Gothic Knights - Up From The Ashes
Limb Music Products - LMP 0310-062 - 2003
By Philip Whitehouse
The third album by the vaguely ridiculously-named Brooklyn based metal crew Gothic Knights is simultaneously a celebration of 80s speed metal in all it's hair-teased, over-dramatic glory, and also a perfect example of what would happen if you could create a robotic power metal band and programme them with every metal cliche in the book.
Galloping double-bass rhythms, an upper-register vocalist with a vibrato-heavy vocal style, shredding solos and chunky, hook-laden riffage rule the day here, and the lyrics are straight from the Hammerfall Big Book Of Metal Fantasy subjects. There's even a toe-curlingly embarassing metal power ballad called 'Dear Queen', for goat's sake. It's all good, harmless fun - well written, competently played, and hopelessly redundant.
There's really no good reason for this band to exist, other than as the accompaniment to a rowdy power-metal keg party. In that environment, the sing-along choruses and rampaging rhythms would come into their own. As an involved listening experience, though, Up From The Ashes is a severe let down.
5/10
Gothic Knights Official Website
Limb Music Productions
Limb Music Products - LMP 0310-062 - 2003
By Philip Whitehouse
The third album by the vaguely ridiculously-named Brooklyn based metal crew Gothic Knights is simultaneously a celebration of 80s speed metal in all it's hair-teased, over-dramatic glory, and also a perfect example of what would happen if you could create a robotic power metal band and programme them with every metal cliche in the book.
Galloping double-bass rhythms, an upper-register vocalist with a vibrato-heavy vocal style, shredding solos and chunky, hook-laden riffage rule the day here, and the lyrics are straight from the Hammerfall Big Book Of Metal Fantasy subjects. There's even a toe-curlingly embarassing metal power ballad called 'Dear Queen', for goat's sake. It's all good, harmless fun - well written, competently played, and hopelessly redundant.
There's really no good reason for this band to exist, other than as the accompaniment to a rowdy power-metal keg party. In that environment, the sing-along choruses and rampaging rhythms would come into their own. As an involved listening experience, though, Up From The Ashes is a severe let down.
5/10
Gothic Knights Official Website
Limb Music Productions
