Förtress

Legends EP

Written by: PP on 06/01/2014 22:01:11

Initially I wasn't convinced that Förtress is worth all the media hype they are getting following a signing to Parlophone Records, a subsidiary of Warner Bros, but upon listening to the groovy, guitar-led rock'n'roll assault on sophomore EP "Legends", that has changed. If there ever has been a band more capable of saving the Danish rock / sleaze rock scene from itself, it is this one. Armed with plenty of humour (their vocalist/guitarist goes under the moniker of "Mr. Sex") and a light-hearted attitude to songwriting, Förtress immediately set themselves apart from their national contemporaries -- all of whom are still hopelessly stuck in irrelevancy brought by late 80s Guns N' Roses worship -- by letting themselves merely be inspired by the origins of the genre without entirely ignoring what's actually going on in the music scene in the last few years. The result? A refreshing mixture of old and new, but most importantly, a renewed focus on writing great, original tracks that sound like there is real identity and plenty of drive in the personalities behind the band.

Since their debut EP earlier this year, Förtress have added an umlaut to their name to emphasize the influence of late 70s/early 80s in their songwriting, perhaps as a reminder to some where their music originally came from, because otherwise they are fully engaged in southern fried rock'n'roll that mostly takes its cues from the catchy riffs of newer Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster material and the rowdy riffing of Red Fang (and others like them). On top of that they integrate influence from power and heavy metal to make it sound like they're truly rocking out with their cocks out as the clichéd proclamation goes, yet are careful enough to avoid going overboard with that style. It's not too epic, and at the same time it's not too groovy either, but somewhere perfectly in between. It's this straight up attitude that makes Förtress such a compelling band on all five tracks of "Legends", as well as their impeccable knack for writing great chorus melodies and sublime solos.

Throughout the EP you can sense a playful vibe brought by the riffs that reflects the light-hearted mood brought by the band's personality both vocally and behind-the-scenes. This is crucially important because not having a tongue-in-cheek attitude would likely cost them also in the songwriting department. As it is, the band are going all-out on riffs, likely sticking their tongues out and sending cheeky winks towards the ladies as they let their fantastic guitars speak for themselves. And damn, "Electric Mountain". If that riff be walking on the streets of Copenhagen, y'all be like dat riff, to use a colloquial expression. Moments like that are consistently present on "Legends" - and they are thus enough to convince me that Förtress have real talent in the band, and all of you should be paying attention from here onwards.

8

Download: Year Of The Witch, Electric Mountain
For the fans of: Red Fang, Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster, The Sword
Listen: Facebook

Release date 13.12.2013
Parlophone Music

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