Dark Fortress – Ylem

In a whopping 70 minutes the Germans that make up Dark Fortress are here to explain the concept of Ylem to you. Apparently, ylem was the state of the elements before the Big Bang, the matter from which everything was created. They lost me right from the start, after all my name isn’t Stephen Hawking. But I can tell you that these black metal fanatics have written a damn impressive new chapter in Dark Fortress’ history that goes from the downright brutal to the ethereal and atmospheric in songs that easily span 8 minutes.

Vocalist Morean covers the entire spectre of everything that sounds dark and creepy while the synths and guitars do exactly the same. Drummer Seraph on the other hand may come way out of left field with unexpected blastbeats in songs like “As The World Keels Over” but ultimately does a great job of keeping the whole thing together and making it sound even more powerful.

Taking in the entire album at once is a bit much but the more you listen to it, the more it becomes obvious that the guys in Dark Fortress have definitely written an awe-inspiring follow-up to “Eidolon”.
Score: 8 out of 10
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