### Dark Fortress: Ylem

#### 27/04/10 || cadenz

And Dark Fortress said, “Let there be darkness”, and there was darkness.

Bleak, gloomy darkness with razor-sharp fucken edges, and a crushing, doomy, heavy-as-fuck atmosphere, that is. Are you interested in getting sucked into a pitch-black abyss of hate, anger and despair? Then join me and make “Ylem” the soundtrack of your pitiful life, at least for a short while. Longer periods may result in murder and/or suicide.

This German bona fide black metal platoon have shown their class on previous albums like “Stab Wounds” and “Eidolon”, but “Ylem” is something different. Something grander. DF have managed to make an album that is catchier and easier to get into, while at the same time being totally uncompromising and evolving their sound onto another level. This is no longer a diamond in the rough, this is a pristine, crystallized and refined product of shining savage blackness.

“Ylem” sports a wide range of tempos and moods, but still has an easily discernible theme present throughout the album. Slithering slow parts toll the bells of doom, while furious blastbeats eviscerate the holy and evil blackthrash riffs taunt their feeble screams. Gloomy keyboards and guitar leads add depth to the texture, and Morean’s demonical voice pierces the air with inhuman shrieks and growls. On closer “Wraith” we also get some clean guest vocals by someone named Mortal, adding to the epic aura surrounding the piece.

Despite the variety of the material nothing seems out of place, but everything plays its part perfectly in the big picture. The production is crystal clear and powerful, yet still manages to convey the malice spewed forth by the Bavarians. Especially the drums sound absolutely fantastic, everything else sounds great as hell but the drums really deserve an extra mention. And if you wonder who is responsible for recording, producing, mixing and mastering “Ylem”, well, that would be guitarist and main composer V. Santura together with the rest of the band. Not bad. The only thing which seems odd (still, after several listens) is the fast blastbeatish snare which is inserted on top of the regular drumming and music on slower parts in a couple of songs. I guess it serves an unsettling purpose, bringing unease and distress into the music. I believe I’ll just have to get used to it, ‘cause I know I will be listening to this record a lot in the future as well.

“Ylem” is for me an early candidate for Album of the Year anno 2010. Recommended tracks for the doubters: frantic opener “Ylem”, slow creepy ballad (!) “Evenfall” and hateful anthem of destruction “Nemesis”. The spooky bonus track, a cover of “Sycamore Trees” (from the TV show “Twin Peaks”,) featuring Morean’s from-beyond-the-grave basso profondo vocals deserves to be mentioned as well. A chilling and most honorable rendition. All in all: black metal doesn’t get much better than this today.

- Information
- Released: 2010
- Label: Century Media
- Website: www.thetruedarkfortress.com
- Band
- Morean: vocals
- V. Santura: guitars
- Asvargr: guitars
- Draug: bass
- Paymon: keyboards
- Seraph: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Ylem
- 02. As the World Keels Over
- 03. Osiris
- 04. Silence
- 05. Evenfall
- 06. Redivider
- 07. Satan Bled
- 08. Hirudineans
- 09. Nemesis
- 10. The Valley
- 11. Wraith
- 12. Sycamore Trees