Biography
Drawing from the U.K. Oi! scene, the Templars—a punk band from Long Island, New York—produced energetic anthems in the vein of Cock Sparrer and Reducers SF. Their approach echoed the foundational spirit of early British punk acts such as the Clash, Sham 69, the Sex Pistols, the Damned, and the Buzzcocks. The group came together in 1990 after singer/guitarist Carl Fritscher began collaborating with drummer Phil Rigaud. The pair initially worked as a duo before recruiting a bassist in 1992, which allowed them to perform as a trio and begin live shows. That same year they captured their material on the cassette Pure Brickwall Oi!, quickly earning notice as an American act with a distinctly British sound. In 1993 Sonic Aggression, a modest New England imprint, signed them for the limited EP The Poor Knights of Acre, pressed in roughly 600 copies before the label ceased operations and the release disappeared from circulation. Longtime bassist Perry Hardy came aboard in 1994, after which the Templars issued recordings on several small independent labels including TKO, New Blood, Dim, and Vulture Rock. For Atlanta-based GMM Records they completed the full-length The Horns of Hattin in 1999; the same company later put out the retrospective Reconquista: 1994-1998. Following their fifth LP, Outremer, in 2005, the band entered a hiatus lasting more than ten years. They resurfaced in 2017 with Deus Vult on Pirates Press Records.
Albums