Description

2016 re-issue with 5 bonus tracks

Melodic hard rock band from Denmark that was originally formed under the name Gusty in 1976. The long defunct and virtually unknown outfit Crystal Knight, whose exploits were likely not well known outside of Northern Europe due to a very limited release of their self-titled and only full length album (limited private pressed vinyl in a run of 500 copies). In many respects, Crystal Knight has one foot stuck in the 70s, drawing influences from UFO, Rainbow, T-Rex, and several others. The character of the sound is distorted and hard hitting, but fairly smooth and polished compared to most of the NWOBHM, being situated somewhere between early 80s Europe and Demon in terms of heaviness. Essentially, this band could be likened to a slower and mellower version of Riot circa 1977-1981, plus the occasional keyboard intercession. The vocals are generally sleazy and rough, not all that far from what was being heard out of Ian Gillian and David Coverdale a few years prior, but with a greater tendency towards the former due to the prevalence of high pitched wails littered in between each verse. Overall, one could describe this music as having a gallant quality similar to that of the chivalrous knight with his banner flying on the album art, though lyrically the subjects vary from the usual troubled or infatuation based romance themes to the occasional visitation of war/politics. There are two aspects of this album that make it somewhat atypical amidst a pretty heavy supply of similar sounding bands from this time period who met with greater success. The most auspicious example is the extremely prominent and active bass. Most bands following the lead of Judas Priest before Screaming For Vengeance or Accept at this time would not have bothered with what is heard throughout songs like Prepare For A Shock and Love Lorn, or the beginning of Fire And Flame. The other, near equally noteworthy trait of this album that makes it unique is the generally elaborate nature of the riffs. Whether it’s more hard rock oriented and happy numbers like Sweet Dream Maker or proto-speed metal songs like Treat Me Right, there is an uncanny amount of variety at work here that gives the overall listen a looser feel than most of the mainstream equivalents in this style, be it a couple of unexpected acoustic sections or the not overly technical but still impressive lead guitar work that sort of filters in and out at some unexpected points. This will probably remain fairly obscure as it clearly hearkens back to an era that was already starting to fade by 1985, when this was released. Certain bands like Leatherwolf and Crimson Glory would offer up more aggressive versions of this up until the close of the decade, but most of the bands playing this style had either morphed into glam rock or jumped on to a more extreme style. But those who are looking back into the days of the NWOBHM and the early Scandinavian melodic metal era will find much to like here. It is well executed, distinctive, yet still familiar enough to sit well with anyone who regularly spins albums by the likes of Krokus or early Def Leppard. With Per Henriksen on vocals who later joined Fate.

Track listing:
1. Crying Nights
2. War Attack
3. Fire & Flame
4. Love Lorn
5. It’s No Crime
6. Sweet Dream Maker
7. She’s A Looker
8. Prepare For A Shock
9. Treat Me Right
10. The Desert
11. Heavy Metal-from Rough demo 1983
12. The Desert-from Rough demo 1983
13. Charlotte The Beast-from Rough demo 1983
14. Pushed To The Wall-from demo 1984
15. Its No Crime-from demo 1984