Formed in 1994 Dark
Fortress have established themselves in the top ranks of the genre with
captivating, intense live shows and fascinating pitch black full-length
masterpieces that meet the standard set by northern Europe's prolific scenes.
Their first musical sign of life was the 1996 released demo "Rebirth
Of The Dark Age" which as a matter of fact was the hour of birth of
a soon to become truly dark and mesmerizing band. In 1997 the original line-up
consisting of band founder Asvargr (guitar), vocalist Azathoth, Njord on
bass, and drummer Charon established the band's first live line-up with
the addition of a second guitarist named Crom and keyboardist Thamuz. Debuting
live in February 1997 the young horde soon shared the stage with such underground
figureheads as Lunar Aurora, Desaster and Nagelfar. Since the bands formation
back in 1994 there have been numerous line-up changes and five full-length
albums released. “Eildon” is by far the bands strongest material
to date. Before even listening to this album I was impressed with the cover
art, once I put the CD on I was blown away. This band can really play and
for all the negative comments I have ever heard concerning this band, once
the first track had finished all preconceived expectations had been smashed!
Some of the amazing tracks on “Eidolon” include “The Silver
Gate,” “Analepsy,” “No Longer Human” and “Baphomet.”
This CD is not for the faint hearted, it's safe to say if you're a Poison
fan you probably won't want to hear this although I think all fans of metal
should broaden their horizons and check out Dark Fortress' latest offering!
If you like your metal Brutal and Extreme than this is one for you!
Rating: 80
Reviewed By: Cameron Edney
- http://www.myspace.com/insideout666ints |
Second Review:
Since their formation in Germany of 1994, Dark
Fortress have managed to complete 5 full-length releases. This current
album has a new vocalist who goes by the name of Morean. He is briefly featured
on their past release entitled 'Seance.' Their previous vocalist Azathoth
departed from the band in 2007 due to personal reasons (source: http://thetruedarkfortress.com/bio.htm).
The band decided to recruit Morean because of his lyrical and vocal abilities.
'Eidolon' has six members altogether. Morean (as previously mentioned) is
on vocals, Asvargyr on guitars, V. Santura on second guitar, Draug on bass,
Paymon on keyboards, and Seraph on drums. Celtic Frost's vocalist sings
as a guest on the song "Baphomet." The band made a video that
you can view on YouTube called "Edge of Night" (overall source:
http://www.metal-archives.com/release.php?id=180415).
This full-length concept album falls under the category of melodic black
metal. The reason why it is termed "melodic black metal" is because
the music displayed here which feature guitars that carry with them an eerie/evil
concoction of riffs, in unison keyboards, screeching vox, and warping bass.
There are some blast beating drums as well as double kick, which goes along
with the music. The entire release has a symphonic echo vibe to it.
In terms of the sound, there are some killer riffs that display some ultra
fast picking melodies and leads. The guitars have a huge block of distortion
to them. The bass on this release you can actually hear blended well with
the music. Everything seemed to fit. That would include the production,
sound quality, overall playing and huge display of talent!
There is a reason why 'Eidolon' is considered to be a concept release. This
is because according to the band it deals with nine chapters that "describes
the initiation, dehumanization, and unearthly rebirth of a transcending
soul by mirror magic and astral projection" (source: http://thetruedarkfortress.com/bio.htm).
The lyrics are difficult to grasp because of this subject. There are no
cover songs whatsoever. The lyrical concept was chosen by Morean.
Dark Fortress shows an array of ability for this particular genre of metal.
Everything seemed to fit well together. There are a few songs that are a
little boring. But for the most part, 'Eidolon' is a fine piece of work.
The words here are quite creative and the music combined with the concept
is amazing. Don't miss out on this album!
Rating: 85
Reviewed By: Death8699 |
