CRAWLER – Knight Of The Word

It has been almost three years since Crawler released their promising EP, Burst, and now they are out and running with a debut album by the name of Knight Of The Ward. The title was inspired by the novel of the writer Terry Brooks by the same name, and it appears Crawler tried to break the Iron Maiden chains that were wound very tightly around their previous EPs: Burst and Undeads.

Basically Knight Of The Word consists of re-recorded versions of tracks taken from their previous EP releases, along with newer tracks. The band’s “simple production” was handled by the famous Beau Hill who once also handled big time artists such as Alice Cooper, Warrant, Europe, and Kix. However, unlike what he did for these mentioned stars, it seems as if he didn’t go out of his way to benefit Crawler… the outcome pretty much lacked depth.  Of course, sound wise, it is unknown if this end result was his choice or the band’s. Overall, though, what Hill did on this album suits the image of Crawler well, especially after comparing this work to their earlier stuff.

Material wise, it seems that there are two kinds of Crawler on Knight Of The Word. The first was connected to what Crawler released back in 2005 and 2008. Those two important releases showed the band’s utmost dedication to Iron Maiden’s road to success. Besides the sound production, which had some reminders, it seemed that Crawler developed their music nearly the same way as Maiden did and still do today. There were almost no basic riffs. Moreover, despite vocalist Claudio Cesari’s small accent issues and word swallowing, he succeeds in coming across similarly to the legendary Bruce Dickinson. Songs including “Burst”, “Angels In Paradise”, and “Masters Of The Night” were melodically complex and showcase great playing abilities, while sailing away from the simpler stuff.

The rest of the tracks that weren’t connected to Crawler’s earlier discography might have shown that same devotion to the British giants, yet they weren’t along the same level as the older material. Crawler, while still remaining melodic and complex, carved themselves a path that took them off of the Maiden road and into the Traditional Metal of the ’80s. Unlike the Maiden approach, Crawler played slightly more simple tracks that made them even more accessible to fans that have the hunger for some classic, yet straightforward, hits. “Knight Of The Word”  along with the epic “The King Will Come” and the rather rocky “Cagliostro” demonstrate how Crawler shaped themselves to become a Classic Metal group that turned out to be a lot more genuine.

So with the two faces merged into a single façade, Crawler stepped out rather triumphantly. Knight Of The Word can be deemed as a great start and the beginning of something new for this talented group of players.

Tracklist

1. Crawler
2. Speed
3. Danger! (On Elm Street)
4. Burst
5. Angels In Paradise
6. Cagliostro
7. Masters Of The Night
8. Sick Song
9. Undeads
10. The King Will Come
11. Knight Of The Word

Lineup

Claudio Cesari – Vocals
Renato Fecit – Guitar
Alessandro Brusaferri – Guitar
Giovanni Martiniello – Bass
Nicola Martiniello – Drums