Lord of Earth & Heavens Heir
The centrepoint of the sextet is singer Jioti Parcharidis (aka. Clairvoyant), a metal frontman possessing all the classical strengths. His voice soars to the skies, yet is still powerful and penetrant when the songs demand a gearing down of his vocal range. He cleverly manoevers his band through a wide range of styles and never loses sight of the melodic line even during the most unusual of arrangements. Accompanying him are Torsten Wolf and Volker Trost, two guitarists who are masters of every riff, lick, solo and rhythm imaginable on an interesting metal album. Especially important in this rhymically prolific band is the drum / bass team, comprising of Apostolos Zaios and Pablo J. Tammens, who form the backbone of the eleven songs with their perfectly balanced work. More than just a background melody is keyboarder Dirk Marquardt, whose essential playing accentuates every song. For studio support Human Fortress received suprising assistance in the form of Michael Bormann (Jaded Heart, The Sygnet, Letter X), who was so impressed by the band's new material that he offered his voice for the background choirs.