Well, I was very very anxious to listen to that second album, questions were popping in my mind : will Human Fortress be able to deliver such an amazing album as their debut ? will they keep their originality ? and will they have even more killer tracks ? ... all those questions which were fears as well were put to rest after the first minutes of listening to this new album.

Human Fortress is back in force (to say the least), not to confirm the first album, but to display the progress they did in the last 2 years. And progressed they did. Let's make one thing clear, vocals are no longer of this world, they've enter a new dimension as Greek singer Jioti must have ate a lion (at least one) ! His vocal abilities have tripled, he's now much more wider in range, with an aggressiveness that was absent in the first offering of the band, and which add a more "metal" factor to the sound of the band. On the high range too he's now present with very high pitch screams and vocal lines, showing the depth of his technical abilities in the most beautiful ways. To the Dickinson inspiration to Jioti's vocals you can now add David Defeis too. On the music part, the guitars are always on the menu, with those incredible riffs and epic melodies to drive you crazy. Like it was the case for the debut album, there isn't one single song that sounds like the other on the album, every song has its own personality, sometimes fast, sometimes epic, sometimes plain beautiful ... but almost all over the album, the only thing you want to do is to head bang like crazy and try to sing along Jioti (good luck !). Almost every song is an instant classic, with some absolutely over-the-top killers like Holy Grail Mine (amazing vocal performance) or Schattentor where Jioti makes an amazing Bruce Dickinson vocal part (during the verse) and mixes it with his own vocals in such ways that it sends shivers down my spine every time I listen to this magical song. Song which is also doubled with an amazing songwriting and perfect arrangements, killers riffs and beautiful (though short) solo... at the end of it, Jioti delivers high pitch screams in the background to drive your soul crazy, and then comes the epic choirs to finish in the absolute tradition of epic metal hymns !!!! What a masterpiece song : one of the best epic song I've heard since a VERY long time. But every song here have something extra to offer, no fillers, no boring moments. Then comes Skin & Feather, with it's balance between aggressive vocals reminding me Virgin Steel in the verses with the very angel-like choir vocals of the beautiful chorus. Human Fortress vocal melodies are simply magic, once they enter your mind, they are there to stay ! The overall production is very good but I believe it's an area where the band could still improve a little (I'm nitpicking now... but that's really the only thing left I can do...hehe) by bringing a more powerful sound to their songs; for instance the drums are very discreet, so are some high pitched background vocals. Which brings me to the rhythm section, though we don't ear it enough from time to time : it is still strong and steady, but Human Fortress is not your typical Power Metal double bass poundering type, no they put guitars and vocals much more in front of their sound. All and all Human Fortress balance of power and melody is very subtle (also thanks to the great keys and perfect arrangements) and generally go easy on my senses, lifting the soul and making me want to grab a guitar and sing along while hand banging like a madman.

An amazing second album, better than their already great debut without a single doubt ! If you liked the first album : you're gonna fall in love with this one ! And if you don't know Human Fortress yet, I suggest you check out this amazing Epic Melodic Metal band at once (you can visit their website, as it contains sound bites of both albums), trust me : you won't be disappointed ! To sum up : amazing vocal performance (though a little too "Disckinson" from time to time), majestic guitars, epic songs doubled with great songwriting and a sheer power & melody factor to drive your soul crazy ! It will be a long way to wait till their next album, but I'm now sure it will be worth the wait. In the meantime I'm gonna listen over and over again to this Defenders Of The Crown : one of the best album this year has brought us !

Oh... before I forget :), since this review is published on July 21th : Xronia Pola Panajiotis (Happy Birthday Jioti) !