The story so far...
The history of Human Fortress begins in 1997 when bass player Pablo J. Tammen and guitarist Torsten Wolf teamed up with guitarist Volker Trost and a drummer friend of his after advertising in a Hannover magazine. Together with a singer this constellation formed the band, Timezone, which recorded a demo in the same year. Unfortunately the band split up before the material could be released. Instead of simply looking for a singer, Timezone went looking for a real frontman and found him in Jioti Parcharidis. Summer 1999 saw the band in Hannover's ´Airport Studio` recording a new demo, at which time the lads decided to rename their formation Human Fortress. The demo CD received extremely positive reviews in several important German metal magazines and several record companies expressed interest in the band. Planning a new demo in Spring 2000, the band contacted various studios. Tommy Newton was the first producer to hear the soundfiles on Human Fortress's website.
Newton was so impressed by the songwriting that, two days later, he invited the band to his studio and offered Human Fortress a long term collaboration. As early as Summer 2000 they recorded, mixed and mastered their debut album in the ´Area 51 Studio in Celle, under his guidance. In early 2001 **Human Fortress** took part in the international talent contest organised and sponsored by a large popular German metal magazine. As a result their song, ´The Dragons Lair was released on a compilation and voted the favourite track by visitors to the internet website.
The centrepoint of the sextet is singer Jioti Parcharidis, 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 surprising 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.
The steel has been forged and the band, with their debut album, Lord Of Earth And Heavens Heir is ready to take up the challenges facing them. One of them is to present their great material live to the fans shortly after the album's release. Human Fortress are young and hungry and are sure to fulfill on stage the high expectations placed upon them by the quality of their first output.
Source: http://www.human-fortress.com/
