Fortress is a quite popular name for heavy metal bands. There are eighteen groups with this name listed on Metal Archives and thirty-six others with similar names. This group here is a heavy metal quintet from Los Angeles that was active in the eighties and reformed just four years ago. The band's first release is entitled Waiting for the Night and fetaures seven songs written between 1984 and 1988 and recorded in 1989. The eight and final track of the digital version was already recorded all the way back in 1985 and the additional live tune on the limited CD release was recorded back in 1988.

This information is important because it explains this record's greatest flaw: its production. The sound is extremely loud to a point that it's difficult to distinguish the different instruments. A first contact with the sound is almost nerve-firing and close to induce headaches but one gets used to it after a few minutes. This isn't the type of charming old school production some purists rave about either as it takes away the band's energy rather than accentuating it dynamically.

The music itself is fairly decent if you like traditional heavy metal with a melodic touch. ''Fire Burning in Me'' is an energetic opener with a gripping chorus that deserves attention and praise. Title track ''Waiting for the Night'' has a vibrant galloping drive that makes you want to bang your head, raise your fist and sing along. The longer tunes such as ''The Cycle of Life'' on the other hand feature fluid songwriting and evoke epic atmosphere.

The only issue with the performances is that the band isn't particularly memorable. The melodic guitar work is technically impressive but by the numbers. The rhythm section is inspired by genre heavyweights like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. The melodic vocals work well in the context but are missing a charismatic note. The most noteworthy performance comes from the keyboards that add epic atmospheres without overstaying their welcome.

In the end, Fortress' Waiting for the Night features eight tunes from the eighties that deserve to officially see the light of day. Fans of melodic heavy metal who don't mind occasional atmospheric keyboard layers should appreciate this album. The band missed the occasion to properly record these songs again as the original versions sound bland, loud and nerve-firing. Let's hope the quintet sticks around and records some fresh and new material in the near future.

Final rating: 70%

Nightwish has been a trainwreck for quite a while with average to terrible records and lots of drama regarding multiple line-up changes. I was curious enough about this to investigate further and give Tuomas Holopainen's debut record The Life and Times of Scrooge a spin. After having listened to this album, I understand where Nightwish's excessive instrumental passages, keyboard wankery and folk undertones of recent date come from. To be fair however, this album isn't as dreadful as it appears to be at first contact and ultimately qualifies as an average output.

First and foremost, this is not a symphonic metal album. It's not even a symphonic rock record. This sounds like the soundtrack to a Disney movie. If you like this type of music, then you will have to admit that the renowned London Philharmonic Orchestra is doing an excellent job here. The musicians are all professionals, the songwriting is fluid and the music invokes many images on your mind.

Some of the other guests also leave a very positive impression. Troy Donockley's performance on Uilleann pipes, low whistles and Bodhrán add much atmosphere, creativity and depth to this unusual album. Mikko Iivanainen plays the banjo which adds an energetic, joyful and warm sound. Teho Majamäki plays the didgeridoo which adds some more atmospheric passages at appropriate moments. Jon Burr plays the harmonica, introducing some country stylistics that remind us that the album's story takes place in the Klondike.

Some of the guest singers manage to make two songs stand out among the rest. Sonata Arctica's Tony Kakko offers an inspired performance on album highlight ''Cold Heart of the Klondike''. His vocals vary from enchanting and melodic passages to atmospheric spoken-word sections. His style fits splendidly on this melodic and mellow symphonic album. Johanna Iivanainen briefly appears on multiple occasions but she impresses most on the soothing ballad ''A Lifetime of Adventure''. Ironically, this enchanting tune reminds of Nightwish's ballads with Anette Olzon.

Another reference to Nightwish has to be made. This symphonic album reminds of Nightwish's soundtrack to its movie entitled Imaginaerum - The Score. While that soundtrack sounded atmospheric, fresh and inspiring, this solo album offers more of the same and fails to impress as much as the aforementioned soundtrack released only a year and a half earlier.

The main issue of this release here is that the songs sound too fluffy, smooth and tame. Don't get me wrong now, I wasn't exactly expecting a metal or even rock album but orchestral music can be diversified, dramatic and dynamic. That isn't the case here since we essentially get ten ballads that are five and a half minutes long on average. While two or three ballads would have been perfectly fine, ten in a row simply end up sounding exchangeable, redundant and repetitive.

In the end, The Life and Times of Scrooge is an album for people who appreciate orchestral music and who adore Disney soundtracks. It's the kind of music a child who likes the rebooted DuckTales would listen to. If you are however expecting to discover symphonic metal or symphonic rock in the key of Nightwish, you will be quite disappointed and should simply skip this release. As a matter of fact, the similar Nightwish release Imaginaerum - The Score sounds much better in comparison. This record here feels like a soundtrack to a movie that doesn't exist yet.

Final rating: 60%

Death metal quintet Gatecreeper shows two completely different sides on this unusual extended play An Unexpected Reality.

