1. Can you give us an update on what is going on with the band these days?
We are just about to release our 8th album entitled "The Bloodshed Summoning" via Cruz Del Sur records.
To promote that we´re trying to play as many shows as possible and do as many interviews as possible. It´s as simple as that :).
2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album and how it differs from previous efforts?
It´s a bit more aggressive and faster in places. You could say "thrashier", I guess. Also a bit more intricate and adventurous.
It´s not easy to describe our sound because all the songs differ pretty much. To explain it to somebody who has never heard us but nevertheless knows his metal I´d try it with these comparisons:
it´s a mixture of everything strange and odd that came out between 1982 and 1992.
Throw together the weirdness of the singers of bands like Thrust, Lazarus Sin, Wrath, Satan´s Host, Scott Reagers era Saint Vitus, Cirith Ungol, oldest Liege Lord or Mercyful Fate, mix that with guitars heavily influenced by the likes of Sanctuary/Nevermore, Morbid Angel, Immolation, Nocturnus or Forbidden,
add a pumping bass like in any self respecting metal band and a pounding drummer that kicks your balls off. Got the picture?
3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new release?
Lots of blasphemy´s included this time. As an atheist you simply just can laugh at the sheer insanity of "monotheistic wisdom" and bigotry.
Apart from that there are stories about WWI and WWII as well as lyrics inspired by real nightmares.
4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?
To us steel is sacred! Not god, not money, not hip hop, nothing but metal is holy. "Holy Metal" sounded too hilarious so we chose "Sacred Steel" as our monicker back in 1996. It clearly shows what music we play. At least that´s what we thought back then :). Now we know that "Sacred Steel" also is the name of gospel music played on steel guitar. Mhhh, we also play gospel music somehow...so I guess it´s nevertheless a fitting name, haha. Wimps of the faith may view this kinda different though...
5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
If I just would remember names and places, I´d surely tell you where we had our best gigs so far! My mind´s pretty fucked up, so I just can tell you that the best one was in small club in Holland with maybe 20 paying people. One of the best night of our lives!
Also a gig in Switzerland was amazing. Not to forget some really outstanding gigs in Greece, Spain and Italy!
Surprisingly the bigger shows in front of several hundred or even thousands of people (like e.g. in Wacken) were just OK but not more.
Guess, we really belong into smaller clubs with a few devoted sweating headbangers.
If we´re not too drunk, which happens sometimes, we´re a pretty good live band! Energetic, in your face and totally old school!
6. Do you have any touring plans for the future?
Nope, we all have busy lives, time schedules filled to the brim, families, other hobbies etc. This just does not allow us to tour properly.
We do whatever weekend gigs we can do though.
7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your new album by fans of power and thrash metal?
So far all the reviews I´ve read have been very positive! Usually there are way more negative ones, especially the ones that rave about my singing.
So, this time I seem to have done everything wrong. Welcome to the sell-out and within the mainstream, haha.
We have to wait until the album is finally out and then see how it really sells. Then we can judge if we have released another flop or if we finally have been able to release a hit single/album! :)
8. What is going on with the other musical projects these days?
I´m writing new songs with my greek friends in Battleroar, I´m still playing doom with my old mates in Dawn Of Winter and my newer buddies in Angel Of Damnation plus I´m still involved in various projects like The Thirteenth Of November and Throne Of Isolation.
With Angel Of damnation we´ll play live for the first time ever this year, at a festival in Denmark along with the mighty Hobbs´Angel Of Death and Mortuary Drape etc.
9.What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
Judging by what we have done on the past 2-3 records I think we´ll just continue from there without straying from the path too much.
It depends on what ideas the other guys will come up with. I just hope that they´re inspired enough to at least write stuff that´s in the same vein as our more doomy or thrashier stuff on the latest efforts. Maybe even some speed metal here or there as well. I will then try to come up with adequate lyrics to fill the void.
I hate instrumental records :). I maybe will call the next record "Altars Of Blasphemy". We´ll see...
