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 to 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 at ´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. After that Limb Records offered Human Fortress a cooperation and the band released their first album LORD OF EARTH AND HEAVENS HEIR in September 2001, an album which earned very positive reactions worldwide in close to every metal mag or webzine.
The second album DEFENDERS OF THE CROWN was released in september 2003, also recorded at the AREA 51 studios by Tommy Newton and Paolo Melo. For the recording of this hard and epic album the band got some additional help from their band friends GALLOGLASS, KING LEORIC and MERIDIAN ZERO (Tenerife/ Spain). Furthermore the record label changed from Limb to Massacre Records. The reason for the split was due to personal reasons from both sides and it is no secret that the contact between Human Fortress and Limb Records is still alive. The band changed their style to more epic, AD&D roleplay orientated and medieval Power Metal, with more hymn orientated, fast and midtempo songs combined with extremly catchy choruses. Fans called the music "EPIC BATTLE METAL"!!!
Human Fortress performed a brilliant live show when playing on the biggest Metal event at Wacken in summer 2003. A good opportunity to show the strong live performance of the band that still loves to style itself in medieval clothes and scotish kilts. Besides, the band was voted the second best live band of the whole WACKEN event!
After a short family break in 2003 (four band members: Laki, Volker, Pablo and Jioti are fathers now!!!) the band changed its face. Volker (Guitars) and Dirk (Keys), our big friends and solid members left the band because of familiar reasons and FRANK SAWADE joined Human Fortress. A brilliant guitar player that successfully finished the G.I.T. school in the USA. A big suprise was Dirk's return to the band in early 2004 so that HF is working hard on a third album!! Stay tuned to catch them (a)live on one of the European stages, before they are going to enter studio to start working on part III!
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