Between Daylight and Pain

Holy Knights is a symphonic power metal band hailing from Palermo, Sicily in Italy. After the band’s debut release, they’ve split up just to reunite recently and release this follow-up ten years after the band’s last sign of life. If one thinks about Italian power metal, bands such as Domine, Labyrinth, Rhapsody of Fire and Vision Divine may come to your mind. This band hits exactly the same nerve with a neoclassical songwriting and a mixture of melodic up tempo tracks and more mid tempo paced pieces with some progressive approaches.

The band certainly doesn't reinvent the genre but that isn't their goal. The record is a little bit too short with only about forty minutes of running time but they do what they can do best. The album is nothing less and nothing more than a diverting and refreshing dose of typical Italian power metal.

As only truly negative point, I must though cite the band’s vocabulary skills. At first contact, it’s not that evident but a look on the booklet reveals many spelling and grammar mistakes in almost each song which is mildly amusing and especially not professional at all. Maybe these guys should think about singing in their mother’s tongue or even in Japanese like they do in the exclusive bonus track “Resolution” which is a cover of the now split up Japanese pop band ROMANTIC MODE. While the song itself is rather ordinary, the Japanese lyrics have their flaws but sound good enough to me to be a better alternative to English texts in general.

In comparison to their genre colleagues, the band doesn’t sound too overloaded. Though there are emotional piano passages and balladesque moments on one side and more progressive passages with a few surprisng moments in form of electronic music, the band never forgets what the crowd likes and expects. The melodic guitar play with a few well done solos, the really fast but perfectly fitting drums and some energizing high pitched vocals domiate all eigth songs. Fortunately, the band put no overlong ballad or senseless instrumental tracks on the record. Each one of the eight songs is actually quite appealing to me. As highlights I would cite the opener and the closer. “Mistery” (sic!) is a fast feel good song with a very catchy chorus and great melodies. “The Turning To The Madness” has some well done classical orchestrations and builds up an epic cinematic atmosphere for a great ending.

Any fan of Italian Power Metal in the key of Thy Majestie for example should grab this entertaining release. Symphonic Metal fans should also like this but would probably prefer more courageous bands such as Therion. Progressive metal maniacs might find this record too commercial after all and would rather head for Dream Theater and similar bands. This release might feel okay for many metal fans but only stunning to a handful of them. This record offers nothing new at all but it's fairly better than many recently released overambitious projects from similar bands. If I had the choice between the last records of DragonForce, Edguy, Gamma Ray and this one, my vote would go out for Holy Knights. Anyway, the best European power metal release of the year 2012 is probably the debut release of Unisonic even if it is more rock than metal at some points. From time to time, I really enjoy this fun ride of an album in between my many more progressive and avant-garde records I usually listen to and if you feel for something light-hearted but entertaining, don't miss this release out.

Holy Knights started playing the power metal game back in 1998 and eventually released an album in 2002 that was, until now, the band's only full-length release. These Italians mutually departed after "Gate Through the Past" had its day, never a huge project that held the accountability as genetic partners and fellow countrymen Rhapsody of Fire or Fairyland. Given that necromancy has become a core part of a metalhead's journey, Holy Knights returned ten years after their debut with "Between Daylight and Pain." The record merely expands on the fundamentals of this bombastic, exploding picture of power metal using much of the magic we've come to expect from their aforementioned competition and counterparts, perhaps both a strength and weakness of Holy Knights’ return.

"Between Daylight and Pain" pours all the succulent cheese you can muster and floors you in a fiasco deeply dependent on hyperactive riffs as other instruments—including the sparkling keys power metal fans gush over—match the predetermined pace. Dario Di Matteo's vocals are typical for this kind of thing, and the combined efforts of these knights create eight anthems of poignant, passable power metal usually blasting by the universe, totally fast and without concern. And the secondary components are all in place, including catchy choruses, softer instrumental sections, and so on. As you see, I'm not horribly enthusiastic about "Between Daylight and Pain." Yea, it's definitely a listenable effort and I typically enjoy a release as such like an obese kid balls-deep in a pit of cinnamon rolls, but it has its flaws. It’s a power metal album, but not much more.

