Faith of Steel

Item: Metal With Meaning
Author: Doug Van Pelt

Metal With Meaning

(1986)

Reviewed by Doug Van Pelt

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Label independentHeaven's Metal #10January 1987

hard rock heavy metal melodic metal

Out of the Dallas area comes a young and talented group called Faith Of Steel. "We are all in high school right now," says drummer Scott Meath, "but I feel that our band is above high school level." I would definitely have to agree with Scott's statement. They formed in October, 1984 and have played all original songs at local high schools, churches, etc. near Dallas. Last year they even recorded a video and have seen it aired on Dallas Cable's video show, Dallas Music Videos. They have recorded an impressive 45, which features "Metal With Meaning" backed with "Our Savior." "Metal With Meaning" starts off with the sound of a wave and goes into crunching chords and heavy drumming. The band harmonizes well during the chorus. Scott and bassist Ronnie Steelman shine in this song, with a good rhythm hook near the end of the song. Mark Laguna, the guitarist, does a good job with his leads. There's not a lot of flash, he goes for a more melodic, blues-based riff on these two songs. "Our Savior" starts off with a modified chorus of: "He is our Savior," and starts power chording away. There's some good hooks here, both guitar-wise and vocally. The drumming and bass back up the song with a solid beat. They definitely sound comfortable in the studio. They don't come off like they're striving to be above high school level, they already are above that level! The average age of Faith Of Steel is 17. The lyrics on these two tunes are straight forward and uplifting. Their lyrical topics range from praising God to drunken driving ("Death on Wheels").