Release date: 30.01.2026

Label: High Roller records

FORTRESS emerged from Whittier, California in 2016, carrying the banner of traditional heavy metal. Following an initial EP, the band released their full-length debut “Don’t Spare The Wicked” through High Roller Records in 2021. To distinguish themselves from other groups sharing the same name, the band now operates under the title FILI BIBIANO’S FORTRESS, a nod to founding member Fili Bibiano, who also performs with Intranced.

Their second album, “Death Is Your Master,” sees Bibiano taking on guitar, bass, and synth duties, joined by Joey Mancaruso on drums and new frontman Juan Aguila on vocals. The record was tracked primarily at Bibiano’s own Black Light Studio in Gardena, California, with additional sessions at Brothers Marc Studio, and produced entirely by Bibiano himself. Aguila steps in as lead vocalist, replacing Chris Nunez, though Nunez’s voice still appears on the track Blackest Night.

Reflecting on the creative process behind the new album, Bibiano explains:

“This time around I just played what came to mind. It was a natural process in which if it sounded good and felt good, I would proceed. I’d say ‘Death Is Your Master’ is different from what you will hear from other bands out right now and once you hear it, you will be able to differentiate us from all the other bands. If you want to hear something different, listen to this album. I focus on quality and not quantity. I also like to leave the audience wanting more, and so far, it works!”

As with their debut, the guitar work remains a defining feature of the Fortress sound. Bibiano’s neo-classical runs stand out as a signature element, and he is determined to keep that tradition alive:

“Not many people are implementing this style of playing so I want to keep it alive and hopefully inspire people to bring this style back. I still play the blues and everything else when I feel like it. I just think it’s a waste not to display my true talent as a musician. Some people say it’s too much shred. I really don’t care. I play from the soul and that’s my art.”

Review

Flesh and Dagger opens with no embellishments and no introduction, just a direct riff that strikes first, paired with a lead guitar line that adds power to the melody. Juan Aguila’s vocals are sharp and dramatic, the frantic opening burst resting on brief clean intervals before moving into fast, broken patterns with excellent high notes in the background and choruses built like a stadium anthem. The lead guitar focuses on melody and attack rather than pure technique, shifting again at the end with reinforced ascending and descending lines. The drums hit like cannon fire, starting with classic four-on-the-floor patterns and accelerating the final passages with double bass flourishes. A strong opening for an album whose artwork already fuses medieval fantasy with the darker arts. Death is your master!

We barely catch our breath before reaching Savage Sword, perhaps the most overused heroic trope of all, and yet it works. No shields and no armor here; the swords rule. The tempo drops, and the rhythmic structure develops through fast, choppy riffs with classic palm-muted sections punctuated at the end of each verse by a brief spiral. The bass remains mostly passive, following a traditional pick attack that reinforces the weight of the rhythm guitar while gaining slightly more presence during the solos, always melodic and functional to a classic heavy metal approach. Aguila may not be a virtuoso, but he reaches high notes naturally, with lower tones that recall Eric Adams from Manowar. His highest registers shine especially at the end of this mid-tempo, dense second track, where the choruses take greater prominence.

Fugitive opens with clean guitars drenched in slight echo and reverb, a short introduction that breaks into heavy, dragging chords with a strong eighties vibe and palm-muted drive. Fast solos and some artificial harmonics accompany the section. The track channels a melancholic, tragic eighties atmosphere, as if we were the fugitive escaping a harsh sentence. It is the album’s tank song, carried by hammering rhythms, a slow-burning progression and a clear sense of anthem-building. Aguila pushes hard here; in some lines he sounds slightly strained, fortunately only in small moments, because his overall performance is excellent. At the halfway mark he extends notes with solid body and improved vibrato, delivering strong, confident highs.

Night City follows the logic of the previous song, built on that heavy eighties nostalgia and a melancholic pressure shaped by power chords, bass-driven melodic lines and synthesizers that add a hard rock sheen reminiscent of Europe, Journey or Survivor. Being a calmer track, the vocals move across a wider range, from soft whispers to operatic bursts full of drama and power, showcasing Aguila’s broad register, arguably his best moment on the album. The guitar heightens the song’s oppressive atmosphere through highly emotional solos, with high sustained notes, harmonics between riffs and brilliantly executed scales performed cleanly and effectively.

This next track, Blackest Night, is sung by former Fortress vocalist Chris Scott Nunez. It opens with a repetitive riff loaded with malice, doubled by a second guitar at least an octave above. The percussion is direct, avoiding fills or elaborate figures, sticking to a single kick with a classic structure. It alternates strong snare hits with brief bursts on toms and cymbals. The choppy riffing recalls Judas Priest’s eighties era and other heavy metal greats like Riot and Omen. Chris’s voice is similar to Aguila’s, slightly less expressive and more grounded in the lower register than in the highs, but the track maintains a high standard.

Maze is surprisingly crafted as a power metal song, with a neoclassical opening and double bass drumming, led by an expressive lead guitar that moves between neoclassical scales and sweeping passages. Its ascending and descending spiral rhythm relies on galloping palm mutes. Both bass and rhythm guitar support this structure with strength, delivering solid melodic lines that feel freer than in previous tracks. Aguila sounds sublime, aggressive and melodic as he weaves between the lead guitar phrases, inspired and dynamic, shifting rhythm and melody with ease. This is the song that power and heavy metal fans will devour.

B.Y.O.D returns to a heavier register with clear speed and even thrash tendencies: accelerated drumming, double bass, chromatic riffs, dramatic pauses and a martial percussive attack. The vocals reach razor-sharp highs that cut through the dense distortion with violence. The solos venture into darker and more dissonant territory, striking a balance between chaos and intent, always aiming for savagery. The track is fully aware of its role as a closer. If the first track shows what the album is about, by the third or fourth we’ve already heard the nuances. Fortress chooses to shut the gates of its tower with force, ending the record in a decisive and resonant blow.

Conclusion

Fortress understands that an album needs a wide palette to avoid the abyss of repetition, and they achieve this with mastery through first-rate guitar work, direct riffs, fast and inspired solos and a strategically deployed vocal performance. This is a record that brushes against perfection. It is balanced, powerful and inspiring. Without reinventing the wheel, and as a proud exponent of traditional heavy metal, it stands comfortably alongside the genre’s contemporary virtuosos, with nothing to envy from acts like Ambush, Haunt or Enforcer. It is a piece you will want in your collection without hesitation.

TheNwothm Score: 9.5/10

Links

Bandcamp:https://fortressofficial.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fortressheavymetal

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fortressheavymetal

Label: High Roller Records