The first side of the LP features seven aggressive, fast-paced and underproduced death metal tunes that are less than one minute long on average. The riffs are loud and speedy, the rhythm section is galloping along and the deep growls always sound the same. The riffs have some grindcore, hardcore punk and even crust influences. However, the tracks are much too short to build up any atmosphere, development or songwriting skills. The different tunes end up sounding exchangeable and even forgettable. Two or three of these tracks might have worked well in the context of a full length effort to offer some energetic interludes but seven songs of the same kind in a row fail to unfold their potential.

The second side includes one single tune that cracks the eleven-minute mark. Yes, indeed, that song alone is longer than the other seven tunes combined. The genre is also completely different as Gatecreeper offers funeral doom with plodding distorted riffs, heavy rhythm section and slow-motion growls. This song indeed has a lot of atmosphere and a few interesting changes. Especially the quiet and clean interludes work wonderfully as transitions. The song also seems to have better production values as it isn't a noisy blur like the seven shorter tracks. Ironically, this song suffers from the opposite of the other tracks: it's much too long for its own good. This track could have been excellent with tighter songwriting and a length between five to seven minutes. This version here however overstays its welcome and loses itself in redundancy and repetition. Still, this song is easily the best on this extended play and qualifies as decent for regular metal fans and good for funeral doom fans.

The outstanding cover artwork needs to be pointed out as well. I could look at this album cover for hours and would still discover new elements. It's funny how the emerging dragon actually looks like a kitten or even a seal with winged ears from a different perspective. Whoever did this artwork deserves much praise.

As for the music, the final result is overall average in my opinion. Fans of crust, grindcore and fast death metal might appreciate the first side of the album while funeral doom fans should dig the second side. However, both sides are lacking focused songwriting and are overall incompatible. At the end of the day, this output is interesting for two specific niches but uninteresting for anyone else.

Final rating: 60%

Knight of the Prideland is the first full length effort of Indonesian melodic power metal sextet Pridelander. The album features five tunes with a total length of thirty-four minutes. This means that the songs are on average seven and a half minutes long.

Just as the preceding extended play Find Your Pride Back, this album revolves around high-pitched but organic and smooth clean vocals, melodic guitar play and atmospheric keyboard passages. The production sounds much better this time around since the vibrant bass guitar can be heard at specific moments throughout the album. The songwriting has improved as well thanks to more varied drum techniques and a more playful use of the keyboards. Fans of Bonfire, Freedom Call and Helloween's material in the late eighties and early nineties should certainly appreciate some of the songs here. ''The Land of Best Friendship'' opens with positive vibes and epic song writing as it summarizes the band's strengths very well and can be considered this record's highlight.

While this release is a step forward for the band, there are still some flaws that need to be pointed out. Some songs overstay their welcome with lengths of almost nine minutes and multiple repetitive passages. This album is certainly lacking some oomph and speed. A short, fast and aggressive tune in between all the epic tracks would have made for a more fluid listening experience. The shortest song ''You're Not Alone'' is excessively sappy despite inspired keyboard sounds and a decent vocal performance because there is an absence of bass, drums and guitars to add some energy.

In the end, Pridelander's Knight of the Prideland is a significant step forward for the Indonesian melodic power metal sextet. The song writing has improved, the keyboards are particularly creative, the rhythm section has increased its presence and the passionate vocals sound truly unique. There are only three things to modify for the band on its path to power metal majesty. It needs to write more concise and short tunes. There should be a few heavier and faster tracks to balance the epic and mellow tunes. Most importantly, the band should avoid playing fluffy ballads that would rather fit on the soundtrack of a Disney movie than a power metal record.

Final rating: 73%

Pridelander is a melodic power metal sextet from Jakarta that features the former lead singer of one of Indonesia's most popular power metal bands called Lord Symphony. This extended play was released in the band's first year of existence and consists of a short instrumental opener and four regular tracks with a total length of twenty-four minutes.

The band plays a particularly melodic and even mellow type of power metal. Instead of focusing on speed, most songs are mid-paced or even slow. The melodic lead guitar play is executed skillfully. The charismatic, high-pitched and melodic vocals stand out and recall early European power metal bands such as Helloween. The keyboards offer smooth atmospheric vibes that give the songs a cinematic, dreamy and epic vibe without taking too much space. The best song on this release is ''Best Friend Forever'' when the smooth keyboards, melodic guitar play and passionate vocals harmonize perfectly.

The release also has its flaws however. The lack of speed and energy makes for an at times dull listening experience, especially since the songs are on average about six minutes long. The rhythm section is rather unimpressive as the drum patterns are by the numbers and the bass guitar is barely audible. The fluffy production is a missed occasion to add some oomph to the promising material. The worst track is clearly the ballad ''Goodbye My Friend'' that is very repetitive and drags on for nearly seven minutes. The term goodbye is repeated so many times that you would die from alcohol poisoning if you drank a sip of spirits each time the word can be heard.

In the end, Pridelander's Find Your Pride Back is recommended to fans of melodic power metal in the key of Indonesian colleagues Lord Symphony or groups like Bonfire, Freedom Call or Helloween's era in the early nineties. The material is performed with passion and talent but could need some more concise song writing and a healthy dose of energy.

Final rating: 65%