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DARK FORTRESS Seance Century Media (2006)
Many of my friends have often wondered why, even though I was old enough to follow this genre from the very beginning, it was many years after Darkthrone released "A Blaze in The Northern Sky" and Mayhem gave birth to "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas" that Black Metal became an important part of my musical life. Well, the answer lies in the fact that, apart from pioneers like Hellhammer, Mercyful Fate, Venom and Bathory, there were only a handful of bands that, in my opinion, bothered to create something unique, rather than pure noise! One thing's for sure, though: if, back in the early 90's, there were many more bands like the German sextet Dark Fortress, I would not have waited that long to become a fan of this music.
The vast majority of the German extreme metal bands that I have been introduced to over the years, have a soft touch for brutality, and are seldom interested in adding more atmosphere or melody in their music. Dark Fortress' music combines the best elements of both worlds, and presents them in a very fresh and sophisticated way.
The military marching drums and the mid-tempo rhythmical guitars of the opening track "Ghastly Indoctrination" made me realise that I was not the only person in the world who understood the real importance of Mayhem's "Grand Declaration of War". This song provides a good opportunity for you to become introduced to Azathoth's "inhuman" vocals, whose innovation is to try to recreate a feeling of angst and despair rather than to break your eardrums. Well, if that was enough to make you excited, then the rest of the album is simply going to blow you away.
There is not a single song on this album that I did not find to my liking, and even though I could spend ages explaining how I was really impressed by the technical/progressive rhythm of "Requiem Grotesque", the old school spirit of "To Harvest the Artefacts of Mockery" or the thrashiness of "Poltergeist", I prefer to talk about the four songs that really blew me away.
First in my list is the epic, Bathory-influenced "CataWomb": I was instantly mesmerised by the rhythmical and quite catchy opening guitar theme, and my excitement increased with a pace similar to the song's dynamics. A good drummer can indeed make all the difference in a Black Metal band, so a big credit to Seraph, for making this song interesting without changing its character. Both the guitar solo, that you hear half way through the song, and the oriental scales that are so nicely fitted, are a sign of an intelligence and artistic value that can be traced throughout this album.
Every single dark and disturbing thought that Dark Forest wanted to express through their music is presented in two amazing tracks - "While They Sleep" and "Incide". The main features in the former are the string section performances supported by industrial sounding samples and smart drum themes, whereas the latter is based on some really disturbing sounds, and a vocal performance similar to that of Tomas Gabriel Warrior's (Hellhammer, Celtic Frost) in the legendary "Triumph of Death" - not the kind of song that you would play to your kids before they go to sleep.
Finally, if you were ever wondering how Opeth would have sounded if they were a Black Metal outfit, all you have to do is listen to "Shardfigures", and all your questions will be immediately answered.
I really don't know what else to say, other than I am quite hooked on "Seance". There are only a few little things that could be handled better, but they are not that important to reduce my appreciation towards Dark Fortress's fourth full-length release. If you love Black Metal, but you are in desperate need of something fresh and exciting, then this is the album for you. For those of you who believe that this genre is incapable of presenting anything of real artistic value, this album will hopefully make you change your mind once and for all!
****½
Review by John Stefanis
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