• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Black Knight, this one from the Netherlands, formed in 1982 but they only released this debut album 16 years later, in 1998. This remastered reissue includes several bonus live tracks.

This is really cool traditional heavy metal rooted in the early '80s, so think of some gritty NWOBHM bands, of course a lot of Maiden, even a bit of mid-80s Priest riffage, and really just a mix of the sounds of the pure heavy metal bands of the time, all expertly blended here for your enjoyment. The vocals are clear, high-pitched and really stand out, more than once reminding me of Defender—also from the Netherlands—and prompting me to check if it wasn't the same singer (it's not). The music is all over the place in the realm of heavy metal, from polished and melodic to much harder, heavier and crunchy, so there's no lack of variety here but everything gels together. It's a lot of fun while it's on, though I can't say I remember much once it's over (or is that just an excuse to put it on again? ;)) I'm generally not big on bonus tracks, which push the length to over 76 minutes, but I found that they fit OK on the album, not sounding too out of place. Tales from the Darkside has a lot to offer fans of upbeat, over-the-top heavy metal with melody and bite.