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9 songs + 1 intro by Limbonic Art's Morpheus for more than 68 minutes on the whole for the Germans' 2nd full length, showing some line-up modifications and starting with "Defiance of Death", including some funeral, yet not melodic keyboards, some accelerations and precise guitar embroideries; in the slow parts the keyboards sound more imperious, a bit Dimmu Borgir/Satyricon-like or symphonic, and the black vocals contrast with the epic ones. A mixture between black and HM is in "Passage to Extinction", with male spectral vocals and others of different kinds, also a few female ones, thou not ethereal, nor aggressive, just an accompaniment to the music.

After "In Morte Aeternitas" we find lugubrious keyboards again, but also some church ones, very well entwined with throbbing kick drums and crushing guitars alà Dissection/At the Gates ("Moribound Be Thy Creation"). "Through Ages of War" is a black composition featuring old heavy metal rides and a valuable axe solo, while rawness followed by slowings by epic vocals and keyboards, before the new attack including both a black and a Swedish death riff, a slowing like only the best Necrophagia would be able to do, and an ending plot repeating the initial structure are in "Blood of the Templars".

Death/black with classic metal riffing, then black guitars and an acoustic one, and some odd lines are the main characteristics of "Warlord (Face the Angel of Pestilence)", whereas in "Battles Rage in the Infernal Depth" are very tight, fast parts alternated by very different ones - acoustic, melodic or memorable metal ones - including several kinds of vocals (male raspy black ones, reinforced by others brutal death by Aeternus's Ares, and enriched by Katrin Neoral's female voice. The closure is entrusted with "A Fortress Dark", beginning instrumental and based on a pure classic metal riff, until crows' cries and later, whispered vocals, prepare us to the last black/heavy metal onslaught, embellished by not few time changes before our final moment.

For those who still hadn't understood: these 6 boys really know how to write and play effective black metal, so every fan of whatever sub-genre of black is gonna like it, because there's an intelligent use of the 2 male vocals + the 2 guest ones, and, most of all, the 2 guitars often play diverse lines, making all continuously interesting, and only the keyboards are left in the background sometimes. Last but not least: very cool cover by god Kris Verwimp, nice layout and artwork by Abigor's Peter and a fairly good 32-bit production from Bergen's popular Grieghallen Studios (Emperor, Burzum...).
MARKUS GANZHERRLICH - 09/03/03

Contacts:
darkfortress@web.de
www.thetruedarkfortress.com

Discography:
Fog of the Apocalypse (Split CD with Barad Dür-98)
Tales from Eternal Dusk (2001-Red Stream)
Profane Genocidal Creations (2003-Red Stream)

	Dark Fortress Profane Genocidal Creations (Red Stream) MARK: 85/100



	9 songs + 1 intro by Limbonic Art's Morpheus for more than 68 minutes on the whole for the Germans' 2nd full length, showing some line-up modifications and starting with "Defiance of Death", including some funeral, yet not melodic keyboards, some accelerations and precise guitar embroideries; in the slow parts the keyboards sound more imperious, a bit Dimmu Borgir/Satyricon-like or symphonic, and the black vocals contrast with the epic ones. A mixture between black and HM is in "Passage to Extinction", with male spectral vocals and others of different kinds, also a few female ones, thou not ethereal, nor aggressive, just an accompaniment to the music. After "In Morte Aeternitas" we find lugubrious keyboards again, but also some church ones, very well entwined with throbbing kick drums and crushing guitars alà Dissection/At the Gates ("Moribound Be Thy Creation"). "Through Ages of War" is a black composition featuring old heavy metal rides and a valuable axe solo, while rawness followed by slowings by epic vocals and keyboards, before the new attack including both a black and a Swedish death riff, a slowing like only the best Necrophagia would be able to do, and an ending plot repeating the initial structure are in "Blood of the Templars". Death/black with classic metal riffing, then black guitars and an acoustic one, and some odd lines are the main characteristics of "Warlord (Face the Angel of Pestilence)", whereas in "Battles Rage in the Infernal Depth" are very tight, fast parts alternated by very different ones - acoustic, melodic or memorable metal ones - including several kinds of vocals (male raspy black ones, reinforced by others brutal death by Aeternus's Ares, and enriched by Katrin Neoral's female voice. The closure is entrusted with "A Fortress Dark", beginning instrumental and based on a pure classic metal riff, until crows' cries and later, whispered vocals, prepare us to the last black/heavy metal onslaught, embellished by not few time changes before our final moment. For those who still hadn't understood: these 6 boys really know how to write and play effective black metal, so every fan of whatever sub-genre of black is gonna like it, because there's an intelligent use of the 2 male vocals + the 2 guest ones, and, most of all, the 2 guitars often play diverse lines, making all continuously interesting, and only the keyboards are left in the background sometimes. Last but not least: very cool cover by god Kris Verwimp, nice layout and artwork by Abigor's Peter and a fairly good 32-bit production from Bergen's popular Grieghallen Studios (Emperor, Burzum...). MARKUS GANZHERRLICH - 09/03/03 Contacts: darkfortress@web.de www.thetruedarkfortress.com Discography: Fog of the Apocalypse (Split CD with Barad Dür-98) Tales from Eternal Dusk (2001-Red Stream) Profane Genocidal Creations (2003-Red Stream)