Knights of the Cross (Knights Of The Cross - Grave Digger)

Member Name: Frankingsteins

Product:	Knights Of The Cross - Grave Digger
Date:	14/07/08 (5 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Power metal elements add variety.

Disadvantages: Softer, slower and less exciting than previous albums.

The second album of Grave Digger's historical trilogy moves southwards to the crusades and quests of the Knights Templar, and sadly loses much of the fire that made its predecessor so enjoyable. The orchestral background in select songs belies the album's higher budget, and the production quality does sound less raw than previously, which suits the band's increasingly polished, power metal style. Even with heavy power metal leanings in songs such as the title track and the bombastic 'Inquisition,' this is still primarily gruff heavy metal, but a little slower and consequently duller this time round.

The faster songs like 'The Keeper of the Holy Grail' are the highlights of the album, but even the slower songs are kept from wimping out into ballads. The closing cover of Black Sabbath's 'Children of the Grave' is fairly boring and predictable, and translating the classic song into a generic speed metal song is reasonably sacrilegious, but it's nothing to alert the heavy metal crusaders to.

1. Deus Lo Vult
2. Knights of the Cross
3. Monks of War
4. Heroes of This Time
5. Fanatic Assassins
6. Lionheart
7. The Keeper of the Holy Grail
8. Inquisition
9. Baphomet
10. Over the Sea
11. The Curse of Jacques
12. The Battle of Bannockburn
13. Children of the Grave (Black Sabbath cover)

Summary: Grave Digger's eighth album (1998).