Most of the songs aren't necessarily bad, yet none of them are blatantly excellent. The only exception happens to be the opening "Mistery," which fires rifling riffs and hammering drums at sonic speeds, and the chorus is jovial and addictive. "11 September" and "Beyond the Mist" are quite memorable as well despite failing to achieve the obvious mastery showcased on the album's opening chapter, but both anthems prove Holy Knights can act emotive, majestic, aggressive and charming. However, I find myself scathing "The Turning to the Madness," which acts horribly as a closing theme; the song itself is a bunch of orchestral arrangements and lame vocals thrown over tame guitar work, with no percussion at all or any of the riveting features in sight. Fantastic way to lifelessly waste six minutes. "Wasted Time" slumps down a bit as well, mainly because the whole faux-ballad postulate looks tedious and misplaced.

I feel “Between Daylight and Pain” gradually decreases as it marches on, beginning with a stellar opening staple, and then churning out dull, counterproductive songs which completely derail what made its introduction so enjoyable. So, Holy Knights’ return to the power metal landscape makes a sizeable impact of sorts, although it seems the band was truly capable of so much more. Some of the exterior qualities of the album—the production, mixing, arrangements, etc.—are admirable, but the compositions could use a little work, especially the ending numbers. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, a decade under the sheets would make anyone a bit rusty. Maybe something to investigate if you need Rhapsody of Fire or Fairyland like a junkie on smack, but otherwise proceed with caution. Maybe you'll enjoy it, perhaps not. That’s all on you.

This review was written for: www.Thrashpit.com

“It’sa time! It’sa time to party like it’sa nineteen freaking ninety nine!” This is becoming one of my favourite ways to kick off reviews of this ilk, and it’s always all smiles when I hear a band nailing that oh-so-glorious style of power metal that was so bloody good back then. Call me hideously nostalgic, or maybe a touch loony for the likes of Return to Heaven Denied and Legendary Tales, but any band paying homage or sounding remotely like it did back then are some of the best fun around.

To those more clued up on the style – particularly those who know a good majority of the early 00’s power metal bands – Holy Knights should be a familiar name. They’re one of those bands who released an album which sounded to little fanfare upon release; the kind with awesome artwork which now might well cost an arm and/or a leg for a hardcopy. Yes, their debut Gate Through The Past is one of those borderline rare power metal albums, and one that is best left fantasizing about. There was a slight charm to it, but it didn’t offer anything Rhapsody, Thy Majestie or Fairyland already displayed in fine form.

History lesson aside, we flash forward to present day, where much to my surprise (and I’m sure many others) Holy Knights have reformed and released a bloody new album. Further surprise came from just how good this is: the band still keeps intact their Italian power metal roots, but they drop a good deal of the symphonic fantasy worship in favour of a slick progressive power approach ala DGM, Vision Divine, and Labyrinth. There’s also a slight neo-classical edge too, which totally sets the album off nicely.

Between Daylight And Pain is majestic and mature, modern and nostalgic; a collection of eight Italian progressive power metal delights (nine if you get a Japanese edition). Holy Knights particularly reminds me of DGM across the album, albeit with a good deal more focus on the power metal side. The performances are superlative, with charming vocals, cheese-dripping keyboards, hyper-charged drumming, and virtuosic guitar playing. The vocal lines themselves, as well as all of the choruses are very well done here on Between Daylight And Pain, be it the mighty soaring chorus in “Mistery” or the romantic middle period Sonata Arctica approach of “Wasted Time”.

On the whole, Between Daylight And Pain is a quality release, boasting a good wealth of depth and replayability; it’s great to see a band I thought we’d never hear from again doing the rounds once more. A great comeback album, Holy Knights blend the formative Italian scene’s style into the splendour of acts such as Vision Divine or DGM at their established finest. Fans of good old fashioned Euro power metal – particularly the Italian school – need this in their lives.

Originally written for blackwindmetal.com