Dark Fortress is a German black metal outfit that formed in 1994. The band gained a loyal following, beginning their career at the height of the black metal genre. (Think about that for a second. In 1994, the U.S. rock scene was in the midst of the grunge takeover; it's hard to fathom that in a time of Nirvana, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden bands across the pond were covering their faces in corpse paint and playing music like this!) Dark Fortress's debut for Century Media Records was 2006's Séance. The band then toured successfully with Satyricon and the legendary Celtic Frost. In 2007, their longtime vocalist, Azathoth, departed and was replaced by Morean. Morean worked as a composer on Séance and also played guitar in Nonechild, the former band of Dark Fortress members V. Santura (guitar) and Seraph (drums). Morean not only brings his deathly vocal ability to the band but is also responsible for the album's lyrical concept, a complicated story of horror and an unearthly rebirth. The nine songs of the album make up three chapters to the story. If I hadn't read up on the band and album info, I'd have no idea.

The musical style of Eidolon is what one would expect from a German black metal band, I suppose. Morean's vocals are all but indecipherable. Occasionally you can make out a “Flesh from the souuuullll!” or a “Turn to stone!” and other black metal cliches. The guitar work is more riff-oriented than other black metal acts and the style is comparable to Satyricon, especially on the standouts “Baphomet” (featuring Celtic Frost vocalist Tom Gabriel Fischer) and “Edge of Night.” But the real jewel here is “Analepsy.” The song sounds like an evil cousin of Dimmu Borgir's “Puritania” (their most badass song, in my opinion), with machine-gun, start-stop double bass. The album itself is interesting, as is the case with most black metal bands. A whole lot of thought, imagination and thinking goes into a black metal album and it's evident here. But as for originality, if you're familiar with the genre and/or band, you know what you're getting. Aside from the standouts mentioned above, no particular piece sets Dark Fortress apart or carves out a unique identity. But as a black metal fan, I can appreciate Eidolon for what it is: a solid black metal effort.