“The quiet hum of the earth’s dreaming is my new song.”
Six months ago we previewed Fortress Festival 2024, highlighting some of the lesser known acts that were further up the bill, finding many hidden gems in the process. Fast forward to June and the festival went on to be a resounding success.
Fortress Festival 2024 was split between two stages. The main stage room of Scarborough Spa would be grand for a wedding, so for black metal, it was a cathedral. It’s got ample seating above and plenty of standing room, a huge stage, but it’s actually very square, meaning every position felt ‘close’. The best audio experience was undoubtedly had in the seats above, even though the desk was downstairs. The second stage (the “Ocean” room) was much less sophisticated but serviceable, and still fit plenty of people. Between these rooms were the various merch stands, including labels and assorted extreme metal outlets, eateries, and, of course, ice cream just outside the venue.
Speaking of outside, the views across the beach (and weather) were absolutely idyllic for the festival. Fortress Festival doesn’t happen in a fortress, but Scarborough Castle tried to appear ominous over the bay. Emphasis on the tried – the atmosphere at Fortress Festival was infectious delight, with friendly metal nerds bemused that such an amazing line up artists had come together for two summery days and nights. And with no clashes, attendees really could see every single band.
Words by Dobbin T, photography by Aleksandra Acidolka Hogg (website/IG) on behalf of Fortress Festival.
Day 1
Sunken
Starting things off were Sunken, an atmospheric black metal project from Denmark, offering our very first blast beats and blanket of mist for the weekend. The atmosphere was so tangible that you could hardly see the bassist’s hair as it spun the fog. The room was already very busy, as Fortress Festival had attracted the sort of attendees that weren’t going to miss a single act. Sunken focused on Livslede for their setlist, and enjoyed a great mix for the vocals, so their raspy throes could really be celebrated. The guitars were crystal clean over steady tremolo riffs for “Ensomhed”. “Foragt” transferred to the live setting very well, particularly when the drums enter for its finale, and duet with the vocals, which became absolutely wretched with many layers of agony wrapped into them. The resulting climax went dutifully hard as a result. The closed with “Dødslængsel”, which felt far from ‘Sunken’: it was dramatic and triumphant.
Lamp of Murmuur
Lamp of Murmuur are a relatively young project that have a lot of hype within this audience. They’re absolutely dedicated to their goblin mystique: the drummer wore corpse-paint and the rest wore masks, and didn’t break character to introduce their songs. Exactly how oddball Lamp of Murmuur’s live presence felt was dictated by the song’s source. As the keyboards were low in their mix, the Saturnian Bloodstorm material had its traditional black metal styling emphasised, specifically by making them more about the guitars. The riffs were either seriously good, or silly-infectious. As the set moved on to material from Submission and Slavery, the celebrated quirky aspects of Lamp of Murmuur emerged. Some ‘Casio’-cool keys slipped into the deliberately hilarious “Dominatrix’s Call”, and interludes between songs were wholeheartedly ‘dungeon synth’.
Obsidian Kingdom
At minimum, Obsidian Kingdom provided a change of pace for a mostly black metal festival. The play a difficult-to-categorise mix of blackened Avant Garde or progressive metal – can you feel me struggling? I would compare them to a darker Sylvan, blackened Porcupine Tree, or Arcturus when they meditate. For a special set, they brought back Mantiis in full for its tenth anniversary. The record starts out very slowly, suitably, as the room filled up gradually. It went on to be a thoroughly dynamic set. Presenting the album in full demonstrates that the song boundaries on Mantiis are really only there for your convenience – it’s much better understood as an album in about four or so movements. My favourite segment was “Answers Revealing”, led by an extremely cool riff that serves as a build up to “Last of the Light”, which takes that energy and transfers it into a blackened jazz odyssey. Obsidian Kingdom were one of the few bands to use on-stage keys, a huge focus of their sound, defining the dynamics of their music. They switched between choirs, atmospheric pads, organs, muted Rhodes pianos, and even some truly 80s neo prog keys. It’s fair to say Obsidian Kingdom have worked really hard to craft a unique sound and are going under-appreciated in today’s scene, so it’s fantastic that Fortress Festival gave them a well deserved spotlight.
