Knights of the New Thunder

Hell yeah. This is old school fucking power metal. Listening to this you can clearly hear where many European power metal gathered influence. Just listen to "Seven Seas" its very akin to what Nocturnal Rites does nowadays.
But of course this album does sound dated. It was released in 1984, so yeah there's cheesy 80's synthesiser parts lightly sprinkled throughout. The production is much akin to the productions of early Priest albums, giving this album a real "classic" sound.

The most prominent features of this album, however, are obvious. The vocals are fucking awesome. This guy can really hit the notes, especially the ultra high piercing notes. He sounds much like a cross between Halford and Ray Alder (of Fates Warning), only with an expanded range (!) And the harmonizing this guy does is AMAZING.

Then there are the amazing guitars. Yngwie Malmsteen wishes he was Ronni Le Tekro! Classical mastery is shown throughout. This guy sounds surprisingly alot like Randy Rhodes at times (especially when he solos). His guitar tone is epic and powerful once again like Randy Rhodes' was. Especially see "Klassic Romance", which brings to mind "Dee" off of Ozzy's Blizzard of Ozz album.

The overall sound of this album, however, is a big cross between Maiden and Priest, with the sound of the first two Ozzy albums sprinkled on top. But the Maiden/Priest sound obviously comes through in several tracks. "Eddie", ironically, is an epic half ballad that sounds much like the slower parts of Maiden's "Revelations". Only thing is that "Eddie" is a bit darker and the snare drum has a "big" sound.
Then there is "Last Summer's Evil" which sounds ALOT like it could've been released on Priest's Stained Class album. "Better By You, Better Than Me" anyone? Because thats what that song sounds like. But its still so fucking cool.

The best song is "Break the Ice", which is the best 2 minute song you'll ever fucking hear! It is very catchy with its shoutalong chorus. This track is actually more akin to early Dokken soundwise. But fuck, that intro riff fucking slays, and the guitar tone is so fuckin heavy and "big".

"Without Your Love" is the lightest song here. Thats because its a ballad. Its not great, but its not bad either. It sounds much like a heavy Journey ballad.

This album is worth getting if you love early Maiden and Priest. But it would be a huge injustice to pass this band off as a clone of those bands. The vocals of Tony Harnell are reason enough to get this album. His voice is just so original, melodic and soulful. My only complaint about this album though, is that its too fucking short. The music, however, is nothing short of brilliant!