Sacred Steel was one of our dear photographer’s choices, as she had been fond of the band once back in the day, and yet had never seen them.
She’d played an album or two before we set out towards the festival, but I can honestly say I wasn’t too impressed with what I heard. Still, they could be amusing, you know?

“Forgive my bad English, but it’s the first time I’m sober on stage.”
- Gerrit P. Mutz (vocals)

The sun had already set behind the mountain tops, and a small and spread out crowd occupied the grounds in front of the second stage as the band made their appearance.
The band members mostly looked like something pulled straight out of the good old ‘Eighties, which of course was fitting for the special genre they have devoted their musicality too – power metal. With a capitol P. If you haven’t heard them before, Sacred Steel is a composite of every cliché out there, and except for a surprising stint of growled vocals prominently displayed in the heavier than the norm Open Wide The Gate, there is absolutely nothing new under the metal sun here. That’s not necessarily necessary though, not to create a fun time, and that’s something Sacred Steel were much more proficient in than writing unique material.

“More vocals?! Why do you want more vocals? Am I not enough for you?”
- Mutz (vocals)

Gerrit P. Mutz, despite his sunglasses, was a born frontman, and even though I feel his vocal capabilities leave something to be desired, his talent in leading the show and keeping the audience entertained does not. Between each and every song he had some fun input to share, borderline silly at times, but it kept the momentum going.
The rest of the band didn’t make much of themselves in this way, but on the other hand they were great at adding some power poses during the songs, and that’s important as well, especially in this type of music.
Down in the rows of the audience things weren’t quite as bombastic as they were on stage, except for one guy in the front, who was going completely bananas in his own little bubble of ecstatic enjoyment. Still, I daresay the rest of the crowd enjoyed themselves as well – the sing-along’s, and applause between songs, bore clear evidence of this. If this still was not enough to convince you, the frenzied yet non-violent fights for ownership of the drumsticks and setlists the band threw off the stage at the end of the show, left no doubt in our minds.

“Feel free to hug your neighbour, or light something on fire.”
- Mutz (vocals)

The show did nothing to persuade me of the band’s musical capabilities, but both Lunah and I felt royally entertained at the end of the concert, and that’s certainly worth something as well!

Setlist:

Metal Is War
Heavy Metal To The End
Open Wide The Gate
Battle Angel
No God / No Religion
Faces Of The Antichrist
Broken Rites
Maniacs Of Speed
Blood On My Steel
Wargods Of Metal