Artist: Sacred Steel
Title: Carnage Victory
Type: Album
Label: Massacre Records

This is a tough one - I really WANT to like Sacred Steel. Their hearts are in the right place, they are clearly enthusiastic for all things 'true' and their ability as musicians is not to be questioned. So when all is said and done, why does 'Carnage - Victory' leave me so unmoved? Why, when the frantic riff attack of 'Charge into Overkill' thuds forth do I not feel my pulse racing? How is it that the arcane, strident clarion call of 'Ceremonial Magician of the Left Hand Path' does not captivate me with its spell? Once again, a band with all of the ingredients in place falls down at that one crucial step - songwriting. Put simply, Sacred Steel are not as yet anywhere near capable of penning the kind of anthems that have elevated acts such as Blind Guardian and Doomsword into the true metal 'premier league'.

When all is said and done, while 'Carnage - Victory' delivers a satisfying enough 'meat and potatoes' dose of classic metal, it is as unexciting as it is unoriginal. If all that is required to succeed within this genre is a sturdy production, twin guitar harmonies, chugging chords and a wailing, semi-hysterical vocalist then Sacred Steel are poised for glory. Nevertheless, the absence of anything truly memorable on this record does not bode well. Only the title track truly stands out as snagging the brain with anything remotely resembling a hook. Other tracks waft past in a noisy 'metal sounding' bluster delivering little of substance - I would challenge anyone to come away from the hopelessly one-dimensional 'Denial of Judas' with any element of the song standing out no matter how many times they subject themselves to it. This is true for nearly every song on the album - the same ideas, keys and tempos cropping up time and again.

Sacred Steel seem to have fallen into the trap of assuming that simply throwing stock 'true metalisms' into the mix with scant regard for composing anything with any real depth or meaning will suffice for getting fists banging on denim 'n' leather clad rivetheads worldwide but they are sadly mistaken. It may get the hair twirling in front of a field full of drunken German festival goers who sacrificed any remaining quality control with their last swig of Kolsch but it really isn't enough. Lazy and derivative stuff that leaves Sacred Steel thoroughly mired in the second tier of the genre.

http://www.sacred.cavillator.de
whttp://www.myspace.com/truesacredsteel

Frank Allain

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