Wings Of Steel - Winds Of Time - review
Wings Of Steel - Winds Of Time - review
Tracklist
01. Winds Of Time02. Saints And Sinners
03. Crying
04. Burning Sands
05. To Die In Holy War
06. Lights Go Out
07. We Rise
08. Flight Of The Eagle
A review by
AndyMetalFreak October 28, 2025
Wings Of Steel, formed in 2019 by Leo Unnermark (vocalist) and Parker Halub (guitars/bass), arrived in style with their highly praised self-titled debut EP, which blew many away when appearing in Vol. 12 Issue #7 of our Clandestine Cuts series in 2022. Since then, they've successfully managed to become one of the NWOTHM scene's shining stars, with their full-length debut Gates Of Twilight, released the following year, becoming an instant hit with heavy metal fans for a multitude of factors.
Wings Of Steel took inspiration from the likes of Crimson Glory, Warlord, Helloween and Judas Priest, blending classic US power metal and 80s heavy metal. The debut merged these influences while bringing a level of energy and authenticity that's rarely been matched in recent years. Furthermore, the musicianship performance was all-round spectacular, to the point where you wouldn't have thought this was only their debut, alongside excellent songwriting prowess, which showed an incredible degree of maturity despite their lack of experience. Now they return 2 years later, hoping to please listeners once again with more high-end traditional heavy metal with their highly anticipated sophomore Winds Of Time. Matching the standards of the debut was always going to be a tall order, but through 8 highly memorable hair-raising, fist-pumping, traditional metal anthems, their sophomore just about manages to exceed the quality of its predecessor.
The title track "Wings Of Time" is an opener of grand epic proportions, shifting dynamically from a fiery upbeat tempo into a slow, passionate ballad over a hefty 10-minute duration. The powerful stampeding rhythm is fuelled by the rapid pounding drums of Damien Rainaud, while Halub's heavy prominent bass complements his own equally impressive guitar work, as he unleashes one mighty epic riff melody after another, followed by a breathtaking bluesy solo or two. The main highlight, however, is Unnermark's phenomenal vocal display, as his highly passionate and emotion-filled performance even manages to out-measure that from the previous album. As a singer I'd say he's right up there with the very best in modern metal right now; he seems to bellow out with such a formidable range, one that seems to combine the talents of Kiske, Halford, Tate, and the late great Dio. This is evident during the opening song, especially when he soars out the crowd-pleasing, arena anthem chorus, which really makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on edge.
Although the album gets off to the best start possible, the standard doesn't drop afterwards. The following song, "Saints And Sinners", despite being far shorter than the opener at less than 3 minutes in length, is just as catchy and energetic, with a infectiously headbangable rhythm, and chorus and riff melody that's equally memorable. Wings Of Steel maintain this early strong form across an impressive range, from the tearjerking ballad "Crying", with dazzling solos and wailing vocals that hark back to the late formidable duo of Ozzy Osbourne and Randy Rhoads, to the blood-rushing, power-surging "Burning Sands" and its slight Middle-Eastern twang.
To show their more dynamic side, "Lights Go Out" offers something a touch heavier and more mid-paced, while "Flight of the Eagle" starts off with a ballad-like build-up before eventually leading into slightly more progressive territory, similar to Queensrÿche and Crimson Glory. Winds Of Time exceeds the debut both performance-wise and in the songwriting department, and let's not forget the standard in which it's produced. There is real modern precision, with each instrument retaining a punchy and potent presence, while allowing Unnermark's vocals to really soar and echo down on you like a divine being from the realms above.
Wings Of Steel have gained quite an outstanding reputation within the NWOTHM scene at a rapid rate, having come a long way quickly since they first made their appearance on the Clandestine Cuts. Back then many of us saw a band we believed had great potential, but then how often do we see a band with that sort of potential falter after such a promising start? Not Wings Of Steel though: this heavy band is the real deal, and Winds Of Time is further proof of that. It's an outstanding effort that might not offer much to the scene in the way of originality, but certainly ticks all the right boxes to be considered a true modern US power/NWOTHM classic.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 9 |
| Originality: | 5 |
| Production: | 8 |
Written on 28.10.2025 by
Written on 28.10.2025 by
This is an honest review on my part, but you don't necessarily have to agree with it. Comments
Comments:
3
Visited by
27 users
 Posts: 1101 |
Posts: 1101
Just finished listening to this one. I fully agree with what you're saying in the review. It's not the most original work, but it's an incredibly fun and satisfying amalgamation of a ton of influences. Great musicianship and impressive vocals are all on display here. Probably one of the better traditional heavy metal releases I have listened to so far this year. Definitely going to give this some more spins in the next few days.
Loading...
|
| Posts: 6623 |
Posts: 6623 Written by tominator on 31.10.2025 at 01:17 This is great album, my current favorite on the NWOTHM scene this year. They're certainly one of the best band's in the heavy metal business right now, and showing great potential.
Loading...
|
 Posts: 64371 |
Posts: 64371
Good job,2 or 3 songs as singles was good wanted listen whole album,but forgot about it.
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
Loading...
|
Hits total: 888 | This month: 18