Iron Blessings

Listening to any permutation of Sacred Steel is a seriously taxing test in patience, certainly more than a worthwhile experience for many. As for myself, I've adapted through sheer force and managed to appreciate Mutz's caterwauling for the unique character it imparts, to say nothing of the consistency of the riffs. Yes, behind all of the fracas evoked by Gerrit's idiosyncratic warbling, Sacred Steel have never shortchanged the listener when it comes to warmongering German heavy/speed with the efficient bloodletting that comes with said territory. Iron Blessings finds itself smack-dab in the middle of the band's consistent release schedule, and sort of gets "forgotten" as such, along with the slightly-superior Slaughter Prophecy.

It's certainly not a hard sell at first, though. "Open Wide the Gate" borders on death metal at times, what with the proper growling and hellfire double-bass. Mutz actually pulls the chorus off (one of the better Sacred Steel refrains I've heard), but those riffs are certainly of high enough caliber to push any lingering vocal inadequacies aside for the time being. The cleaner acoustic tones expand the breadth of the atmosphere, and the prevalence of growling throughout the entire record makes Iron Blessings one of the easier Sacred Steel efforts to sit through. At times, I am reminded of mid-era Wizard like the grimy belligerence of Head of the Deceiver. The long-gestated cross-pollination of speed metal verbosity and more weighty rhythm inclination coexists well with the lack of poignant subtlety elsewhere. Sacred Steel certainly sound imperial enough to fit the intended historical aesthetic intended.

Mutz overreaches at points, even by his standard. Take "The Darkest Saviour" for example, which is just downright annoying. He sounds like a really poor musical theater singer, and excels via a very narrow window vocally and should be aware of this by now. I honestly like the smattering diatribe style of the more enervated bruiser "At the Sabbat of the Possessed (The Witches Ride Again)," but Sacred Steel can also crank up a doomier dirge, exhibited on the hammering temperament of "The Chains of the Nazarene." In any event, the band is clearly at their best when they focus on their speed metal side, embraced full-on with very affable rhythm sensibility on fist-raising closer "We Die Fighting." Once Mutz slides into his comfort zone you more or less forget about him, with the rusted metal grit of the production giving the riffs even more character. "Victory of Black Steel;" need I say more? One of the band's stronger tunes.

And while Sacred Steel are at times somewhat one-note and too traditional for most, the riffs are the most impressive facet of Iron Blessings, and can stand toe-to-toe with some of the best. Mutz will turn many potential fans away at first blush, so I implore that listeners give the band some time to sink in properly. It doesn't necessarily become a new style in and of itself, but Iron Blessings is stuffed to the gills with quality heavy/speed riffs, and the band is certainly not void of character by any reasonable measure. This is one of their better-produced records, and along with Slaughter Prophecy a decent starting point for curious and adventurous ears.