Swedish heavy metal band Portrait released their self-titled debut album back in 2008 and after releasing an EP in 2010 they signed with Metal Blade. So 'Crimen Laesae Majestatis Divinae' is their second album, but the first one for their new label. This is the first full-length record with the new singer Per Karlsson who joined the band just after the release of the debut album.
The band doesn't try to hide the music they adore. First track "Beast of Fire" has the same opening as Mercyful Fate's "A Corpse without a Soul" and the tracks that follow could all have been written by the master King himself. If you are a fan of the Mercyful Fate albums 'Melissa' and 'Don't Break the Oath' you will like this album. The singing style and lines of Per are exactly the same as King's on his early albums. The riffs, the breaks, the solo's everything is almost the same. I have no idea if I must take this band serious because it sounds like a Mercyful Fate copy very often.
Originality on this album is hard to find and if you wouldn't know better and you were listening to this album for the first time, you certainly could think that this is a Mercyful Fate album that has been left for years on a dusty shelf and that is now finally released. Apart from all that, the music on the album is good, I like this style, therefore they get a rather high rating. After reading this review you should know by now if this is an album for you!
