Release: 04/02/2022

If you look at the band name, the cover art and the song titles, you know: Knight’s Oath fit perfectly on the Epic Metal Blog. And – I anticipate – musically we also get our money’s worth. Even if I have something to complain about – but more about that in a moment.

Overall, I find it positive that the Brits focus on EPs at the beginning of their career – after last year’s self-titled II is now… yes, the second release in this format. Okay, they’re not inventive in terms of titles, but neither were some giants in the past. So there is no point deduction for that.

Knight’s Oath are outstanding on one level: They spoil us with first-class, typically British guitar melodies that immediately catch the ear and are incredibly fun to listen to. Since the band is also amazingly inventive in this respect, every fan of Seven Sisters, Dark Forest or Heathen Kings should promptly take this EP to heart. Sure, sometimes you wonder where you have heard one or the other guitar harmony before – but, let’s be honest – you have such moments on almost every record over 50 years after the heavy metal big bang.

In terms of songwriting, Knight’s Oath’s ability is to create an epic, dreamy, but at the same time combative atmosphere. This works without an ounce of kitsch, so the quartet recommend themselves for future editions of the Keep it True festival.

I predict that one or two will grumble in the Tauberfrankenhalle. Singer John McBrawn is no Stuart Perry. Stuart who? Stuart Perry! The man who delivered one of the best post-millennial vocal performances on the first two Sellsword albums. I confess it: II would be a class above with him. McBrawn’s somewhat shaky performance provides, to put it positively, the quirky note with which our colleague Ulf Imwiehe not unjustly associates us (see Night Cobra review in the current Deaf Forever). With such edges and corners you are indeed at the right address – we also like Brocas Helm or Quorthon.

Conclusion: Knight’s Oath are one of many promising up-and-coming epic heavy metal bands that every genre fan must have on their radar. Not everything is perfect, but you shouldn’t expect that before the release of their first full length. It’s amazing that there are young musicians who still play such honest music in 2022, with which you don’t earn a bloody cent, but which can make many people in the underground very glad.

Performance: 75%
Songwriting: 80%
Creativity: 80%
Variety: 75%
Entertainment: 85%
OVERALL: 79%