C O L U M N S

Featured Demo

Steel Preacher - Route 666

By: Eric Compton
Published: Thursday, July 17, 2003
Steel Preacher - Route 666

Tracklisting
1. Into war
2. Sworn to fight
3. Route 666
4. Metal till death
5. Fire and steel
6. Metalforces
7. Story of steel
8. Messengers of steel

Links
Band Website

"Route 666" is the self financed demo from Germany's Steel Preacher.

Most of you familiar with my reviews know that I'm a huge fan of German power metal. Steel Preacher fits nicely in what I like to think of as my personal metal niche. This 3-piece rough and tumble act seems hell bent on chasing women, drinking beer, and playing fast heavy metal ala Tankard or Accept. The group really drives home a dirty, bluesy metal sound on the listener. One can almost think of Motorhead at times, only a bit more metal oriented as opposed to punk.

Vocalist Steel Preacher (I'm not kidding!) reminds me of Death SS frontman Steve Sylvester, with a high pitched grainy vocal style on these songs. Of course this is only a demo so those vocals may change on better production, but I like what he is doing with these songs.

Tracks like "Sworn To Fight" and "Route 666" are great German fare, with tons of guitar melody grinding across a mid-paced assault of old school metal. Belgian new wave band Killer comes to mind on some songs like "Metal Till Death", with its down and dirty thrash attack over a tight drum battery courtesy of Hendrick. The band even takes some time to poke fun at metal warriors Manowar with "Story Of Steel".

The band did a great job packaging this album, with a killer album cover and a nice in-lay booklet to go with it. Its really surprising to think of this as a demo, but the band insists that's all it is right now.

Great things are sure to come for Steel Preacher. Hopefully the band can land a decent record deal and we can hear a better produced offering next time. Limb and Remedy, please check these guys out!!

Rock Hard, Die Free.




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