Who Will Dress Our Soldiers

So many albums this year have found their way deep inside my subconscious, plumbing the depths with their exhilarating riffs and unforgettable vocal passages. This phenomenon is all the more special when the album in question comes from a band new not only to me, but to the scene generally. Such is the case with Fortress, who released their debut album Who Will Dress Our Soldiers just this month, December 5th. As I have delved deeper into the incredibly exciting world of new, noisy bands, I have exponentially discovered more and more. Such is the case with Fortress, who hail from New York, as I first learned of the band after they were readily recommended by other bands I follow, many of who they will share a stage with at the insanely exciting Post-Everything Fest that is kicking off early next year.

By the time I finished my third listen the same day, I knew I would be hearing this album on the radio of my mind for a while. And that has very much been what has happened; all six tracks Fortress grace us with on the album are absolute bangers. Particular favorites are “Flood” and “Brought in the Mud.” Specifically, I want to highlight this one fantastic portion of the latter track:

This is likely my favorite passage on the entire record. There is such a sense of almost hypnotic dreamscape in the way Max and Cadence trade lines in this song. It feels almost as if they are weaving together an intricate, beautiful spell: perhaps one not altogether not sinister. It is reminiscent of an ancient ritual, originating from a time of imprecise past, imbued with great force for the purpose of summoning not quite known. The very title itself, “Brought in the Mud,” is evocative of visceral entrance, of terrain-changing shift. Whatever is wrought here, it brought with it the mud. And it is that mud that buries me, and seems to permeate me to my very core.

All in all, this is a fantastic album that has more than earned Fortress a lifelong fan in me. I cannot wait to be a witness to the future heights I am sure this band will ascend.

Favorite Song: Brought in the Mud