So, as we were preparing to flip over the fifth page of the 2025 calendar, it was also time to prepare to bear witness to two days of the most atmospheric, raw and aggressive black arts that we have now become accustomed to witnessing on the North Yorkshire coasts favourite hot spot Scarborough. And while many of the ill-informed will align Scarborough with images and memories of the two bays, a sumptuous local park and even the imposing Grand Hotel, those of us who are lucky enough to be in the know align it more to the decadent and radiant Fortress Festival.
So, as the clock struck midday it was time to get this tyrant underway and what better way than to spend it with Nemorous who had a healthy fifty minutes (given that they were at the south pole of the line up for the day) to amaze us with their craft and wow us they certainly did. Unleashing their forthcoming album in full was potentially a brave move, but the crowd who had gathered lapped it up with complete fervour and emotional enthusiasm. The vocals were powerful and majestic, raw and venomous in their deployment, while the strings were piercing and smooth in equal quantities. This lunchtime set had been one of success and certainly created a titanium pedestal on which they majestically showcased their upcoming birth with an imperial triumph and an endearing execution.
Next it was time to tread the boards and make our way over to the Ocean Room for the first time this weekend, this time to spend an appointment with Perennial Isolation and they marked the occasion of their first ever visit to our shores by indulging us with their brand of atmospheric ice-cold Black Metal and by performing ‘Portraits’ in full for us. The Ocean Room was pretty much packed and the band didn’t waste any time in slicing us open with raw and powerful vocals, intricate and electrifying fretwork and muscular and barbaric beating of the skins from the kit which sat neatly in the background. ‘To The Withering Womb’ was magical and enticing while ‘The Silent Solace’ was entrancing and captivating, the sheer beauty of the tracks being aired was addictive and enthralling and just kept you mesmerised by all of the components that they encompassed. As the band played out the final riffs and beats of their afternoon success I’m sure they will back in our lands in the not-too-distant future.
Next up in the Main Room was Aquilus and this was their first live performance outside of their native Australia, and they did not disappoint. Led by the mastermind behind the outfit, Waldorf, they launched into the set and didn’t look back for one minute. The tracks were soundscapes which sat on the atmospheric lands, swathing over you with majestic luxury and smooth extravagance with just enveloped you and smothered you in swathes of grand melodies and opulently barbed riffs. A violin perched on the right flank brought its own brand of character to the set and helped to douse the tracks with elegance and richness and intertwined with the main bodies of the tracks to create a lavishly behemothic grandeur to the all-encompassing set.
Back to the Ocean Room and this time for something a little different, the elegant and opulent atmosphere had been left lapping in the tide at the neighbouring shoreline because it was time for some ferocious Blackened Thrash by way of Devastator and they absolutely annihilated anything and everything that had taken up residency in this intimate venue this afternoon. Collings was a metal magician, spitting out his vocals with caustic intent and venomous power, each word acted as an antagonistic trigger which only seemed to whip the crowd up into more a frenzy with each word that was deployed. Bateman and Whitehurst teamed up on each wing and only encouraged each other to become more ferocious and more frenzied as the set progressed with encouraging might, while Scarlett pounded and pummelled his kit with blasphemous and cruel intent, intentions which only seemed to lie in the camp of total destruction and battered with surgical precision and barbarous authority. Devastator had brought an element of difference to a bill which was heavily laden with more of an atmospheric vibe on this early segment of the day, an element which just seemed to allow one and all to absolutely let loose in whichever way they so desired.
Now for something a little different on the Main Stage, Spiritual Possession and a duo who greeted us this afternoon drenched in nothing but a couple of red spotlights strategically placed in order to create a mood which matched the accompanying soundtrack with absolute perfection. S. was the ever-charismatic frontman and string manipulator while A. was haunting and chilling behind the drums, each bounced off the other with precision and accuracy without ever having to catch a glimpse or throw a glance over to the other. The sound was raw and toxic, even verging on erratic at times, but all was constructed and built with precision and intent, a solid intention to deliver a set of haunting and chilling black metal with a sound reminiscent of the earlier years of the black metal existence. If you are a fan of Burzum or Darkthrone then this would be right up your alley, a melancholic, abrasive and memorable set which left many wandering into the beating sun outside with an awe and wonder branded deep into their very being.
