Holy Knights
| Holy Knights | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Palermo, Italy |
| Genres | Symphonic power metal |
| Years active | 1998–2002, 2010–present |
| Labels | Underground Symphony, Scarlet Records |
| Associated acts | Thy Majestie |
| Members |
|
Holy Knights is a symphonic power metal band from Palermo, Italy, formed in 1998. They recorded their first demo, Gate Through the Past, in 1999. Shortly after releasing their début album, A Gate Through the Past through Underground Symphony, the band was put on hiatus, which lasted until 2010. In 2012, the second album, Between Daylight and Pain, was released by Scarlet Records.
Holy Knights was formed in November 1998 by the vocalist Dario Di Matteo, and the drummer Claudio Florio. After several changes, the line-up was complete with Salvatore Graziano and Ezio Montalto on guitars and Nico Rose on bass. In December 1999, the band entered Studio Blu in Palermo to record their first demo, Gate Through the Past, which was sent to various magazines the following February, getting positive reviews. Meanwhile, another change in line-up occurred, with Montalto and Rose being replaced by Federico Madonia and Vincenzo Noto respectively. Having received a few contract offers, Holy Knights signed a two-album deal with Underground Symphony in April 2000.
In early November 2000, the band entered the Zenith Recording studio in Lucca to record their début album, A Gate Through the Past, finishing in December. It was released in January 2002 by Tokuma in Japan, followed by the worldwide release via Underground Symphony in June. The album was critically acclaimed. In order to appeal to the international audience Di Matteo, Graziano, Noto and Florio used pseudonyms of Mark Raven, Danny Merthon, Syl Raven and Claus Jorgen respectively. On August 12, the band performed live for the first time at the Agglutination Metal Festival in Chiaromonte. The same year, Holy Knights recorded two cover songs for the planned Heavy Load and Sword tribute albums that were, however, never released. The band became a quartet due to another change in line-up: Florio left, while Madonia was replaced with Simone Campione.
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