Ice Fortress - Titans of Augmoor
  Genre: Power Metal
  Release Date: 2006
  Label: Unsigned
  Band Web Site: 

Every style of heavy metal music seems to have a birthplace. The NWOBHM sound was born out of the sweat-soaked clubs and pubs of East London. The recognized birthplace of modern black metal is often agreed upon as Helvete, the defunct music store in Oslo, Norway, run by the late Oystein Aarseth (aka Euronymous) of Mayhem. Hair metal? The Sunset Strip of Los Angeles, of course! Thrash metal? The seedy dives and mean streets of San Francisco and New York City! Death metal…well, you get the picture!

Why am I rambling on forever about locations where certain forms of metal were born? Shouldn’t I be reviewing an album, here? Well then, let me make my point! The reason I mentioned all those places is because there seems to be a new breeding ground for power metal in the United States. Where is it, you ask? It’s in the Maryland/Virginia/Metro Washington D.C. area! Killer bands like Division, Unit 53, Engage, Eternal Winter and Timelord keep the metal burning in the hearts and souls of hungry fans in this region. Another part of Virginia where the metal is blasting is the Virginia Beach area where veterans Scarz Within have been destroying stages all over the beach! One more group of solid contenders you can add to that list is a group of raw yet talented youngsters called Ice Fortress.

Formed in August 2004 by guitarist/vocalist Peyton Gregory and drummer Ben Rictor, and later joined by bassist Tom Mason, Ice Fortress originally was going to go in the melodic death vein of bands like The Black Dahlia Murder. Although plagued by several lineup changes, the band kept fighting on and recorded their first demo Hammer Of Thor in December 2005, and released it the same month! Stability to the lineup came with the addition of axeman Patrick Williams and keyboardist Scotty Paparone in early 2006. In April 2006, the band set out to record another demo, which would see a few of the Hammer Of Thor songs re-recorded along with two new songs. Released in May 2006, Ice Fortress’s new demo was entitled Titans Of Augmoor.

Titans Of Augmoor has plenty of rough spots, but not unlike Iron Maiden’s legendary Soundhouse Tapes, it showcases the raw talent and energy that will lead to bigger and better things for these young metal merchants in the future.

A keyboard intro punctuates the opening notes of opening track “Dragonlord”, then the riffs take over, and the drums seem to stumble out of the gate before the pace quickens. The guitar riffs and solos are very well done on this track, and the keyboard backing melody is also very cool. Vocally, I am confused. I cannot tell if this is what they were going for, but it sounds more like the narration of a story than actual singing. Overall, despite the rough spots, this is a very good track.

Cool dual harmonies and a much more confident drum beat kick “Hammer Of Thor” into gear. Everything works pretty well on this track, as the narrative vocal style fits right in with the metallic riffage and the icy keyboards. The riff is very catchy as well! I really like this track a lot and I think it is the strongest one on the demo. Raw, melodic and very heavy!

One talent this band does have right off is the ability to write some very kick ass dual leads. “Ice Titans” begins with a scorching dual riff before giving away to more vocals in the narrative style. On this track, the vocal style does not work very well, as it lacks the forcefulness that power metal needs - Gregory‘s vocal delivery seems almost deadpan. But, this track is saved by some absolutely awesome shredding by Gregory and Williams. These two high schoolers know how to dish out the steel!

Raw melodic thrashing melds very effectively with the keyboards on “Viking Slave”. Once again, the vocals really take this song down a few notches, but for the skills Gregory lacks on the mike, he makes up for in the riff department, as he and Williams burn the strings again with some more effective dual harmonies and some really cool solos! Paparone dances up and down the ivories with his fingers as this is some of the best keyboard work on the demo. Another really solid track, despite the flaws.

Musically, these youngsters do possess a truckload of raw talent. Axemen Gregory and Williams blend their leads together with great skill, and let their fingers fly with some killer raw and melodic chord crashing. They have the potential to become a very formidable duo. Bassist Tom Mason unloads some heavy shrapnel with his bass licks,, and drummer Ben Rictor overcomes a few hiccups to put on a very solid performance on the skins. Keyboardist Paparone is an underrated talent. He mixes his keyboard melodies very well with the dual guitar leads and plays some very nice solos. Vocally, this demo has plenty of room for improvement. While the gang (shouted) vocals are fairly well executed, the almost monotone narrations that make up the lead vocals will make you shake your head and say, ‘Why?” As I said before, while this is a very interesting and original approach to lead vocals, they do not have enough force or grit behind them to be effective. Sometimes, Gregory sounds almost bored as he relates to us the tales of Vikings and Titans. The band would be well served to go find a vocalist that suits their style, and let Peyton Gregory concentrate on what he does best, and that’s play some pretty sweet riffs.

The production of this demo has also grown on me. It is really refreshing to hear melodic power metal played with raw heaviness. It is something that we hear painfully little of anymore, as most bands spend thousands of dollars to get the perfect sound, while they move away from the raw roots of influential bands like Iron Maiden. Metal needs that raw, rip-your-face-off quality to start rearing its ugly head again. Ice Fortress proves that you can be raw, but still play with melody and grace at the same time.

Despite all of its flaws, Titans Of Augmoor has that rough-and-ready charm that many power metal demos and albums pass over in favor of pitch perfect melody. It isn’t pretty, but it showcases the skills of some young, hungry and determined metal musicians who want to stake their own claim in the bustling Virginia indie metal scene. It would be a shame to pass it up, because soon these young kids will grow up into a fearsome metal machine which may help bring power metal back to the States. Keep your eye on Ice Fortress, or be crushed by the Hammer Of Thor!

Review written by: Matt B.        
Date: July 7, 2006             
Rating: 3 stars out of 5