This disc introduces America to yet another jaw-dropping guitar virtuoso. Knights was the 2nd album by TNT but the first to be released in the United States back in 1984. TNT hails from Norway and they pay homage to their homeland in a few tracks including one about the Norse God in "Tor With The Hammer".

Why this is a great disc is because it brought a new metal sound not yet heard in the USA at the time including a new six-string shooter in Ronnie Le Tekrö. This guy can really fly on the guitar and his signature style added a new term in speed shredding, the "machine gun lick", which was the staple of his leads. Almost every track on this disc has an example of this.

Most guitar freaks (like my friends & I at the time) were blown away when we heard Le Tekrö for the first time. His playing had an odd disjointed feel and combined with his machine gun licks, Le Tekrö created a place for himself when new shredders were popping up everywhere. His playing style was so unique I'm sure every guitar player's jaw dropped when they first heard Le Tekrö!

TNT also possessed a remarkable lead singer in Tony Harnell. His voice was perfect for 80's metal and I've heard he could scale 5 octaves with those pipes! His voice was really a pleasure to listen to from the sweeping opening track "Seven Seas" to creepy tribute to Iron Maiden's mascot in "Eddie". "Without Your Love" is the obligatory ballad that is really a very sweet piece; one of my favorite metal ballads of all time.

The production is a little thin overall but that's to be expected on this early release and would improve with TNT's later albums. That being said, I still love the sound of this record. Le Tekrö turns up the lows and highs and turns the mids down to create that chunky yet hollow tube sound that defined the music of TNT. There's also a short classical piece, "Klassisk Romance", where Le Tekrö shows more of his repertoire.

Supposedly "Eddie" is the bonus track on this disc but when I bought the cassette when this was originally released, "Eddie" was included but absent was "Tor With The Hammer" (which is featured on the CD I got later). "Deadly Metal" is a high octane tune that really captures all that is TNT with soaring vocals and a screaming solo. The last track on the cassette is "Knights of the Thunder" (instead of "Eddie" as it is on the CD) which is really a fitting end to a marvelous album.

I highly recommend this disc to all 80's metal fans and guitar rats everywhere (who should already own this album!). This is a great record from beginning to end without question!

Track Listing:
1. Seven Seas
2. Ready To Leave
3. Klassisk Romance
4. Last Summer's Evil
5. Without Your Love
6. Tor With The Hammer
7. Break The Ice
8. USA
9. Deadly Metal
10. Knights Of The New Thunder
11. Eddie (Bonus Track)




Recommended: Yes