Falls of Rauros
My first set in the smaller stage, and as I was about to interview the band, it felt fitting to secure a barrier standing position (and, as the Ocean stage was not particularly raised, this made a big difference for one’s view of the action). From a large discography with a lot of complex records, the band chose a safe set list, mostly using tracks from the celebrated The Light That Dwells In Rotten Wood, which were sure to land with an audience of atmospheric black metal aficionados. Luscious and dynamic renditions of these tracks were a joy, and their lighter parts benefiting from the guitars being on the edge of amp-crackle intensity. From Vigilance Perennial they also played the epic “Arrow & Kiln”, a truly decimating track that drips with bleakness. For the closer “Silence”, Austin Lunn (aka Panopticon) grabbed the mic for a quick feature – as the two bands have a long history going back over ten years, it was heart warming to see this relationship play out on stage.
Fellwarden
With all the gloomy bands playing such a sunny festival, Fellwarden were, all things considered, a bright and cheerful act. This was partly due to the choral vocals, delivered by all three guitarists, and their generous clean passages. Furthermore, the simpler compositions of their steady epics were taken to epic proportions. They used their blast beats sparingly for dramatic effect, with live drums handled by Alasdair Dunn of Ashenspire. As a one-off performance, it probably deserved main stage treatment, but the brighter surroundings of the Ocean stage did some favours.
Panopticon
Among so many atmospheric black metal bands, the real distinctive aspect of Panopticon was, somehow, the many dramatic sweep-picked and noodly ‘guitar hero’ passages – which fucking rule. Austin Lunn was comfortably sweep picking whilst singing, emphasising the flex. The primary guitarist and drummer were was none other than Aaron Charles and Ray Capizzo, respectively, both from Falls of Rauros. These two shredded out all the melodic metal lines from Roads To The North, and needless to say, the rendition of the album was brilliant, marking its 10 year anniversary in style. As there were a lot of different voices in the mid range coming from the stage, including violin, the sound on the ballroom floor suffered slightly. When it came to the lighter moments of Roads To The North, some adjustments were made to keep up the tempo (and perhaps to avoid bringing antique instruments across the Atlantic). “One Last Fire (The Long Road, Pt. I)” was made very brief – the folky parts wouldn’t have been done justice. “Norwegian Nights”, on the other hand, got a full shoegaze overhaul, complete with delay-before-distortion solo, which was absolutely stunning. Getting a studio recording of this would be a dream. For “In Silence” a special guest joined – Winterherz from Waldgeflüster, who had played earlier in the day, and go back a long way with Lunn through a split record and further collaborations. After finishing with “Chase the Grain” they added added an extra final song, “Into the North Woods”, finally garnering a mosh from the otherwise rock-out-on-the-spot audience.
Regarde Les Hommes Tomber
Regarde Les Hommes Tomber were originally not on my to-see list, but so many people had told me they were going to be a highlight that I had to find out for myself. I brought my weary bones up to the Ocean room for the extra set, and was welcomed by the smell of incense, melding with the sea air. The waning light meant the room’s atmosphere was turning: now the band were lit by candelabras, searchlight beams, and floor strobes, conjuring a ritual that made you want to throw horns. Naturally, the band’s own take on black metal was very cool, with riffs wrought from hellfire and desperation, and the drums defining the dynamics. The intensity was electric, and brought on a reverence from the audience. There wasn’t just a mosh, there were even crowdsurfers. My own energy couldn’t match all that, but the band have my utmost respect for their performance and demeanour.
Triptykon
After a long and fruitful day of riff hunting, I was exhausted, but the seating provided atop the main stage room meant I could watch the legendary Triptykon in great comfort. Admittedly, they’ve never captured my attention in studio. Their history, and the context of their music, is quite something, but there was never enough going on either of their studio albums to grab me. Of course, when you see a band live, everything changes. Opener “Goetia” enveloped the room in their thickened dirge tones, providing a dramatic change of pace from all the blast beating of the day. The wild wah solos filled out their sound – they are not as musically esoteric as their aesthetics would suggest, but they are as cool. The undeniable swagger behind the riffs was clarified to me. Tom Warrior thanked the crowd for helping a Swiss farmboy grow to perform in a hall this cool. By way of thanks, the long-time fans of Warrior’s work will have delighted to hear two Celtic Frost tracks in the set-list. This is another band (or perhaps legacy) I’ve come to respect, and a great move for Fortress Festival to select as a headline band.
