Romantic Knight

Romantic Knight, alternatively translated as Knight of Romantic, is the third album by Chinese heavy metal band Tang Dynasty, released June 13, 2008 on Jingwen Records. It is the only Tang Dynasty album to feature a five-piece lineup. Background Romantic Knight was released almost a full decade after Tang Dynasty's last album, Epic. The group underwent several lineup changes, beginning with the departure of guitarist Kaiser Kuo in May 1999. Kuo was briefly replaced by Iron Kite frontman Yu Yang, who was in turn replaced by Chen Lei in October 2000. At the beginning of 2002, Liu Yijun, lead guitarist on the band's 1992 debut album, rejoined the band. His return transformed Tang Dynasty into a quintet, with Liu and Chen on guitars and frontman Ding Wu on lead vocals and occasional third guitar. Composition, themes, and recording Influences from traditional Chinese music and literature are far more prevalent on Romantic Knight than on the group's previous albums. "To keep our own style, we try not merely to imitate or follow Western rock music", Ding told Culture Express in 2007. Liu added that "each member tries to cultivate himself in traditional Chinese culture by reading ancient poetry, playing the guqin, practicing calligraphy, and painting. Without these elements absorbed by the heart and soul, everything would be superficial". Each track on the album is a story relating the band members' experiences. The title track reflects upon and celebrates the achievements and struggles of the early pioneers of Chinese rock. "Joyful Sorrow" is inspired by Françoise Sagan's 1954 novel Bonjour Tristesse, with the concept of harmony between happiness and sorrow reinterpreted through Ding Wu's eyes.