Prayers of Steel

Hey, for '85 you can certainly do a whole lot worse than Prayers of Steel, the only full-length and real output of any degree of note from this largely forgotten pre-Rage permutation. While many will instinctively stack this against Wagner's present heavy metal institution (and rightfully so), a logical continuation can be drawn to the earliest throes of Rage itself, if for anything due to the presence of original axe-slingers Schröder and Meyerratken. There is a clear stylistic bifurcation evident after Execution Guaranteed, primarily thanks to Manni Schmidt's venerable chops. Comparatively, the material with Schröder (including this) is less exultant and hook-driven, instead pushing a more Judas Priest-inspired, clinical breed of speed metal.

In the end, this stacks up fairly respectably next to the debuts of both Running Wild and Grave Digger, which means it can be either raucously fun or a real cringe-inducer depending on the track. Deficiencies revolving around a lack of chops loom large over Wagner's vocal delivery, but I sense a great deal of conviction in his effort here, which is in the end worth a cursory glance from a historical perspective. Really, you have two types of tracks here, the spastic and perfunctory three-minute speedsters, and the more drawn-out, fist raisers that try and summon something of a more soaring, triumphant and epic slant. By and large, Avenger have no qualms about letting the armor piercing rounds fly on numbers like "Battlefield, "Faster Than Hell," and "Adoration," which are vile, grimy German speed metal delivered in a by-the-numbers yet ultimately endearing way.

Others like "Southcross Union" are more drop-down and drag-out in their punishing allure, but are in the end rather forgettable. I respect Schröder's delivery here, but he struggles coming up with consistent and memorable hooks. These deficiencies are set in stone on plodding snoozers like the title track and "Sword Made of Steel," which try broadening the scope and churning the atmospheric cauldron by virtue of patently ludicrous lyrics, but crumble apart due to meager vocal lines and a lack of variety in the riffs. Wagner will occasionally let out a ricocheting wail like the operatic interval that salvages the end of "Southcross Union," but in the end I find myself coming back to this for the endearing ambiance and throwback appeal more than the individual performances themselves.

My favorite track is easily "Adoration," which sounds majestic as all get out opening up and largely delivers for the remainder of the duration. I also find no concern in stacking three or four of these numbers up against the comparative fare from Reign of Fear, which obviously means that fans of early Rage should give Prayers of Steel a cursory listen on these grounds alone. The lyrics may kill it for some people, what with yammering about sharpening swords and evoking The Evil One, so the expected evolution that birthed the broad conceptual spectrum of Rage can be traced all of the way back to these relatively humble origins. This all said, I can definitely recommend this to to fans of the early '80s German scene, a scene so massive it is easy to forget where many of the genre stalwarts began at. Crank Prayers of Steel during this upcoming Halloween, you just might dig it.