Early history Edit
The band formed in 1994. In 1996 they released the demo Rebirth Of The Dark Age.[2] In 1997 the original line-up, consisting of band founder Asvargr (guitar), vocalist Azathoth, Njord on bass, and drummer Charon established the band's first live line-up with the addition of a second guitarist named Crom and keyboardist Thamuz. Debuting live in February 1997 the band soon played dates alongside acts such as Lunar Aurora, Disaster and Naglfar. Dark Fortress' first label release was the Split MCD with Barad Dür entitled Towards Immortality, which featured two new tracks by the band and was released on Fog Of The Apocalypse Records. A third track was recorded during the same session and was used for the compilation CD From The Mystic Forest - Part II. The band continued composing material for their first full-length album, but recording was postponed from 1998 until August 2000, when Dark Fortress entered Klangschmiede Studio E and with Markus Stock (of Empyrium) completed their album Tales From Eternal Dusk. Heavily influenced by groups like Dissection, Unanimated, and Satyricon, the album received positive reviews and offered a mixture of haunting guitar melodies, morbid and tormented snarling and diversified song structures.
Changes
Charon and Crom left due to conflicting musical interests, and these line-up changes further delayed live and studio activities. However they later signed to US label Red Stream for two albums and hired Seraph and V.Santura as the new drummer and guitarist. Recorded at famous Grieghallen Studio in Norway (Mayhem, Emperor, Immortal) Profane Genocidal Creations was delayed due to problems during the mixing/mastering process. It was not released until February 2003 and showcased Dark Fortress' development into classic traditions of black metal as well as their continual progression as composers and musicians. With a stable line-up consisting of Azathoth (vocals), Asvargr (guitar), Santura (guitar), Draug (bass), Paymon (keyboards) and Seraph (drums) more live shows and festival appearances followed, seeing Dark Fortress share stages with popular extreme metal acts like Behemoth, Impaled Nazarene, Pungent Stench, and God Dethroned, as well as many underground acts.
2000 onwards
The hitherto musical peak of their career then hit the metal scene with the 2004 release of Stab Wounds (Black Attakk). Accompanied by gloomy artwork by artist Travis Smith (Opeth, Nevermore, Anathema, Death) Stab Wounds was well received not only by the band's underground following but also mainstream metal press. The German edition of Rock Hard praised it as "too good, too original and heavy to be ignored. Simply the best German black metal has to offer!"[citation needed]. Their new album contained melancholy melodies combined with suicidal themes. An interpretation of Katatonia's "Endtime" was included on the limited CD Digipak, while a cover version of Emperor's "I Am The Black Wizards" was featured on the double-LP version (released by Imperium Records, 2005).
On 13 May 2007 they fired their vocalist, Azathoth, due to various non-musical reasons. His replacement was Morean.
Their next album was entitled Séance, again accompanied by the artwork of Travis Smith. The album is a concept album about the direct contrast between the current and the future, the fragility of human existence with its most striking weaknesses - ignorance, arrogance and false illusions - and the crass finality of death. The central lyrical motif of Séance departs from typical black metal subjects and instead deals with the idea of paranormal beings. The musical side supports this conceptual idea with gloomy guitar melodies, twisted and morbid passages and grim vocals.
On January 29, 2010 Dark Fortress released an Official Music Video for the song 'Hirudineans'. This song is on their 2010 album Ylem.
Osiris
Dark Fortress Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the pit
From the chasm
I call to thee
Exiled from Eden
Left for dead
A spurred phantasm
Osiris
Drowned in lies
Betrayed by blood
In scorned, baptized
I am one with you
In vengeance and despair
Redeem me from this torment
This empty prayer
These hateful blades
Rusting inside of me
For all the rape and anguish
We suffer night by night
This cruel mirage can only languish
For all this plight is but illusion
The veil shall be torn
Lust shall resurrect us
A god shall be born
From beyond me shall bring retribution
I adjure all pain
Commit myself to heresy
Quit waiting for the angels
To come and make amends
I hail all death
Reject all tortured saints' philosophy
Every wretched living thing knows this must end
The lyrics to the Dark Fortress song "Osiris" are full of allusions to Egyptian mythology and the struggle of the human spirit against the forces of darkness and despair. The song's opening lines set the tone, with the singer calling out from the depths of the underworld, seeking salvation from an unseen and possibly indifferent god or goddess. The imagery of being exiled from Eden and left for dead suggests a profound sense of loss and alienation, while the reference to Osiris - the Egyptian god of death and resurrection - speaks to a desire for renewal and rebirth.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more acerbic and confrontational, with the singer rejecting traditional religious teachings and embracing a more nihilistic worldview. The reference to "hateful blades rusting inside of me" suggests a deep-seated anger and resentment, while the lines "I hail all death / Reject all tortured saints' philosophy" seem to reject the idea of redemptive suffering and suggest a preference for embracing darkness and chaos over hope and redemption.
In the end, however, the lyrics suggest a glimmer of hope amidst the darkness, with the singer declaring that "Lust shall resurrect us / A god shall be born / From beyond me shall bring retribution." Whether this statement represents a final capitulation to the forces of evil or a defiant rejection of traditional morality is open to interpretation; what is clear is that the song and its lyrics are a powerful exploration of the human experience of loss, pain, and desperation.
Line by Line Meaning
From the shadows
Emerging from a place of darkness and obscurity
From the pit
Rising up from a deep-seated place of despair and hopelessness
From the chasm
Ascending from a deep divide or gap between what is desired and what is
I call to thee
Summoning a presence or force for assistance
Exiled from Eden
Forced into a state of banishment from a state of paradise or bliss
Left for dead
Abandoned and left to fend for oneself
A spurred phantasm
A restless ghostly figure driven by motives of vengeance
In barren reverie
Lost in a state of empty daydreaming devoid of fulfillment
Osiris
A symbol of resurrection and rebirth in Egyptian mythology
Drowned in lies
Submerged in falsehoods and deceit
Betrayed by blood
Deceived and let down by one's own kin or heritage
In scorned, baptized
Purified through a process of shame and rejection
I am one with you
Merging with the deity or force being invoked
In vengeance and despair
Motivated by a sense of retribution and hopelessness
Redeem me from this torment
Save me from the pain and suffering being experienced
This empty prayer
A plea for divine intervention that feels hollow and futile
These hateful blades
Metaphorical weapons of hatred and destruction being harboured within
Rusting inside of me
Growing stagnant and deteriorating within one's own being
For all the rape and anguish
In light of all the oppression and suffering
We suffer night by night
Undergoing pain and hardship on a recurring basis
This cruel mirage can only languish
This painful illusion can only remain insignificant and fade away
For all this plight is but illusion
All the hardship and suffering is illusory and can be overcome
The veil shall be torn
The barriers preventing realization of the divine will be broken down
Lust shall resurrect us
A desire for redemption or satisfaction will bring about a revival or rebirth
A god shall be born
A divine force or new reality will come into being
From beyond me shall bring retribution
Vengeance or justice will come from a force beyond one's control
I adjure all pain
Calling upon all suffering to be expelled
Commit myself to heresy
Dedicating oneself to unconventional beliefs
Quit waiting for the angels
Stop relying on divine intervention to solve problems
To come and make amends
To arrive and correct past mistakes
I hail all death
Acknowledging and accepting the inevitability of mortality
Reject all tortured saints' philosophy
Disavowing the belief in a virtuous, but suffering existence
Every wretched living thing knows this must end
All beings, no matter how miserable, know that their suffering will eventually come to a close
Contributed by Asher E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.