Search - Dark Fortress :: Eidolon

German Black Metal at its Creeping Best

G. Owen Wears | Colorado, USA | 03/21/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Dark Fortress - Eidolon

Seems to be a theme as of late, establish bands switching up vocalists, that is. Dark Fortress falls into this category and, in this case, there is nothing wrong with that. Though former front man Azathoth was quite capable, the addition of Morean has brought Dark Fortress firmly to the for-front of the German Black Metal scene. And for good reason.



No longer lyrically obsessed with suicide and self mutilation (See 2nd and 3rd albums "Profane Genocidal Creation" and "Stab Wounds") the song writing on "Eidolon" has progressed in leaps and bounds since the last time we were treated to an outing by Dark Fortress. This is strait forward, no holds barred Black Metal. Though some may consider this sympho BM, keys are utilized sparingly. This album has far more in common with rotting things that creep from the gutters, rather then the frost bitten majesty of say, Emperor. As a matter of fact the 9 tracks on this album have quite a bit in common with good old fashioned German Thrash Metal. A few pages have been taken from the Naglfar and Satyricon play books, with a smattering of Attila(Mayem)esque chants, but not to a detrimental effect. Having been signed to Century Media has done wonders for distribution as well and "Eidolon" can be found in almost any major retail chain. All in all, I am quite pleased with this release and would highly recommend it to any fan of Thrash infused Black Metal.

"

Superior Modern Black MeTal

Michael E. Mitchell | Minocqua, WI USA | 03/08/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You are wondering how new vocalist, Morgean, compares to the old, Azathoth? The answer: favourably! Casual listeners will not be able to tell the difference, but long-time fans will note that Morgean is a bit more restrained, with not as many creepy gurlgling cackles or shrieks. This is in NO way "Necro"-style BM; the production is rich and fantastic(almost the exact same sound as their previous, brilliant "Seance")...there are quite a few excellent riffs as well as thrash parts; the keyboards weave in-and-out, mysteriously and never overwhelmingly(and there are some phantasmagorically spooky keyboard sounds from time to time); the drums are exciting and powerful. Tom G. Warrior manages to sound pretty cool for his guest appearance in(as!)"Baphomet". In comparison to their last 2 albums, this one is quite a bit more straight-forward, without very many atmospheric or quiet passages. This is NOT to say it is boring, by any means! It just has a little less "epic" feel to it. The storyline is quite interesting, and for those of you who are unfamiliar with such things, it involves the shedding of one's humanity/mortality through the mystical usage of a mirror. When stated bluntly like that, it DOES sound pretty corny, but the lyrics (all by Morgean, with a slight addition by a "Mina") are actually pretty cool...although may be a bit obscure for some! The booklet/layout/bandphotos are also very creepy/cool. ALMOST any fan of Black MeTal will enjoy this......it is polished enough to appeal to the Dimmu and COF fans, but heavy and guitar-oriented enough to appeal to fans of the more primitive. Of course, the BM "purist" will scoff at it for being too "mainstream", but as a fan of every BM-style from Dimmu to Forgjord, I can personally tell you that this is VERY satisfyingly dark, unpleasant, creepy, and HEAVY Black MeTal from these German worthies. Give it a try!"