Leviticus

Item: Knights Of Heaven
Author: Daniel Baillod

Knights Of Heaven

(1989)

Reviewed by Daniel Baillod

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Label Royal MusicAdonai Metal Rock #4May 1991

aor hard rock heavy metal melodic rock

Translated from the original French

It is by howling "Come 'On" that Peo PETTERSSON launches the first track of the album: and it is called "Born Again". So off we go...!! After 45 seconds of listening, you realise that LEVITICUS has never had the benefit of a sound as excellent as this. It is the big sound, with the airy choral vocals that are typically "Elefantesque"... And yeah, that is exactly it: the heavy and outright pachydermic pairing of John and Dino ELEFANTE has struck again!! And they have given LEVITICUS the sound they needed to be recognised as one of the "greats" of Christian metal. Of course one could reproach the Pakaderm Company with giving every band the same sound... Indeed, the sonorities come back often with BARREN CROSS, PETRA, X-SINNER, MASTEDON and LEVITICUS... Some go so far as to say that the ELEFANTE brothers' studios ought to be blown up... To which I would reply two things: first, John and Dino ELEFANTE offer top-level production every time, which is not often the case with the other Christian producers; now if Christian hard wants to measure itself against the traditional bands, it is quality that comes first. Second, John and Dino ELEFANTE seem to me to have respected LEVITICUS's identity, and not to have crushed their creativity.

"Knights Of Heaven" is a wide palette, packed with colours: "Born Again", a very good rocker, good commercial heavy with "Isn't It Love", "Messiah", "Strong Love" and "Love On Fire",... Two slows "Oh Lord" and "For Once In My Life" (this last, over a bed of keyboards, in the same way that STRYPER's "All Of Me" was one too many...), the speeding boogie "Feel So Good", and the war hymn "Over The Hills"... Variety is honoured on this album. The vocals are very metal, and the marriage with the "back-up vocals" of Dave AMATO (MASTEDON) is terrific. Peo PETTERSSON, besides his good vocals, discreetly places a few washes of keyboards ("Strong Love", "Born Again",...), except on "The World Goes 'Round" where discretion is not really the order of the day... The hit-parade demands it... Björn STIGSSON, once again, without playing the guitar hero (he would frankly be wrong to pretend...!!), offers us simple playing but where the feeling comes through ("Messiah", "Feel So Good", etc...). Björn feels just as at ease in commercial rock as in fast heavy. Niklas FRANNKLIN, the new bassist, holds his own well, as does Kjell ANDERSSON on drums.

In short, "Knights Of Heaven", without being exceptional, is an album of great quality which finally raises LEVITICUS to the rank of the big shots of Christian hard... And bravo to the Elefantesque Pachyderm, which never lets a band out of its studios with a mediocre product...