Second album of top quality young band
king wolf | Jotunheim | 08/02/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"That an album of this quality could have no one sing its praises on amazon dot com three years after its release is an intolerable situation. I just want to briefly remedy it.
First, a brief description. This isn't power metal or "goth metal", it is eighties metal with power metal elements, namely the occasional and always appropriate use of speed, soaring vocal melodies and symphonic touches.
The most important elements of any ensemble making any form of popular music are the songwriting and the singing, and this album features excellencies in both. The singer is the highlight of the band; his voice has the real testosterone necessary to good metal and lacking in ninety percent of the girlish wailers ordinarily featured in Euro-metal bands these days. It reflects the essence of this band: not like the others; different by being simply better.
Along the same lines, the tracks are far more varied than the typical latter-day metal album. While the lyrics do revolve around medieval and fantasy themes, they are a little more conceptual than the lyrics typical of the genre.
I would not go quite so far to say that the album transcends its genre, but it is nearly perfect for what it is and what it is trying to accomplish, which is why it gets five stars from me and why I would recommend it.
Final note: make very sure you get this one, the second album, not the more widely distributed debut, which is only average in quality."
A Breath of Fresh Air
Daniel Brown | Gallatin, TN | 04/04/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Wow. That is simply all I can say for this band. I kind of accidently stumbled across this CD while surfing the site. Boy, am I glad I did. Human Fortress, and most notably their (now former) lead singer Jioti Parcharidis are a cut above the rest. For one, I can't think of any other vocalist who sounds remotely like the guy. There is this common problem of similar sounding singers in these Swedish / German bands. But no problem here! Every song is well-crafted and totally unique. From epic battles such as the Crusades to the legend of the Holy Grail, no medieval or fantasy topic is missed here. Allow me to run through each song, quickly of course:
1. Knights in Shining Armour - An extremely catchy song, and probably the heaviest / angriest on the whole album. It's fast, sing-along-y, and pure awesome. It's a little strange how he says "ahmul". Throughout the rest of the songs you'll notice some English words give him trouble. It certainly doesn't take anything away from the songs. If anything, it adds a little character and some difference from everyone else. A 9/10.
2. Defenders of The Crown - Amazing song about the great Holy Wars of medieval times, commonly known as the Crusades. Come on people: any song that references "Richard the Lionheart", "Acre, Jaffa, and Jerusalem", "Mighty Saladin", and "Fontevraud Abbey" has GOT to be good. A 10/10.
3. Colloseum - This was one of those tunes for me. Either you love it or you skip it every time. It's just okay. It could be a little longer I guess...A 6/10.
4. Gladiator of Rome - Another so-so song for me. It's somewhat catchy and has a good drum opening, but...I dont know. Maybe you'll like it better. A 6/10.
5. Holy Grail Mine - Okay, we're starting to pick up some more steam here. This tune is about...you guessed it...the Holy Grail. I'm not sure why a mine is involved. Maybe you can go to this mine and excavate and dig up a couple of grails for the wife and kids back home. Nonetheless, it's a catchy song with some repetetive hooks. A 7/10.
6. Border Raid In Lion's March - This is just about the happiest metal song I have ever heard (and I'm including the group Freedom Call). The xylophone makes it sound like something out of Sesame Street, yet there is this quality about it that makes you keep listening. They reference "the Lion" again, meaning King Richard, but I'm not sure if "Lion's March" is a real place or event. Nonetheless, when that violin solo comes in midway, you know you've got an epic on your hands. An 8/10.
7. Siege Tower - Quite possibly THE greatest song on this album, in my opinion. I know a lot of people will disagree with me, but Jioti's voice in this is amazing. Somehow he manages to imbue the song with the right strength, charisma, ultra-highness, and anger to bring a true epic to your door. And all the while, he controls his voice perfectly, never losing it or having it sound un-tight. A true masterpiece in my eyes. 10/10!!!
8. Schattentor - A rather interesting song about a thief. It seems this guy has a subterranean concealed weapon as he sings "here under this sycamore, lies buried my claymore." "Yes, I'm a thief, a larcenist, a creature of the night." "Torches guide my way to Schattentor, my wandering soul forlorn, for gold, my soul will wander alone." Hmmm, interesting. An 8/10.
9. Skin And Feather - Wow. Get the lyrics for this one. Does he even pronounce one English word correctly? Of course it doesn't matter, because this is a pretty good song. Wizards, mountains, "witch bottles"...it's got it all! A 7/10.
10. Mortal Sinful Wrath - This was kind of a miss for me. It didn't really have that catchy of a chorus or make a lot of sense. But, to each his own. A 6/10.
11. Sacral Fire - Another hit or miss, depending on who you are. I kind of like it, but I think it sounds sloppy when they all start chiming in and it sounds like a couple of them are a fraction of a second late. But it's kind of catchy. A 7/10.
12. The Valiant - A slower, nice little tune about a dude who's valiant. It's a good closer for this overall very nice album. An 8/10.
As you can see, this album is really great. There's a couple of conceivable duds, but the ones that are good...are really good. And they cancel out any duds. I would definitely recommend buying the whole album, not picking songs here and there. Also, have the lyrics handy. Believe me...you are gonna need 'em. In closing - a great and truly unique album. A 10/10 overall."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1