Due to the huge amount of extreme Metal CDs reaching the mag's headquarters the last days, I grabbed the chance to take hold of HUMAN FORTRESS' latest release, Eternal Empire. Not familiar to the sextet's history in prior, this CD gave me the opportunity to dig enough to the German band's history while the audition of Eternal Empire proved to be a (generally speaking) pleasant experience whatsoever.
Hannover-based melodic Power/Epic metallers HUMAN FORTRESS started off with a female vocalist. Lord of Earth and Heavens Heir (with Greek singer Joti Parcharidis) came out in 2001 via the Limp Music label, so I can imagine the style the band adopted back then. 2003's Defenders Of The Crown was produced by Tommy Newton and the band (now on Massacre Records) appeared at that year's installment of Wacken Open Air festival. And then there was silence...
2008 sees HUMAN FORTRESS enlisting a new singer (Joti Parcharidis departed due to health issues, while Carsten Frank stepped in) and a new drummer (Arndt Krone replaced Apostolos Zaios). Eternal Empire is ready to hit the stores in the following days and - to tell you the truth - it should not be ignored by fans of the post-80s European Metal blend. First of all, these gays play it loud, there's nerve all around and no tendency of performing 'happy' melodies did I witness throughout the whole CD.
In opposite, HUMAN FORTRESS's music is based on solid drumming, thunderous bass lines, really heavy riffing and neoclassical-meets-MAIDEN soloing. The songwriting flirts with the whole axis from Scandinavia to Italy; meaning, you'll listen to RHAPSODY, BLIND GUARDIAN, MYSTIC PROPHECY, (some of) SKYCLAD, (a weird link of) ROUGH SILK or CONCEPTION and - in general - a mix of virtually all kinds of Euro Heavy music. There's enough of the 'aggressive' thing in new singer Carsten Frank's voice, but he equally serves other skills of his throat such as 'epic' or 'haunting' singing. The keyboards, on the other hand, contradict smartly with the other instruments' heaviness, resulting in a (somehow) eccentric compilation of song-parts colliding beautifully to result in a rather attracting sum.
HUMAN FORTRESS is not your typical Euro Metal band. For this and only, you should take the chance and taste Eternal Empire's offerings. For the ones familiar to the band's past discography I have nothing to say, since I had not listened to any of their songs. But, in any way, assume you're dealing with an interesting bunch of songs ensuring you'll have a nice Metal total of 50 minutes in 9 tracks.