Fili Babliano's Fortress Death Is Your Master Review
Fili Babliano’s Fortress
Death Is Your Master
High Roller Records
2026
Once again, the oldhead in me - the one forever hunting down legitimate, no-bullshit Traditional Heavy Metal, is being absolutely spoiled by yet another killer release in 2026. I’ll be honest, I was starting to worry for a minute… then the gates of hell were kicked clean off their hinges and the Metal came spewing out like lava from a ruptured vein. Fili Babliano’s Fortress is back, and this time they’re swinging a sharpened blade titled “Death Is Your Master.”
One major change worth noting right out of the gate is the arrival of a new lead vocalist, Juan Aguila. I’m not entirely sure what prompted the lineup shift, but former vocalist Chris Nunez does resurface on the track “Blackest Night,” which tells me there’s no soap-opera nonsense happening behind the scenes - always a good sign. Aguila may be a new name to some, but don’t let that fool you. The kid sounds like he was born screaming into a mic, baptized in Marshall stacks and sweat. He sounds hungry, and hunger is non-negotiable in Heavy Metal. Once you lose that edge, the music rots. That’s not happening here.
After digging into the PR sheet, which mentions Babliano basically playing whatever came to mind, whatever felt right, I’m inclined to agree. There’s a noticeable shift in approach compared to the previous album. Instead of every track detonating like a high-speed missile, “Death Is Your Master” shows restraint where it counts. Mid-tempos, controlled headbangers, and breathing room sit comfortably alongside the faster cuts. Speed freaks, relax, there’s still plenty here to get your neck wrecked.
Given Babliano’s lean toward a Neoclassical, virtuoso guitar style, this album absolutely reeks of old Shrapnel Records energy, and that’s never a bad thing. Back in my youth, if it had that Shrapnel logo on it, I’d blind-buy without hesitation. While the album clocks in at just seven tracks, it stretches to a solid 34 minutes, and every second feels intentional. No filler, no spastic nonsense, no rushed ideas stitched together just to pad a runtime.
And let’s circle back to Aguila again, because his performance demands it. His vocal work here is a full-on falsetto clinic, the kind that would’ve had the guys in Helloween side-eyeing each other back in the day. There’s a subtle Power Metal edge because of it, but it never derails the album’s Heavy Metal spine.
Bottom line: this is a magnificent record for what it is - pure, uncut Traditional Heavy Metal. And let me be crystal clear: there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I come from the tape-trading trenches of the ’80s. I’m forever chasing TRUE METAL, and every time I find it, I feel obligated to shout it from the rooftops - which is exactly why you’re reading this. Don’t sleep on this release if you worship Shred, sky-high vocals, and Metal played with conviction.
Standouts: “Savage Sword,” “Fugitive,” “Night City,” and “Flesh and Dagger.”