Human Fortress
Defenders of the Crown

July 2005
Released: 2003, Massacre
Rating: 4.0/5
Reviewer: Rick

I am pretty upset that this CD didn’t get the promotion that it deserved. When I reviewed the debut Human Fortress disc in 2001 I had them pegged as a band that was going places. They played powermetal (which was riding high in 2001) but they had their own unique sound and seemed to be on their way to bigger and better things. Years past and I didn’t hear anything more from the band. The reason for this was that 4 of the band members became fathers that time and the band switched from LIMB Music to Massacre Records. According to the website the band released DEFENDERS OF THE CROWN in 2003 but it wasn’t till this year that we here at Metal-Rules.com were sent a promotional copy. Its too bad too because this CD is good and lets not kid ourselves, lack of promotion can kill a band dead in its tracks.



Well its better late than never and I am glad that this CD was sent my way. While their debut CD LORD OF EARTH AND HEAVEN’S HEIR was more straightforward powermetal, Human Fortress has made a slight change in direction with their songs. Now they are shooting for a more epic sound instead of the straight forward speed approach. The change in direction helps the band immensely but in particular vocalist Jioti Parcharidis benefits from the new direction. He is not the typical powermetal vocalist who keeps his voice in the higher registers for much of the album, he instead has a wide ranging vocal style that portrays the emotion in the songs and, to quote a tired a broken cliché (which aptly fits), he can go from a whisper to a scream with ease. Songs like “Gladiator of Rome”; “Defenders of the Crown” and “The Valiant” showcase the bands growth from their debut release while they still can rip it up on tracks like “Holy Grail Mine” and “Mortal Sinful Wrath”.



By the time this is published Human Fortress will hopefully be in the studio working on a new CD. I have already said it but I will say it again. It’s a shame that Human Fortress didn’t get a bigger push. Hopefully now that we are on the downside of 2005 the band will come forth with some new material, until then DEFENDERS OF THE CROWN will have to suffice. LONG LIVE THE KING!