A Gate Through the Past

The band behind my absolute favourite Italian symphonic/keyboard-abusing power metal album, that’s who they are. That’s right! Rhapsody’s first three albums are worth all the praise in the world, Fairyland has some fantastic tunes, but nothing comes even close to what A Gate Through the Past makes me feel. Now, I know this sounds very off even to those who have previously dabbled with the record, but hear me out. While the aforementioned bands have vocalists more talented, songs more iconic, and arguably riffs that transcend the genre, Holy Knights outdoes them all in one aspect. Atmosphere.

This record to me is the perfect audio-visual representation of medieval fantasy pulp novels of old. The mystical, yet charming album cover lures you in before the music transports you to the world of adventure, magic and glory. Speaking of which, I’m reviewing an album so it’s about time I mention what it actually sounds like. If the comparisons I made to other bands didn’t make it clear, the centrepiece of their sound is the overwhelming sound of keyboards. Stylistically it’s imitating Baroque to the point where Rondeau in A Minor is an entire instrumental interlude dedicated to this whole idea. Virtuosic violin (though I seriously doubt they got an actual violin for the job), matched with the glassy sounding keyboard staccato sets up for the lovely Quest of Heroes duology. However, that’s not to say they only get millage out of the instrument this way. Regular piano sound and all sorts of wobbly, slithering synth sounds are also part of their repertoire duelling with the guitars or just simply supporting Mark Raven’s vocals. Crazy part is, at no point do I get the feeling that it’s getting obnoxious despite the colossal amount of cheese oozing from every inch of the disc.

While the synth is the main focus throughout most of the album, by no means does that result in the guitars being neglected. Take Lord of Nightmares for example. It starts out with a synth-only intro, but it quickly adds the axe with a tasty barrage of riffs that get my blood pumping before settling for a mid-tempo gallop for the verses. Even in the background, when the choir hits for the chorus, there are some really nice licks peaking through the wall of power that the synth and the vocals built. And while I’m at it, I’d like to take a minute to appreciate the vocals. Mark Raven is no Fabio Lione, no Roy Khan, and definitely not the second coming of Daniel Heiman, but what he does he nails. You see, he lacks some power at the higher registers, sometimes ending up with his voice sounding very thin. Another anomaly would be using what I think is autotune(??!!) on Quest of Heroes part 1 and 2’s verses which is totally absurd. And with all the things that make him an inferior vocalist compared to his contemporaries out of the way, let me tell you why I fucking adore what he does. He does an outstanding job in the medium-range notes, constantly laying down better and better melodies, and even him going for the higher ones, which he clearly isn’t as comfortable with, adds a unique touch to the atmosphere. His tone is practically made for the already mentioned pulpy fantasy vibe that I just can’t get enough of.

Best example of this would be the title track, which in my opinion can go toe-to-toe with songs like Emerald Sword or The Fellowship in terms of epicness. Before I get crucified by the power metal horde, just listen to it. Song starts off with what is easily the catchiest riff on the record supported by organ sounds for days. Then Mark joins in with his ever so slightly moaning vocals as the galloping riff galore ensues, slowly building up the tension. What follows is the most intense synth-fill on the entire record, but it dwarfs compared to the absolute power of the chorus. My god the chorus. High notes fly left and right and even with the power fading from them, it sounds exactly how I’d expect knights traveling through time to fight a demon to feel. But they are not done yet! They managed to fit both a baroque and a more traditional power metal solo into the second half of the track. What doesn’t this song have??!!

Speaking of demons and knights, the lyrics are worth mentioning. Not because they are anything new or impressive, it’s absolutely the cookie-cutter medieval fantasy stuff that you have heard millions of times. They deserve the mention because of just how over the top they go. I’m personally a huge sucker for this, but I can see how someone would have an OD of cheese half-way through songs like Under the Light of the Moon or Love Against the Power of Evil. The absolute ridiculousness of the latter cannot be overstated with a chorus like

Go warlike in love -
Run to find the antidote before it's too late
Go warlike in love -
By your bravery results her terrible fate
Go winner warlike -
Your winged horse knows of the unhappy mischance
Go triumphant warlike -
Cross marshes, destroy the mystical spell

If you make it through stuff like this without any visceral reaction, what you are left with is some of the most honest piece of power metal I have ever heard. You can feel their passion for their art in every song. It feels like the band knew they aren’t going to make the next Symphony of the Enchanted Lands, so instead they completely leaned into what they excelled at. Cozy, B-list fantasy power metal for nerds to immerse themselves in during a cold winter day. And sometimes that’s all I really need.

The highlights of the album are Sir Percival (Immortal Knights), Gate Through the Past, and The Promise.

No matter what everybody’s preconceptions are, there really aren’t that many power metal bands that are completely slathered in authentic medieval atmosphere. Rhapsody, Fairyland, Thy Majestie…but it’s really just a stereotype. Most power metal bands are more modern, with only faint traces of medieval stylings.

Holy Knights, if you couldn’t tell by the name, goes completely over the top with medieval-themed metal. You thought Rhapsody was bad. I’m sure the members of this band sincerely wish they could live back in the 1500’s. They are stuck in a realm of knights, fantasy, and heroic quests. Surprisingly, the resultant album isn’t as bad as you’d expect. It’s generic, but somehow so generic that it’s original.

