ALBUM REVIEW: Fortress – Don’t Spare The Wicked

Traditional Heavy Metal mob FORTRESS deliver their debut album via High Roller Records on November 26th.

Leaping into life with melodic riffs and synths atop catchy drums, the music of Fortress grabs you with its immediate epic nature that drops us right into the heart of the battle. Haunting vocals soon ensue to show there is no weak link in this band, opening a tempest of heartfelt and powerful Heavy Metal that is utterly fantastic across the board. Balancing a more traditional style of songwriting and obvious 80s vibes with a fairly modern production that is razor sharp and allows the nuanced, skilful playing of the entire band to heard beautifully from the driving bass lines to the soaring leads, not missing any cool fills or biting riffs while the vocals belt out total fury front and centre. Knowing when to gallop, soar or simply charge, these warriors solider on with total force. From the onset I am very optimistic about this record.

As the songs bound from strength to strength, sitting comfortably between balls-to-the-wall Heavy Metal with flourishes of Speed and Power Metal adding gritty ferocity and splendid theatrics respectively, there is a bit of something for all fans of Metal, balancing the old school with a sense of youthful energy that is ludicrously contagious to witness. The way in which the songs progress is nail-biting, giving a feeling of urgency and curiosity of what lies in waiting, which inevitable is some killer slice of piercing musical excellence that goes straight for the heart. The shredding guitars melt faces with 80s fret-dancing but in a way that is no detriment to the effectiveness of the songs and their straight-forward, fist-pumping approach. Nothing feels overzealous but nor does a single iota of their music feel restricted either, this beast is unbound and feral.

Standout songs are hard to pick when in under 30 minutes Fortress deliver a consistent array of linear but unpredictable hellfire that storms all in their path with pure Heavy Metal ecstasy.