UMUR
"The Fortress" is the third demo recording by Danish heavy metal act Force Majeure. The demo was released in December 1990. After releasing two demos under the Force Majeure name (one in 1988 and one in 1989), a bigger lineup shuffle also meant a band name change to Crime Academy. Crime Academy only existed for a short while in 1990 before they decided to change their name back to Force Majeure. So the full Crime Academy lineup performs on this demo as Force Majeure. "Take Off" from the 1990 Crime Academy demo has also been re-recorded and included here. The material from all three Force Majeure demos were compiled and released on the "Force Majeure" compilation album in January 2010 through Steel Legacy Records.
While I think the quality of the second Force Majeure demo was slightly less than the quality of the first demo, the band are right back on track with "The Fortress", which is a pretty remarkable heavy metal demo release. The sound production is professional, the material is strong, memorable, and powerful heavy metal with some sophisticated power metal and neo-classical leanings, and new lead vocalist Dennis Petersen brings a lot to the table. He has a slightly more raw (but still melodic) delivery than former singer Per Onink, and the addition of Petersen has also brought a more professional element to the vocal part of the band´s sound.
Upon conclusion "The Fortress" is arguably the strongest demo release by Force Majeure and judged on this release it´s a real shame that they disbanded and therefore never got the chance to release a studio album. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is well deserved.