but still have the capability to glide like a ninja in the shadows.

The most memorable moments of this album were "Burn The World", "Likfassna", and "Martyrs", but this is what brings me to the word "memorable". As much as I enjoyed this album, it seems to be something of a living memory. Despite the fact that it could not be better performed and produced, this really isn't anything that you haven't heard before since KING DIAMOND or IRON MAIDEN released their first albums.

As good as it sounds, "Burn The World" is very "dated" in how the band has approached this album and end result highlights that. I am sure that there will be a small army of fans out there professing that this is 'real metal' and the world needs more bands like this, I don't agree. If you are a purveyor of Old School Metal, you're going to love this and play it too death. But if you're not, you'll listen to it, enjoy and appreciate it... then it'll get lost in the background. You already know which one you are. <