Customer Reviews

Knight of the New Thunder

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The most important point to make about this band is the vocalist, Tony Harnell. He comes from the trained, range, operatic tradition. If you like the mastery and musicianship of other singers such as, Halford, LeBrie, Tate, Dickinson, etc...you will really love Harnell's tracks. This is the album I would start with and I also reccomend "tell no tales"....

A truly GREAT rock vocalist!!!

Originally released in 1984, as this was the Norway metal band's first record. Never been that huge of a TNT fan myself, but this CD makes the fourth title of theirs I've had. Best tracks include the gem "Seven Seas", "Klassik Romance", the awesome "Break The Ice" and the two most all-out rockers this disc has to offer - "Last Summer's Evil" {I could have a lot of with that song title} and "Deadly Metal". Have to admit that Ronni Le Tekro 's guitar solos alone make this CD reissue worth having. Definitely worth checking out.

This is the Tonny's debut on TNT and shows exacltly why he stayed therte for over 20 years. Seven Seas is still as good today as it was then ans all tne other songs are great too. Must have for fans.

Knights of the New Thunder is TNT's US debut album. This is a great album. Recorded and released in '84, this album includes some classic metal tunes along with some of the best ballads you will ever hear from lead vocalist Tony Harnell, backed up by possibly one of the best guitarists Ronni Le Tekro. TNT is a band from Norway excluding the american born singer Harnell. They are one of the best hair bands of the 80's but unfortunately never made it big which is very sad. Songs on this album such as "Ready to Leave", "Last Summer's Evil", and "Break The Ice" are hard hitters. The ballad "Without Your Love" is just plain magnificent. Get Knights of the New Thunder and their 2nd great album 'Tell No Tales'. Their best albums. After Tell No Tales their sound got very different and away from the classic TNT metal we've all grown to love.

TNT's second full-length album Knights of the New Thunder, released in 1984, is solid and pleasurable. A total of 11 tracks is included. The material is in a straightforward hard rock musical direction. The album's musicianship is skillful, the songwriting is good, and the sound quality is tight. I find every one of the cuts to be listenable. Of the 11 selections that are presented, one ("Klassisk Romance") is an instrumental, and another ("Without Your Love") is a power ballad. The rest of the material is composed of straight-ahead hard rockers. TNT is a Norwegian band with the exception of American vocalist Tony Harnell. Harnell is an impressive, original singer--he's got high-pitched, smooth vocals. I also enjoy his falsettos. When it comes to the guitar playing, Ronni Le Tekro doesn't disappoint in this department. Le Tekro is a proficient, distinctive guitarist--his guitar soloing style is dexterous and unique. Keyboards are sparingly used on most of the tracks. Examples of compositions that I like are "Seven Seas," "Ready to Leave," "Klassisk Romance," "Without Your Love," and "Eddie." The disc's opening song, the sleek "Seven Seas," starts off with the sounds of just moving water and whistling wind; gradually, Le Tekro's clean, catchy, and interesting-sounding rhythm guitar playing joins along. This melodic tune also features a cool reverberating snare drum sound from drummer Diesel Dahl and a well-constructed guitar solo. The pleasing and energetic "Ready to Leave" is an interesting one that segues into a slow tempo chorus that's tuneful and graceful--I enjoy the memorable, meticulous, fleet-fingered guitar solo. "Klassisk Romance," a short--just under a minute--instrumental piece, solely features Le Tekro on guitar; this instrumental is nicely tailored, gentle, and attractive in mood. "Without Your Love" is a notable, charming power ballad that begins with nice, velvety bass guitar playing from Morty Black. Harnell's vocals are emotive, smooth, and pleasing--I also enjoy the falsetto that he performs near the end of this song. A noteworthy, skillfully crafted guitar solo and a warm, serene chorus are also displayed. "Eddie," the closing track, exhibits a peaceful intro of feathery, sweeping guitar work, and appealing harmony vocals; Le Tekro's guitar solo is well-crafted. Altogether, this disc is just over 34 minutes. Knights of the New Thunder is a gratifying piece of music from TNT.

This is a great album - great guitar from Ronni Le Tekro, and vox from Tony Harnell. Last Summers Evil, Ready to Leave, Kings of Seven Seas, and the title track are all very good. Le Tekro's guitar sounds compressed and cool throughout and Last Summer's Evil is an outstanding guitar solo that will rip your head off.

I was around sixteen when this album came out, and all of us were incredibly impressed with its freshness. Le Tekro's "machine-gun" style was unheard of then, and unmatched to this day; any whippersnapper out there professing to know his style or use elements of it (while at the same time hoping no one will recognize the influence) is too late. It's been done, and better than you or anyone else will ever manage, no matter how many MIT classes you've been to. I used to blast the h*** out of this album at all the raging Heavy Metal Vomit parties we hosted then. God, I miss the eighties.

Nostalgia not withstanding, the songs are well crafted and brilliantly performed with heavy emphasis paid to pleasing hooks. I wouldn't say that these are timeless classics that sound as fresh today as when they were released, but rather taht they exemplify many of the trends that would define eighties hard rock/metal music and set a trajectory for many bands that were to follow. This album is a great illustration of eighties traditional hard rock/metal before Glam Metal totally polluted the genre.

The guitar playing throughout is technically ferocious with solos ranging from beautifully melodic to random haphazardness. While everyone was seemingly emulating Eddie Van Halen at the time, Ronni Le Tekro did manage to carve out a little niche of his own and this album is loaded with what has become his trademark "machine-gun" picking style. Vocally, the singing exhibits another staple of mid-to-late eighties hard rock/metal; the high-soaring falsetto male voice with lush accompanying harmonies. Tony Harnell is certainly one of the finer voices to emerge from the era and this album is a showcase for his talent.

What caught me by surprise was that this imported version of K.O.T.N.T. is somewhat of a different offering than that of the State-side version I originally bought: The drum-intro on the import's bonus track, "Thor with the Hammer" is the same intro as "Deadly Metal" on the U.S. version. Also of notable interest is that the guitar solo in "Break the Ice" is different; the import has a more off-the-cuff version (almost as if pressed for time, Mr. Le Tekro had to quickly throw a solo together) whereas the U.S. version has a more honed, melodically-satisfying take.

All in all, this is STILL an excellent album! Highlights include "Seven Seas," "Without Your Love," "Deadly Metal," "Break the Ice," and "Eddie."

I first heard this in 1988.my friend had it on cassette.everytime he rode in my car,we would crank it up!.i never knew it was available anymore,for the longest time,and even now you cannot purchase this at ANY local retailer,just received this saturday,and don't know when i'll stop listening to it!

Not much to say,just that TNT is one of my favorite bands and this is one of the best albums I've ever owned period.Harnell and Letekro is just awesome as always. and check out other albums by tnt too,like intuition and tell no tales. and if you don't like TNT then your just stupid!