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GENERATION STEEL “Steelmachine”
GENERATION STEEL “Steelmachine”
By Dr. Abner Mality
STEEL in my blood! STEEL in my brain! My heart is made of STEEL! The sword I bear is STEEL and so is the steed between my legs! We are in the STEEL generation!
Pretty over the top, isn’t it? And not exactly the freshest approach for a metal band. And I’m sure GENERATION STEEL…mostly likely from the STEEL capital of Germany…wouldn’t have it any other way.
Now I love some crunchy traditional metal of the Teutonic variety, but you kinda get to a point where the cliches and familiar riffs are just ladled on too thick. GENERATION STEEL totters on the edge of that cliff. There is definite enjoyment to be had here if you are a fan of German warriors like GRAVEDIGGER, IRON SAVIOR, ACCEPT and even more ancient names like SINNER and FAITHFUL BREATH! But I wish these guys would have spent just a wee bit more effort on coming up with their own sound instead of just imitating others.
When the band mastermind is called “Jack The Riffer” and one of your guitarists has actually been in FAITHFUL BREATH and GRAVEDIGGER (Thilo Herrmann), you shouldn’t be too surprised by what you hear. I actually found the title track and “Wings Of Fire” to be pretty rote, but have to admit “Witches Cross” kicked my tail pretty good. The album swings between legitimately kick ass and just too typical to believe. “Fields of Pain” and “Rise Up” were so much in GRAVEDIGGER vein, I was expecting Chris Boltendahl’s grizzled tones instead of the smoother approach of singer Mike Stark (STORMBURNER, FEANOR). But I was still compelled to raise my fist and nod my head.
The epic final track “Island Of Tragedy” actually shows GENERATION STEEL at their best, with a well crafted and melodic piece of work much in the style of IRON SAVIOR. I think this is the direction they should head.
In the end, “Steelmachine” might be packed with cliches but it also has real STEEL in its heart!
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