Pressed on swamp green vinyl with laser etched artwork on side D. Comes with a 16-page LP size booklet in a Gatefold cover. The approach to Portal's style of death metal has always tread the fine line between sheer madness and the intricately artful. Cinematic in scope, like a death metal interpretation of The Cabinet Of Dr. Cagliari or the death metal soundtrack to an ancient silent arthouse flick gone terribly awry, Portal have pretty much transcended the interpretation of what death metal should portray, and simply inverted and twisted it to no end. Even moreso on "Swarth". Almost serving as the missing link between Portal's previous abominations (namely "Seepia" and "Outre"), "Swarth" continues to bring the band's aesthetic to new disturbing levels of unease. Musically, "Swarth" is very labyrinth-like, very claustrophobic and suffocating where twisted counterpoint and scathing dissonance merge with earth scraping atmosphere to unveil the inevitable rising chaos.