Sacred Steel - Reborn in Steel
Even if you’ve never heard a single song by Sacred Steel you’ve probably at least heard stories of their singer. Gerrit P. Mutz, to many, has one of the worst singing voices in Metal, but to others, he gives the band plenty of character and a unique sound. I’m sort of in between, but that will be discussed later. I think the most important thing to do, for the time being, is look past the vocals and concentrate on the actual music, which when stripped down, is a mix of raw Power/Speed Metal with Thrash tendencies.
As one might guess from an opening song title such as, “Metal Reigns Supreme”, Sacred Steel are full of cheese and are out to destroy posers. Sound familiar? Indeed, some lyrics on here would make even Manowar grin, but I personally enjoy the lyrics. You have some songs that praise Metal and others are about battle, victory, and all things medieval. They’re by no means a major highlight, but I like them, in a guilty pleasure sort of way. As mentioned, the actual music is sort of a raw Power/Speed Metal sound that is mixed with some Thrash. The production is a little muted and the guitars are quite dirty… still clear enough to hear everything, but it’s a lot more raw than you typical crystal clean production Power Metal band. Likewise, in the classic 80’s fashion, every instrument is audible from the ride cymbal, to the bass guitar, to the pounding double bass. The actual music is very guitar driven as well. There are no keyboards to be found anywhere and there aren’t really any secondary melodic leads over the riffs. These is just pure, semi-Thrash/Power Metal riffs that are usually played fast, as most songs are up tempo, but occasionally the band does slow down for a more doomy and dark approach. Of course, 75 percent of this CD is filled with double bass and fast drumming with choppy guitars, but some nice variation is thrown in with songs like “Sword Of The King” and “Kill The Deceiver”. The former is almost progressive in nature as the first half is a slow, kind of dark song. I would not call it a ballad, but it’s definitely plodding. However, it eventually builds up to a fast song that has two distinct and very different sections. “Sword Of The King” demonstrates clever, if not somewhat commonplace, but the nevertheless still pleasing song writing. Other songs feature a mixture of the fast sections with a slow or mid-paced break here and there, while “Battle Angel” is somewhat different all together. This song is sort of in between fast and mid-paced, and has an interesting rhythm structure that you don’t hear Sacred Steel use too often.
I’d say overall that the music is well done. Every person in the band has a good skill level and there are some memorable riffs (the verse of “Purified By Pain” for example) and good guitar solos are woven into the songs throughout. The solos won’t win any awards for technical prowess, but they tend to fit the mood and rhythm of the song very well, and in the end I’d rather have that than someone playing a technical solo, just for the sake of it being technical. The production, though flawed, is a highlight in my opinion but that type of thing will depend on each persons taste. As for the vocals: Mutz uses a high-pitched singing style that is absent of any kind of vibrato or raw ability as found in some other well known Power Metal singers. You sort of have to hear it for yourself and it’s definitely not for everyone. I’ll be the first to admit that he isn’t that good of a singer, but maybe it’s because I’ve grown use to it over time, but Mutz just has a certain delivery and style that says, “this is Sacred Steel” and not a thousand other copy cat bands. How would they sound with a singer that has a similar skill level as say, Michael Kiske or Geoff Tate? It’s a simple answer actually; they wouldn’t sound like Sacred Steel anymore and while they probably would appeal to more people, that’s not what the band is about. They obviously have a high passion for Metal and if you don’t like them, they don’t care, and thus I have to respect that.
Sure, there is nothing overly amazing or fantastical about Reborn In Steel, but what Sacred Steel do, they do well and it thus a pleasing CD is present despite the faults which also include songs that just aren’t as interesting as the really good one’s on here. Every song has a highlight or two, that is obvious to me, but not every track is solid from beginning to end. Just look at the title track, which has an excellent verse and pre-chorus, but has an actual chorus that is kind of generic and boring. When it comes down to it, try before you buy and don’t automatically dismiss them after hearing the vocals for the first time. The vocals are an acquired taste, and granted, not everyone will like them (believe me, some don’t), but give them a chance, because the actual music is easy and fun to listen to, at least that's how I feel.
Song Highlights: Metal Reigns Supreme, Battle Angel, True Force Of Iron Glory, Purified By Pain, Sword Of The King, In The Mouth Of Madness, Sacred Steel
copas from http://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/Sacred_Steel/Reborn_in_Steel/637/
Tracklist:
Metal Reigns Supreme
Battle Angel
Trapped In Hell
True Force Of Iron Glory
Reborn In Steel
Purified By Pain
Sword Of The King
In The Mouth Of Madness
Kill The Deceiver
Sacred Steel
TKP
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