Day 2
Ante-Inferno
Taking a page from Regarde Les Hommes Tomber the day before, Ante Inferno anointed the ballroom with the rich smell of incense as their set began. They backed this with a solid performance: witchy vocals, chilling synths, and despondent riffs flowed for their grand epics that continually built up and up. They are clearly masters at transitioning between riffs and ideas, and above average songwriters within the current new wave of atmospheric black metal.
Blood Countess
Blood Countess were perhaps the most ‘traditional’ black metal project to play Fortress Festival this year. This meant they stuck out with a tremendously clean mix, 100% grit providing their atmosphere for the small stage. Even the differences between the two guitar tones shone through. They played a new track from their upcoming album that was somehow even faster than the rest. Vocalist Nina was absolutely arresting and had complete endurance from the first song to the last. Despite repeated requests to “see blood”, it wasn’t till the final song that they got a pit going, which looked immense from afar.
Thy Light
Thy Light were day two’s early highlight, and given the conversations I had been having with fellow attendees, they were much anticipated. I was intrigued to see how the “lo fi”, ambient, bedroom black metal stylings of DSBM would work on the mains stage. Following a generous dungeon synth opening, they built their wall of sound with tremolo riffs piped into reverb that made them soar, and windlike, distant vocals had words that savants at the front knew by heart. Their clean guitar interludes were buffeted with samples of rain, and the audience respected the various quiet moments. Their music finds plenty of emotional variety, capturing the many shades of depression. There were some shafts of light and hope – perhaps best represented by the wild guitar solo that the set ended on. The way that they preserved their almost ‘ambient’ style without ostracising viewers expecting something resembling rock music is worthy of great respect.
Vemod
Just before Vemod went on, I ran into the Falls of Rauros and Panopticon members – this meant I enjoyed the performance whilst headbanging along with the enthusiastic Lunn. This should tell you everything you need to know about the quality of their music. All black metal is some level of ‘intense’, but Vemod are particularly good at entraining you in their tranquil cloud. The choral parts were backed by live clean vocals, forlorn and alone as they closed “Der Guder Dør” in a stunning moment. Throwing back to “Venter på stormene” made for a good set closer, and including its ambient passage in full made their appearance yet more unique. After the set, I chatted to Jan Even Åsli after this set in order to unpick some of their deep history and the meaning of their newest album.
Abyssal
After several sets inclined towards melancholy, I felt ready for something fucked up and unpredictable. Abyssal were the Fortress Festival band that represented dissonant black metal, a genre that has seen rapid growth and interest in the past five years. It’s hard to argue that Abyssal aren’t one of the bands that started that wave. Their music was full of gliding and sudden shifts in tempos, and dissonant chords that forced the guitarists to throw spider shapes on their fretboards. There were labyrinthine twists and turns to the songs, and you couldn’t look away, as the band became hypnotic through their unfathomable complexity. Even if I was an absolute scholar of their discography, it would probably be hard to name the tracks being played. Abyssal’s drummer ought to win some sort of award for his performance – in a busy field of blast beaters, he was the absolute best. The end of the set was an extended instrumental, a sort of anti-solo with slow note changes over angular riffs, easing us back towards melodic territory. It struck me that Fortress Festival would be wise to explore dissonant bands further. They’re already way ahead of me, having recently announced Ulcerate for next year’s event.
Mortiferum
Mortiferum bewitched the audience and turned the Ocean room into their cavernous grotto. Due to interview duties I caught only one track from the fest’s token death metal act (most likely “Inhuman Effigy” if I have my notes right). Getting into their live sound revealed it wasn’t as simple as simply being ‘death metal’, as they channelled plenty of black, doom, and atmosphere into their sound. The vocals were certainly the most guttural of the event. The drum fills went absolutely crazy, never simply shoehorned into the last bar of a riff, they really ran free across whole sections. I’ll certainly have to catch the band in full on their next UK visit.
Gaerea
Black metal is not sedate music, but it does encourage moody and static stage presence. Gaerea bucked this from the front of the stage to the back. Their masked singer made his presence anything but anonymous, jumping on vanity boxes even as they wobbled like surfboards. Running an octave filter on the vocals for additional low end would probably upset some purists, but the ritualistic atmosphere benefited from a superhuman delivery. They played riffs that were absolutely ‘black metal’, but in a first for the weekend, they took some influence from tech-scene music. The furthest they take this is with their bridges, and if you showed them to another audience, they’d probably call them breakdowns – a matter of perspective, but all this meant that Gaerea were refreshing on the line-up. They were another band I’d heard a lot of buzz about, and that buzz congealed before us through a spirited mosh. Their set ended with the arrestingly sullen “Laude”, channelling blackgaze and hope, as if they had reached a post-exorcism state.
