Track 10 is a cover of
Bathory
Track 11 is a cover of
Hellias
Track 12 is a cover of
AcceptIt's been 9 years since Holy Death's last album,
Triumph of Evil - not counting the bad
Forever Burning Ashes - and they now decided to return with
The Knight, Death and the Devil. As you would expect after such a long time, the album sounds rather different from the particular slow or mid paced type of black metal they had in the '90s, and it wouldn't be that bad of an idea to consider them - or him since Necronosferatus is alone now - a different band. Although some ambient intros here and there as well as samples are present, the only other thing really recognizable would the overall mid pace, but you can see it as some evolution from their early days.
The whole thing is far clearer in sound, and while
Trimph of Evil saw Necronosferatus doing actual vocals,
The Knight, Death and the Devil sees him using a lot less effects, only some echo and slight reverb remains. And his actual vocals are far more audible as well as intelligible, it's some sort of less cold Jon Nödtveidt, though he does some rather different deliveries depending on the situation; sometimes deeper or almost talking for example. The album starts on a faster and catchier note with "Whispers of the Soul". It's the fastest track, it has some more vibe than the other tracks and a more old school metal feel due to the kind of groovy rhythms. "Thunder of Revenge" shows us Holy Death still know how to write some very atmospheric pieces of black metal. So the pace slows down, a riff having a certain hoary feel is introduced by some not unfamiliar brooding keyboards. Hoary is pretty much part of how the whole album sounds, as if it was some ancient tale of primeval evil. Everything is not nearly as dark as it was and some different moods are unearthed throughout the album. It's a rather varied album, while their older material contained almost no tremolo picking, here it is introduced on "The Battlefield Act I & II". On top of that, there's even some really thrashy riffs - not of the blackened type - and lead gaining more speed in the process. While
Apocalyptic War had various sounds, it kept itself to a particular slow and foreboding mood. On
The Knight, Death and the Devil, Necronosferatus isn't afraid of exploring new sounds and influences, using them effectively while still making everything sound unified. As older material, building on patterns and passages is something Holy Death seems to value as well as taking some unbeaten paths in the song, though it's not as prevalent.
Following "Lucyfer", an ambient track featuring some spoken words, are three covers; Bathory, Hellias and Accept respectively. They don't seem to be considered bonus tracks, but I'd rather do. While they sound good adding an Holy Death touch, particularly "Call from the Grave" which could have easily fit well somewhere in the album, the others kind of not fit the atmosphere of the album, even more that all three are put at the very end. But I shouldn't take too much credit off, they are very well done covers. "Princess of the Dawn" is all the more surprising as it doesn't sound like Accept at all, the production job, some added effects and various vocal types found around the album, help to make the whole thing have a strong Holy Death vibe.
All things put to consideration,
The Knight, Death and the Devil is a worthy successor of
Trimph of Evil, even after all those years. Holy Death didn't try to recreate their old sound, but build upon its structure and made us go through a totally different atmosphere, dropping the sinister sound for a more ancient sounding one. Even if they are very obscure, they still have a particular sound of their own with hard to discern influences. So if you're looking for some different, fresh black metal, look no further.
Sample: youtube.com/watch?v=ov7Tk56eOww&list=RDov7Tk56eOww&start_radio=1