I attempted then to grab myself a little aural culture courtesy of Osi & The Jupiter but unfortunately, as was the case with Darkher earlier in the day, the Theatre had reached capacity way before I had ever imagined so by the time I arrived at the grand staircase there was already a queue snaking up and down it with a ‘one in, one out’ policy which left many (including myself) a little disappointed that I hadn’t approached the Theatre a little sooner.
So, back to the Main Room and this time for The Great Old Ones, and I was utterly speechless by the time the set had concluded. The Great Old Ones were absolutely phenomenal and breathtakingly awesome for every single second of their powerful and brutal set. Guerry was colossal as the imposing central warrior, he served his vocals with thundering power and a barbaric gravity which added a heaviness to the H.P Lovecraft themed extreme anthems which was both endearing and hypnotic in equal measures. ‘In The Mouth Of Madness’ was absolutely crushing and compelled you to bang your head with ferocity and angst while ‘Under The Sign Of Koth’ was brutal and ruthlessly ferocious from the outset. A sublime set from a band who take their name from the deities in the H.P Lovecraft fantasy universe, but tonight gentleman you are well and truly deities in our world, our Fortress.
A legend was up next in our arena, Blasphemer was in the house and with him he had brought the immense, the uncompromising and the imposing Ruim to town. As the set was carved open with ‘Blood.Sacrifice.Enthronement’ it was evident that Blasphemer, CSR et al were ready to punish and absolutely annihilate all that were in attendance. With flames flickering at the corners of the drum riser, and strategically placed lights which illuminated with atmosphere and precision, Ruim were absolutely phenomenal from start to finish, delivering a true lesson in how Black Metal should be imagined, constructed and then dispatched, it was simple awe inspiring. ‘The Black House’ and ‘Black Royal Spiritism’ were colossal, absolutely giants in their make-up and vicious and spiteful in their deliverance. Blasphemer spat out his vocals with intimidating and cruel intentions, each word seemingly wanting to aggravate and provoke the hordes into a frenzy. Then something special happened at the tail end of the set, Ravns imposing and unmistakable figure strode into view, seeming to stalk every step he took and then he joined Blasphemer and the rest of the blackened artists and launched into the Mayhem classic ‘I Am Thy Labyrinth’ and they delivered a real spectacle and one which rarely happens on our small Isle. Simply put, based on that performance alone, I could really be brazen and declare that we had just witnessed a headliner performance dressed up in a sub headliner hooded cloak. Absolutely extraordinary from start to finish.
As Black Metal royalty goes they don’t get much bigger than the Norwegian powerhouse that is 1349, and as the figures of Frost and Archaon strode across the stage they held their flaming torches aloft and breathed a massive fireball high up into the grade II listed attic and then we were hit with an absolute juggernaut, a PHD of epic proportions in how exactly to unleash uncompromising, raw and aggressive Norwegian Black Metal. ‘Slaves To Slaughter’ was absolutely maniacal, Frost was a machine on the kit, each skin beaten with a brutal and barbed precision while Seidemann was the ever-reliable beast on the thicker strings, burning the right flank with his cloaked presence and his muscular dexterity of ever compelling bass lines. Ravn stalked the stage like a rabid dog, hissing and expelling his vocals with an acidic venom which pierced your soul and laid waste to your very being. ‘I Am Abomination’ was absolutely colossal, a true Norwegian Extreme Metal anthem and one which was polished and violent on the Fortress turf this evening, an absolutely malicious and malevolent anthem which should act as a benchmark by which all other Black psalms should be measured.
So, that had been quite a first day at Fortress, a celebration of Black and Extreme Metal of epic proportions and a day that had been rounded off in the greatest of a fashion with a brutally malignant, vindictively endearing and quintessentially aggressive, raw and unrelenting Black Metal show.
That Ladies and Gentlemen had been day one, now let’s bring on day two.
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