Wow... what a slap in the face. Their debut album it would appear for this impressive German band that will make a lot of noise around them, believe me !

Now that's what I call a singer !!! Impressive, majestic, with a huge range of abilities. A new star is born, named Yoti (a nickname for Panayotis probably) this Greek fellow sure is a hell of a vocalist ! The heart of this band, his vocals will send shivers down your spine as the deadly yet furiously melodic guitars will echo in your mind long after the CD will have stop playing. What an addictive album, I can't stop listening to it, with it's nice variety of songs, ranging from True Metal to Hard'N'Heavy. If you like the last Mob Rules album then I think you'll love this one too as the variety on that album reminds me that last mentioned album. The sound itself is raw, pure and melodic Heavy Metal, not many orchestrations (few but perfectly used keys), but true melodic based songs, with unbelievable choirs (like on Light Beyond Horizon) and breathtaking catchy choruses. The songs will be carved in your mind quickly after the first listens, carved in stone so not even time will succeed in erasing them from your memory. Between the raging riffs and the unbelievable singer's performance I cannot find any weaknesses in that album simply because there aren't any. Sometimes reminding me Symphony X (keys), sometimes Asia (vocally, especially on Forgive And Forget or Little Flame where Yoti's voice is almost identical than the one of John Payne !), sometimes Mob Rules... each and every song quickly becoming a classic ! But even if Human Fortress brings back memories of many big bands they truly have a sound of their own, and what a sound my friends !!!

One of the biggest surprise this year, coming out of nowhere, without any warning, Human Fortress stands out of the crowd proudly, singing their strength and love for metal from within their hearts ! A buy-or-die release for all melodic metal fans !!! Excellent, simply excellent !