KNIGHTHOOD – Bad Habits (2014)
*
I was intrigued to check “Bad Habits“, the debut CD from KNIGHTHOOD, the new rocking act from Great Britain, by two reasons: honestly, the art cover piqued my interest, but essentially because it’s the new band of singer Frank Knight (ex- Wild Knight, X-Wild) and backing vocals man for Accept, UDO, Jorn and a lot others, and with him is very good guitarist Paul Curtis, ex- Gypsy, Balance of Power, Faithealer and many more.
Frank and Paul met by accident at a gig in Cumbria, North-West England in 2011. It soon became apparent that they had a similar musical history, mutual contacts and they shared stories of life on the road especially in Europe.
By the end of their second meeting not only had they written a song together but they had a finished mix of it. This triggered a writing frenzy and their common ground in musical taste made for a very comfortable and swift writing partnership. To complete the line-up they recruited top Northern session drummer John Powney and the super energized bass playing skills of Luis Antonio Gutarra.
From the first riff, I just knew this was going to be a good album. With raunchy, lascivious little “Bad Habits” bringing to mind all manner of naughtiness, this is one earthy showcase of what real retro rock sounds like.
Knighthood’s music is hard hitting guitar driven classic British Hard Rock drawing on influences from the likes of Bad Company, Deep Purple, AC/DC, Thin Lizzy, etc. But their overal sound is updated, specially the rhythm section treatment which sounds pumping and quite modern.
Frank Knight’s singing voice is just pure rock ‘n roll, raspy at times and with a classic bluesy feeling, while Paul Curtis’ guitar sound is in the old-school pattern, but his riffs & solos cuts like a knife.
Title track hooks you right from the start, with a killer array of thick riffs even before the song gets into it’s stroke. Curtis wields his guitar like an ancient gladiator did his sword, working that six string goddess to produce a sound that will have the hairs on the back of your neck standing on edge.
This bawdy little song then takes you into the great rhythm of “Frightman”, where you can hear Frank cracking open a beer, he takes a sip, then belts out one truly magical rock ‘n blues song. This track has the lot, starting with the slow steady undressing drum beat intermingled with some great naked bass riffs, and then it’s all laced back up again with Paul lead guitar workings.
Then we have something different with “Crying To The Moon”, a slightly slower paced song but not without it’s heavy punching chorus pounding on the skins of your speakers. This is a sure fire anthem track, great lyrics and easy to sing along with for the fans.
“Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is” is the type of classic hard rocker you love at first listen: Texas tones of ZZ Top to the mega blasting Aussie riffs of AC/DC.
One of the most effective tracks on the album is called “Xcellerator”. I’ve heard them say that the opening riff can sometimes either make or break a song. Let me tell you all right now, this is one song that ain’t for the breaking baby. A true classic opening to a great song, with all the swagger to kick your ass.
Scheduled to be released on the 1st of December 2014, “Bad Habits” rocks your barbecue, your birth party or just you drinking a cold beer. It’s really well composed, played and produced, but first of all, it’s fun.
Knighthood rocks in classic way, and Knight / Curtis know how to do it.
Recommended.
01. Bad Habits
02. War
03. Frightman
04. Widow Ride
05. Crying To The Moon
06. Too Much Too Soon
07. Permission To Ride
08. Kinky
09. Xcellerator
10. Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
11. Vegas
Frank Knight – Vocals
Paul Curtis – Guitars
Luis Antonio Gutarra – Bass
John Powney – Drums
guests:
Bruce John Dickinson (Little Angels) – Guitars
Matt Sizer (Apollo) – Bass
PRE-ORDER:
www.knighthood.bigcartel.com/
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