The intro, “March of Brave Knights”, is so bad it might put off even the most devoted power metal lover. Imagine: “Daddy…who are the Immortal Knights?” in the terrible accented English of a 40-year-old Italian lady trying to sound like a five-year-old girl. Imagine the equally accented response from the “Dad”, who goes of on some crazy story about the sun going down or some shit. Kid, you should have not asked that question. You just prompted a 45-minute long medieval-metal romp. This album is entirely about the fabled “Immortal Knights” of yore who fought against evil and did all that medieval epic crap. Not a bad story, but so contrived and standard that it makes Rhapsody’s lyrics seem like Lord of The Rings.

This album is covered with keyboards, mostly harpsichord and strings. Complex neo-classical arrangements abound. They’re really the driving force of the album, which is great for neo-classical lovers such as me. This album would lose tons of atmosphere if that keyboard player wasn’t around; the songs would sound so empty if that harpsichord tinkling wasn’t going on in the background. I don’t mind the overuse of keyboards, but some people will. Those people shouldn’t get this album. This album is only for people who absolutely love keyboards. The only thing bad I can say about the keyboards is that any attempts to use brass sounds fail miserably due to their fakeness. Stick to the harpsichord, piano, and strings, please. Thankfully, there are few ‘real’ keyboard solos, which screw up the musical environment they’re going for.

I never really noticed the guitars, bass, or drums on this album. Sometimes the guitars got a cool melody, but the riffs are soft, weak, and just unmemorable. As I said earlier, the keyboards are the lead instrument, and the guitars are just playing a supporting role. Sure, there are guitar solos, but I don’t remember those either. The drums are standard power metal drums, with lots of fast pedal work and a triggered, artificial sound. The bass is hardly noticeable. Sometimes you can hear it if you try, but other times you will be straining to hear the bass and can barely make it out. Inaudible bass is a constant problem for power metal bands and most bands in general, and this is no exception.

Holy Knight’s vocalist is pretty good. He always hits the notes, and his English is decent. A standard power metal vocalist. After that torturous narration at the beginning, and “The Revival of The Black Demon” a little ways into the album, there is no more of that narrator crap. The band could easily have devolved into throwing in spoken-word parts in every fucking track (hearing this Rhapsody!?) but instead they left the storytelling to the vocalist and the occasional choir. The lyrics are pretty laughable in their content, but what do you expect with a band called Holy Knights? The lyric’s grammar is mostly correct, though, which is more than you can say for many Italian power metal bands.

As I alluded to earlier, the songwriting abilities of this band are top-notch. They manage to write memorable, complex, and interesting songs in a genre that is clogged with posers and imitators. Even the ballad is alright, and I usually hate power metal ballads with a passion. The problem is that most bands try to write something so romantic and slow-paced that it turns out boring rather than emotional. “Love Against the Power of Evil” is a nice change of pace; it’s still slow, and the lyrics are still romantic, but the keyboard again dominates with some nice melodies that don’t sound to cheesy. Thankfully, it’s the only ballad on the album. The rest of the songs are mostly mid- or fast-paced. The high points are “Quest of Heroes – Part I”, “Sir Percival (Holy Knights)”, and “The Promise”, all of which are fast songs with melody gushing from every crevice. However, every song has its high points (well…with the exception of the intro, outro, and interlude) and that’s really what makes this album worthwhile.

This album follows the power metal formula to the book in a way that most bands are afraid of doing. The result is a very strong album with a huge middle-age ambiance. If you are a big fan of the genre, or just want some no-nonsense sword-slashing power metal, try to pick this up. You won’t headbang, but you will definitely be able to appreciate the intricacies of this music.

Unfortunately, this band hasn’t been heard from in years, so there’s no knowing if or when a sophomore effort will be released. Hopefully this album isn’t the last we hear from this talented band.

Yes, I know they're underground. It's still no excuse for completely overpowering all the other instruments with the keyboard.

Holy Knights is another cheesy Power Metal band with sounds that are reminiscent of the Middle Ages and lyrics that are even more so. This band from Italy, however, makes the same mistake Angra made when they started out--they relied WAY too heavily on their keyboard. Now don't get me wrong. I think keyboards rule, despite whatever dumbfuck thing Dave "My Ego Is Bigger Than My Dick" Mustaine said on I Love the 80's. They can really make a band. Unfortunately, they're no substitute for solid guitar playing along with bass and drum backup.

Now, to their credit, Holy Knights doesn't fuck up nearly as badly as Angra did. Angra had happy keyboards throughout, making them sound like something out of a Barney rerun. Holy Knights remembers to throw in some ass-kicking guitars every once in a while. The problem is that even when the guitars are in, there's nothing extremely ass-pounding about the music. They're good, but they're just not . . . great. And when the guitars aren't playing, we get these extended boring synthesizer solos made to sound really Middle-Ages so we all know what time period these guys are talking about. And that works, once. But keep doing it again and again and again and again, and people are going to get bored shitless.

Highlights. Sir Percival (Immortal Knights) is a pretty good opening number, although the stupid hoofbeats at the end are inexcusable, underground band or not. Just use a sound clip from a movie, guys! Lord of Nightmares is pretty cool, although they have that problem of too many long, boring warm synth solos. Love Against the Power of Evil is a fantastic ballad that is very beautiful and manages to avoid sounding too synthesized, although it does flirt with death in the beginning minute or so. The Promise is led by the keyboard, and if you can handle the fact that the keyboard is leading the instruments, you should really enjoy this neat little headbanger.

Cheesy Power Metal. Heavy keyboards. You like? Buy. You don't? Don't. That's all that needs to be said.