FILI BIBIANO'S FORTRESS - Death is Your Master LP HRR 1039LP, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, insert, download code 1st pressing: ltd 750, 250 x black, 400 x magenta + 100 x multi-splatter vinyl (HRR mailorder exclusive) Fili Bibiano - guitar/synth/bass Juan Aguila - vocals Joey Mancaruso - drums Adrian Aguilar - drums on B.Y.O.D. 01 Flesh and Dagger 02 Savage Sword 03 Fugitive 04 Night City 05 Blackest Night (feat. CHRIS NUÑEZ) 06 Maze 07 B.Y.O.D. AVAILABLE

Fortress are a traditional heavy metal band, formed in Whittier, California in 2016. In 2021, they issued their debut album »Don’t Spare The Wicked« on High Roller Records. To differentiate between all those bands bearing the same name, it was decided to use the moniker Fili Bibiano’s Fortress from now on, relating to the band’s founding member. »Death Is Your Master« is the second Fortress album. Apart from Fili Bibiano, who is handling guitar, bass and synth on the record, there is Joey Mancaruso on drums and Juan Aguila on lead vocals. The album was recorded mostly at Fili Bibiano’s own Black Light Studio in Gardena, California, and at Brothers Marc Studio in Gardena. It was produced by Fili Bibiano. New vocalist Juan Aguila (taking over from Chris Nunez) is doing a great job on »Death Is Your Master«. Fili Bibiano comments: “Juan is a very natural talented singer, and it was very easy to work with him. He also plays guitar, so he understands the fundamentals of music and has a great ear. He actually was in Fortress back when Chris briefly left early in the band’s beginning. Juan and Chris are good friends, and they sing very similarly. The only difference is that Juan is younger and closer to my age. Juan has a very broad and higher range compared to Chris, but I think they are both really good in their own ways.” On the song “Blackest Night”, however, it’s still Chris Nunez on vocals. “Yes,” confirms multi-instrumentalist Fili Bibiano. “Chris unfortunately was not able to complete the album due to personal reasons. I’m grateful that I could have him sing this one song on the album. I hope to feature him more in the future as well.” “This time around I just played what came to mind,” comments Bibiano on how the new album »Death Is Your Master« came about. “It was a natural process in which if it sounded good and felt good, I would proceed. I also listened to the fans who wanted more of the “EP” sound (the band’s self-titled debut EP from 2018), so I added some more heavy rock riffs and elements. 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!” There are quite a few melodic songs on the record and the keyboard work is pretty prominent sometimes (e.g. on “Night City”). “Yeah, I like keyboards,” confesses the guitarist and bass player. “I love Ozzy, Dokken, Yngwie, Iron Maiden, and Judas Priest, Deep Purple and Universe. They all use keyboards heavily and I think there is nothing wrong with that. I wanted ‘Night City’ to be different, and if I played that riff on the guitar, it would have taken away from the vocal performance. I did it with purpose. Don’t be scared of keyboards, people! It’s okay to have some chords in metal, ha ha.” “B.Y.O.D.” (“Bring Your Own Death”) is probably the fastest tune on the album, a fantastic number, Juan is really going to his limits on this one. “This song is about politicians sending out soldiers to fight their battles, spilling their blood, and taking the lives of children for these senseless wars of genocide,” explains Bibiano.” In the bridge, it explains how it would be if we sent these politicians out to war instead and how it would feel to see their children bleed. It can mean other things as well so it’s up to the listener ultimately. I wanted to play something heavier and more thrash. Juan is hitting some really high notes on ’B.Y.O.D.’ that are not easy to sing! I dare anyone to try singing this one ha, ha.” The guitar playing on the album is once again outstanding, Fili Bibiano’s neo-classical guitar runs are one of the biggest trademarks of the overall Fortress sound. He agrees: “Yes, 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.” Apart from Fortress, Fili Bibiano is also playing in Intranced. “The big difference is that I can craft the songs to my satisfaction with Fortress,” he says. “When you’re in a band there are a lot of opinions. When there are too many opinions while creating music, the vision gets diluted, and it forms something else. Which can be great; however, I prefer to stick to my vision. Musically, Fortress is more aggressive, and the vocals are more classical and operatic. Intranced is more of a hard rock band with more classic rock influences. You can definitely tell the two bands apart if you listen. I’ve been touring with Intranced a lot all over the world. The only reason is that we are a band based around touring. Whereas Fortress is more of a musical and creative act. I would love to tour with Fortress, hopefully we can work something out where we are not going into debt just to play live music. It is very tough these days to go out and pay your rent at home.” MATTHIAS MADER