10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
I can´t really say what influenced our songwriters Jonas and Jens in the past years. I just hope that they got inspired by their fave bands mentioned in one of the previous answers already. I don´t care really. As long as the ideas they come up with sound like good material worthy of Sacred Steel.
What I am listening to nowadays? Puh, tons of stuff...Father Befouled, Adele, Worship, Morbid Scream, Attic, Alunah, Troubled Horse, Blood Ceremony, Hawkwind, Absu, Brocas Helm, Darkthrone, Genesis with Peter Gabriel, Encoffination, Orchid, Confessor, Marillion with Fish, Spiders, Hexvessel, Horisont, Sabbath Assembly, Blue Cheer, The Foreshadowing, Uriah Heep, Profanatica, The Devil´s Blood, Burning Witch, Holy Terror, Phantom´s Divine Comedy,
Coven, Carnivore, Bad Religion, Om, Trouble, Pentagram, Autopsy, Jefferson Airplane, Druid, Jesters Of Destiny, Dream Death, Salem Mass, Portal, Atomic Rooster, Bloodrock, Sleep, Sir Lord Baltimore, Lucifer´s Friend, Soul Manifest, Woven Hand, Blessed Death, Warpig, Mountain, Ghost, Sacrilege (UK), Kate Bush, Witchkiller, Pilgrim, High Tide, Winter, Havohej, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, Las Cruces, The Plasmatics, The Doors...
11. How would you describe your views on Occultism?
I have no views on Occultism at all. I like the vibe of forbidden lore and the aura it spreads but I don´t really understand this at all. I prefer to stay away from any white or black magic. I believe in nothing and I don´t want to tend myself into believing anything. No god and no religion for me. Thank you.
12. Outside of music what are some of your interests?
Good movies, good food, good talks with good friends, good lovin´, good fun, good sleep, good weather.
13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
Thanks for your interest in Sacred Steel and thanks for supporting us! Much appreciated! On behalf of Sacred Steel, Gerrit P. Mutz
We are just about to release our 8th album entitled "The Bloodshed Summoning" via Cruz Del Sur records.
To promote that we´re trying to play as many shows as possible and do as many interviews as possible. It´s as simple as that :).
2. How would you describe the musical sound of the new album and how it differs from previous efforts?
It´s a bit more aggressive and faster in places. You could say "thrashier", I guess. Also a bit more intricate and adventurous.
It´s not easy to describe our sound because all the songs differ pretty much. To explain it to somebody who has never heard us but nevertheless knows his metal I´d try it with these comparisons:
it´s a mixture of everything strange and odd that came out between 1982 and 1992.
Throw together the weirdness of the singers of bands like Thrust, Lazarus Sin, Wrath, Satan´s Host, Scott Reagers era Saint Vitus, Cirith Ungol, oldest Liege Lord or Mercyful Fate, mix that with guitars heavily influenced by the likes of Sanctuary/Nevermore, Morbid Angel, Immolation, Nocturnus or Forbidden,
add a pumping bass like in any self respecting metal band and a pounding drummer that kicks your balls off. Got the picture?
3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new release?
Lots of blasphemy´s included this time. As an atheist you simply just can laugh at the sheer insanity of "monotheistic wisdom" and bigotry.
Apart from that there are stories about WWI and WWII as well as lyrics inspired by real nightmares.
4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?
To us steel is sacred! Not god, not money, not hip hop, nothing but metal is holy. "Holy Metal" sounded too hilarious so we chose "Sacred Steel" as our monicker back in 1996. It clearly shows what music we play. At least that´s what we thought back then :). Now we know that "Sacred Steel" also is the name of gospel music played on steel guitar. Mhhh, we also play gospel music somehow...so I guess it´s nevertheless a fitting name, haha. Wimps of the faith may view this kinda different though...
5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
If I just would remember names and places, I´d surely tell you where we had our best gigs so far! My mind´s pretty fucked up, so I just can tell you that the best one was in small club in Holland with maybe 20 paying people. One of the best night of our lives!
