Knights of the Cross (1998, Gun)
Lineup: Chris Bollendahl (vocals), Uwe Lulis (guitars), Stefan Arnold (drums),
Jens Becker (bass)
This is a concept album telling the story (or what the lyricist knows about it) of the
Knights Templar, the infamous legendary order of medieval France. This is one of the better
power metal releases, which says a lot if you think how stale the genre has become recently.
This band has been going strong for over a decade, and they still churn out decent music.
The vocals are on the rougher side (i.e. Chris is not another Eric Adams clone), and although
the arrangements are simplistic, the thundering double kick drumming keeps the songs together.
As a bonus, the singer does not have the pronouned German accent that can be quite annoying.
The cover art is also pretty cool. The production is excellent---the band may play old power
metal but they certainly don't sound like the awful 80s metal outfits.
Verdict: a very good power metal, in the traditional vein.
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