Fluisteraars
How can we hear this much black metal and still find such variety? Fluisteraars were possibly the pinnacle of weird at Fortress Festival, as their buck-wild studio material was emboldened further through their oddball stage presence. Vocalist Bob Mollema performed in a manner that seemed to parody all the cloaked black metal vocalists that had taken the Ocean stage before him. He looked more like an extra from The Wicker Man, singing with bird-like calls and imitating synthesisers. This good humoured performance was a really good match next to the brightness Fluisteraars offered. Their approach to black metal is to paint in sunflower-yellow instead of black, with shrill guitars that were light on effects, bouncy riffs, and plenty of confusing turns to their songs. “Nasleep” showed a moment of emotive melody with an extended solo for its ending. When the singer winked and said there was “one song left“, the audience knew something was afoot. The final track turned out to be “Verscheuring in de schemering”, the massive epic that closes their latest record. With three false endings, it was a test of patience that probably took them beyond their allotted time. Likely the most ‘marmite’ act of the weekend, but I had a good time.
Misþyrming
The final act on the Ocean stage was the much hyped Misþyrming. Now active for about ten years, this band steps into the ‘dissonant’ sphere of black metal, but still keeps their songs focused. They deliver on solid riffs, with chaotic barked vocals from all three front-of-stage members. The more familiar song format meant that everyone in attendance would have connected with them. Much like Regarde Les Hommes Tomber who had this slot the day before, the hype was enough to bring people moshing and surfing, but some energy had to be preserved for the final act of the day.
Wolves In The Throne Room
The stage was dressed for a final showdown, embellished with fern, tapestry, and bone. Wolves In The Throne Room capitalised further on this setting with a spellbinding stage presence. For a very special performance, they brought Two Hunters in full, though they’ve kept the key tracks from the record in their set lists ever since it released. For the curious, this meant the four track version, not including the bonus track “To Reveal” – I was glad for this as the original CD release is paced so brilliantly. The rendition of the album was incredible, possibly the best sounding performance on the line-up. The ahead-of-its-time shoegaze “Dia Artio” began the set in a slow, mournful fashion. Their trademark pick scrapes preceded the most intense moments of “Vastness and Sorrow”. Bassist Galen Baudhuin stepped up to deliver the vocal parts from “Cleansing”, originally an operatic performance by Jessika Kenney in studio. It was a valiant effort from Baudhuin, but for highlighted performances of Two Hunters material, the band should consider getting a guest spot from Kenney herself, or a singer able to match her original style. Closer “I Will Lay Down My Bones Among The Rocks And Stones” was a schooling in how to pace a good black metal epic.
In the intermission following Two Hunters, “Crown of Stone” played whilst Baudhuin performed a sage smudging blessing, wafting a burning bushel towards the crowd at different points of the stage. I can’t say that I know the details of the practice itself (or whether the fire marshal had been informed), but it was clearly a moment of deep respect from the band towards the audience – a parting blessing for the good hearted assembly. The encore was “Queen of Borrowed Light”, a throwback that would be familiar to all long-time fans of the band. It’s a seminal track for the genre and thus there was no better way to end the festival.
There really were no bands on the line-up that felt completely normal. If any band practised a straightforward interpretation of their micro-genre, it was for the better, as they were producing a fantastic rendition of it. Each band that performs a more unusual blend of genres were distinct. And even if you somehow over-did it on the atmospheric black metal for one weekend, it’s still amazing that such a focused line up can be created. I certainly did not meet a single soul who had anything bad to say about the selected bands, or got sick of the blast-beaten, trem-picked, raspy-screamed approach. Everyone was delighted to be there, and the next year’s early bird tickets were sold out before I learned they were even on sale.
The 2025 line up for Fortress Festival is more than enough to salivate over. They opened with Agalloch – perhaps the biggest name in dark and atmospheric metal – making the other additions just gravy. At time of writing, they’ve also confirmed Ulcerate, Forteresse, RUÏM, The Great Old Ones, Spirit Possession, Perchta, Belore, Akhlys, Grift, Selbst, Perennial Isolation, and Moonlight Sorcery. Further details can be found on their website and socials (IG/Facebook/Event)
Thanks for reading, and look forward to more coverage of Fortress Festival next year.
