by Justin Gaines
– Sr. Columnist —
German Power Metal band Human Fortress is back with a new album, their fifth overall, titled Thieves of the Night. It’s the second Human Fortress album under the current lineup, which features former Adagio vocalist Gus Monsanto, and shows just how well this lineup has coalesced.
If 2013’s Raided Land was a course correction for Human Fortress, then Thieves of the Night is the band going full speed ahead. This is another tight, focused mix of the classic Power Metal sound of their early efforts and the less genre-bound Melodic Metal of bands like Masterplan. It’s catchy and melodic without getting too sing-songy and has a very satisfying heaviness to it. Gus Monsanto is something of a journeyman vocalist, but hearing him on Raided Land and now Thieves of the Night makes you hope he’ll stick around. His powerful voice and sheer presence on these songs is the perfect counterpoint to Todd Wolf and Volker Trost’s sharp guitar work.
Lyrically, Thieves of the Night has a good blend of fantasy themes, aspirational messages, and more anthemic songs. “Rise or Fall” and the title track being prime examples of the latter, with their marching rhythms and shout-along choruses. “Amberstow” and “Dungeons of Doom” are more straight-up power metal songs, and album closer “Alone” works surprisingly well for a slower, not quite ballad, type song. It seems well placed at the end too, as it’s the kind of song that makes you want to press play to hear the whole album again as soon as it ends.
It’s good to see that Raided Land was not a fluke. With Thieves of the Night, Human Fortress has given fans one of the year’s strongest power metal albums. Fans of Power Metal, Melodic Metal, or any combination of the two – especially bands like Iron Fire, Gamma Ray, Iron Savior and Masterplan – should really enjoy this one.
Genre: Power Metal
Lineup:
Gus Monsanto (v)
Dirk Liehm (k)
Todd Wolf (g)
Volker Trost (g)
Andre Hort (b)
Laki Zaios (d)
Track Listing:
1. Amberstow
2. Last Prayer to the Lord
3. Rise or Fall
4. Thieves of the Night
5. Thrice Blessed
6. Hellrider
7. Just a Graze
8. Vicious Circle
9. Smite on the Anvil
10. Dungeons of Doom
11. Gift of Prophecy
12. Alone
Label: AFM Records
Website: www.facebook.com/humanfortressofficial
Hardrock Haven Rating: 8.5/10
