Band:	Wings Of Steel
Album:	Gates Of Twilight
Style:	Hard rock, Heavy metal, US power metal
Release date:	May 19, 2023
A review by:	nikarg

01. Liar In Love
02. Fall In Line
03. Garden Of Eden
04. Cry Of The Damned
05. She Cries
06. Lady Of The Lost
07. Leather And Lace
08. Slave Of Sorrows
09. Gates Of Twilight
10. Into The Sun

How do you make heavy metal interesting in 2023? Well, you lace it with some melodic U.S. power metal, some bluesy hard rock, and you have a guitar god playing guitar, while an unbelievably gifted vocalist is singing as supremely as Halford, Kiske, and Tate, all at once. Finally, and most importantly, you write spectacular songs.

We discovered Wings Of Steel in 2022 here at Metal Storm, which was the year the band released their self-titled, debut EP. Wings Of Steel gathered the most votes in issue #7 of 2022’s Clandestine Cuts from you, our users, and consequently came second in the votes in last year’s Metal Storm Awards. The band showed from the very beginning that they were capable of great things in a style that is, unfortunately, very much saturated by mediocre musicianship and uninteresting songwriting.

The musical style of Wings Of Steel can be described as ‘80s Judas Priest-influenced heavy metal, mixed with melodic U.S. power metal, reminiscent of bands like Crimson Glory, early Queensrÿche, and Fifth Angel, as you can tell from songs like “Liar In Love”, "Fall In Line", “Cry Of The Damned”, and the title track. One of the standout features of their sound is the incorporation of hard rock and blues influences, which adds another tasty flavour to their compositions. Tracks like "Garden Of Eden”, “Lady Of The Lost”, "Leather And Lace”, and "Into The Sun" bring to mind the likes of Led Zeppelin, Whitesnake, and even Black Sabbath’s Seventh Star. Then, for metalheads who are in a sentimental mood, "She Cries" bears similarities with “Beyond The Realms Of Death” in a -surprisingly- very successful way. And, despite all the obvious influences permeating the songs, Wings Of Steel do have a sound of their own.

In terms of execution, I have rarely come across new bands with such a powerful vocalist and such a talented guitar player. Leo Unnermark can do anything he wants with his voice, his range is impressive, and he just kills it with his performance. Parker Halub is nothing less than a guitar hero; the riffs here are memorable, the acoustic guitar is very emotional-sounding, and the solos are mind-bendingly incredible.

Gates Of Twilight is an album that could easily have been released around 1986, and it would have been treated as a classic today. Still, it sounds amazing in 2023 with its modern production, even though there is no label support behind Wings Of Steel (are you label people deaf?). It is one of the very few albums that you can throw a dart, choose any track as a sample, and you won’t be anything less than impressed. While wearing its influences on its sleeves, this is an individual-sounding and fascinating debut album that is, plain and simple, top-class heavy metal.

“Oh, we rise and fall together
In a perfect harmony
The search goes on forever
We’re lost in chains
Hear the cries"