With ‘Fortresses’, Platonic Shapes have served up a hearty plate of sludge; bringing a modern edge to Black Sabbath level doom. With a sense of scale, lyrical directness and energy; they rage like a powerhouse with mammoth vocals – a much needed slab of rock for lockdown round 59?
From the off, the riffage is fat and distinct; yet it soon becomes clear that this is only one piece of the puzzle and wouldn’t be half as effective if it weren’t supported by the pounding, frantic, driving grooves of that bass tone (and what a bass tone)… married to tight drumming, which both sit perfectly under the guitar’s dripping licks and gritty dirt.
With the indelibly poignant vocals, which have a keen ear for finding melodies amongst the filth, the track truly shines and lifts off into the stratosphere; delivering an oppressive vibe for the whole song to latch onto, with a catchy somewhat pained performance that dances between pop and metal. The line midway through, “Please tell me what I am forbidden to know”… sounds particularly awesome.
A class act.
