Stab Wounds - Dark Fortress

Dark Fortress are one of the more accessible black metal bands I've heard, and comfortingly one that still possesses artistic integrity despite the concessions to a (slightly) more mainstream audience (but, like, not really). The emphasis is on melodic guitars and a casual tempo rather than the deliberately discordant and ferocious riffing that characterises much black metal (as much as I love that too), and if the album has one primary failing, it's that it all sounds a little too polished and mechanical, though not to the extent of the more recent albums of Dimmu Borgir or Emperor. The guitar melodies are a strong driving force throughout, as much as they ...  Read the complete review