Biography

For more than 25 years, SACRED STEEL have offered the metalhead a deadly trend-free alternative to bloated trigger drums, cheesy keyboards and boring cliché sounds that are hyped year after year as "the next big thing in metal". 

Already with their debut album "Reborn In Steel" (1997 as the first German band ever signed to Metal Blade Records) the band went their way, never forgetting their roots and developing their sound.

The 2nd album "Wargods Of Metal" was recorded in 1998 with legendary producer Bill Metoyer (Slayer, Omen, Sacred Reich among others) and has enjoyed cult status among metal fans ever since. 

In 2000, with the release of their third effort "Bloodlust", the band proved their ability to write more mature songs and unite them in an epic concept story. 
Furthermore, the band gained a large fan base through intensive touring throughout Europe, playing with bands like Nevermore, Wardog, Lefay, Destiny's End, Nocturnal Rites, Children of Bodom and Primal Fear and performing at festivals like Wacken, Bang Your Head or Summer Breeze. 

The opener and title track of the following album "Slaughter Prophecy" (2002), a brutal metal slasher, could only mean one thing: a clear and unequivocal statement against a softish power metal genre in which many bands lose themselves in orchestral keyboard sounds, boring melody hooks, programmed computer drums and happy metal. Where other bands weakened, the sledgehammer still ruled in the SACRED STEEL camp. They weren't even afraid to incorporate death metal elements into their sound, in the vein of some of their favourites like Morbid Angel or Death. The result was an ultra-heavy, dark and raw piece of hate that was released by their new label Massacre Records to great acclaim. 

They followed this path, albeit a bit more melodic on album #5 "Iron Blessings", which was released in 2004 and received the best reviews in the band's history. 

After five studio albums, it was time to capture the raw intensity of SACRED STEEL's live shows. The live DVD/double CD "Live Blessings" shows a raw, authentic, beer and sweat driven show in their hometown Ludwigsburg.  This was one of the last gigs with the old line-up, which has not been changed on any albums to date. 

In 2006, bassist Jens switched to guitar and the new members Jonas Khalil as new guitarist and Kai Schindelar on bass could be added within a very short time. The first result of this new line-up, "Hammer of Destruction", was released in 2006 and literally cries out to be worshipped. After a vinyl sound intro, the infernal title track hammers everything down. The massive and organic sound comes from German producer legend Harris Johns, who recorded many of the band's favourites such as Saint Vitus, Voivod, Kreator, early Helloween or Tankard and is known for his authentic 80s sound. The high-speed smasher "Maniacs of Speed" was chosen for the band's first ever video clip. 

In 2009, "Carnage Victory" finally found its way onto the battlefields of the metal community and was accompanied by another massive live offensive that took the band to countries like Croatia, Serbia or Slovenia for the first time and to important festivals like the Rock Hard Festival or Bang Your Head, Swordbrothers, Thrash Assault or Summer Breeze. 

After that, SACRED STEEL's respectable fan community had to wait more than three long years until the band teamed up with Cruz Del Sur Music to release their eighth studio album "The Bloodshed Summoning" in 2013. Recorded in Poland and produced by the band together with Bart Gabriel, this work offers everything old or new SACRED STEEL fans could wish for: heavy riffs and aggressive but catchy metal anthems.  

In 2016, SACRED STEEL held their 20th anniversary, which was festively celebrated with the release of the band's perhaps most mature album to date, "Heavy Metal Sacrifice". The band also toured internationally and played further concerts in Italy, the Czech Republic, Greece, Cyprus, Poland, etc.

After a short forced break between 2020 and 2022 (you all know why), SACRED STEEL and Jens and Kai parted ways. 

In 2023 Toni Ieva (bass) and Jörn Langenfeld (guitar) joined the band. The new line-up rapidly grew together and brought SACRED STEEL back on stage. Well-acclaimed concerts at important festivals such as Metaleros, Up The Hammers (Athens, Greece), Metalheadz and the No Playback Festival quickly placed SACRED STEEL back into the focus of the Metal scene. In 2024, a new record deal was signed with Reigning Phoenix Music. The release of Album #10 "Ritual Supremacy" is scheduled for April 2025 and will be celebrated with a return appearance at the 25th anniversary of Keep It True Festival 2025 and many more shows.  

So let's open the next chapter and let there be ... SACRED STEEL. 

SACRED STEEL is a trademark in the metal scene: all METAL with attitude, never everybody’s darling – and damn proud of it!