Also a gig in Switzerland was amazing. Not to forget some really outstanding gigs in Greece, Spain and Italy!
Surprisingly the bigger shows in front of several hundred or even thousands of people (like e.g. in Wacken) were just OK but not more.
Guess, we really belong into smaller clubs with a few devoted sweating headbangers.
If we´re not too drunk, which happens sometimes, we´re a pretty good live band! Energetic, in your face and totally old school!
6. Do you have any touring plans for the future?
Nope, we all have busy lives, time schedules filled to the brim, families, other hobbies etc. This just does not allow us to tour properly.
We do whatever weekend gigs we can do though.
7. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your new album by fans of power and thrash metal?
So far all the reviews I´ve read have been very positive! Usually there are way more negative ones, especially the ones that rave about my singing.
So, this time I seem to have done everything wrong. Welcome to the sell-out and within the mainstream, haha.
We have to wait until the album is finally out and then see how it really sells. Then we can judge if we have released another flop or if we finally have been able to release a hit single/album! :)
8. What is going on with the other musical projects these days?
I´m writing new songs with my greek friends in Battleroar, I´m still playing doom with my old mates in Dawn Of Winter and my newer buddies in Angel Of Damnation plus I´m still involved in various projects like The Thirteenth Of November and Throne Of Isolation.
With Angel Of damnation we´ll play live for the first time ever this year, at a festival in Denmark along with the mighty Hobbs´Angel Of Death and Mortuary Drape etc.
9.What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
Judging by what we have done on the past 2-3 records I think we´ll just continue from there without straying from the path too much.
It depends on what ideas the other guys will come up with. I just hope that they´re inspired enough to at least write stuff that´s in the same vein as our more doomy or thrashier stuff on the latest efforts. Maybe even some speed metal here or there as well. I will then try to come up with adequate lyrics to fill the void.
I hate instrumental records :). I maybe will call the next record "Altars Of Blasphemy". We´ll see...
10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
I can´t really say what influenced our songwriters Jonas and Jens in the past years. I just hope that they got inspired by their fave bands mentioned in one of the previous answers already. I don´t care really. As long as the ideas they come up with sound like good material worthy of Sacred Steel.
What I am listening to nowadays? Puh, tons of stuff...Father Befouled, Adele, Worship, Morbid Scream, Attic, Alunah, Troubled Horse, Blood Ceremony, Hawkwind, Absu, Brocas Helm, Darkthrone, Genesis with Peter Gabriel, Encoffination, Orchid, Confessor, Marillion with Fish, Spiders, Hexvessel, Horisont, Sabbath Assembly, Blue Cheer, The Foreshadowing, Uriah Heep, Profanatica, The Devil´s Blood, Burning Witch, Holy Terror, Phantom´s Divine Comedy,
Coven, Carnivore, Bad Religion, Om, Trouble, Pentagram, Autopsy, Jefferson Airplane, Druid, Jesters Of Destiny, Dream Death, Salem Mass, Portal, Atomic Rooster, Bloodrock, Sleep, Sir Lord Baltimore, Lucifer´s Friend, Soul Manifest, Woven Hand, Blessed Death, Warpig, Mountain, Ghost, Sacrilege (UK), Kate Bush, Witchkiller, Pilgrim, High Tide, Winter, Havohej, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, Las Cruces, The Plasmatics, The Doors...
11. How would you describe your views on Occultism?
I have no views on Occultism at all. I like the vibe of forbidden lore and the aura it spreads but I don´t really understand this at all. I prefer to stay away from any white or black magic. I believe in nothing and I don´t want to tend myself into believing anything. No god and no religion for me. Thank you.
12. Outside of music what are some of your interests?
Good movies, good food, good talks with good friends, good lovin´, good fun, good sleep, good weather.
13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
Thanks for your interest in Sacred Steel and thanks for supporting us! Much appreciated! On behalf of Sacred Steel, Gerrit P. Mutz
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