{"id":311718,"date":"2025-10-17T21:26:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T21:26:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/311718\/"},"modified":"2025-10-17T21:26:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T21:26:10","slug":"wings-of-steel-winds-of-time-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/311718\/","title":{"rendered":"Wings of Steel – Winds of Time Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"I know what you\u2019re thinking: how is it that ClarkKent<\/strong> is reviewing Wings of Steel<\/strong> instead of Steel Druhm<\/strong>? Believe it or not, he let me review it. After all, he\u2019s not the only steel-named writer in these halls. For those not steeped in DC universe lore, my nickname is Man of Steel<\/strong>\u2014though Steel<\/strong>, in his fatherly way, prefers to call me dumbass, like Red Forman in That \u201970s Show. But I see symbolism in his gesture of letting me review this, like he\u2019s taken me under his wings\u2014of steel. Not that he has wings. I don\u2019t have wings either, but I can fly, so it\u2019s fitting that I get to review the sophomore effort from this sensational group out of L.A. Last time we saw them two years ago, they were but a duo. They have since added a drummer, Damien Rainaud, as well as a couple of other uncredited musicians pictured in the band photo. Read on to find out if it\u2019s safe to bask in the breeze of Winds of Time, or whether you\u2019d best stay upwind.<\/p>\n

The additional member(s) and a label does come with a slight change in sound\u2014but no worries, Winds of Time is still pure \u201970s and \u201980s anthemic classic metal worship. This time around, they have a much more focused attack. Where Steel<\/strong> found the genre shifts on Gates of Twilight<\/a> \u201cscattershot,\u201d this time around, you get very little of the epic doom or bluesy stuff and mostly speed metal and power ballads. This is full-on Iron Maiden<\/strong><\/a>, Judas Priest<\/strong><\/a>, Crimson Glory<\/strong>, and Queensryche<\/strong><\/a> worship. Wings of Steel<\/strong> demonstrate their speedy prowess right from the get-go on opener \u201cWinds of Time.\u201d This ten-minute epic shows off their catchy and dynamic songwriting, as the song twists and turns organically, swapping from speed to ballad and strung together by at least three fast and furious solos. If you love blustery solos, then you best prepare to get blown away by Winds of Time.<\/p>\n

Wings of Steel<\/strong> know how to grab your attention, whether it\u2019s on the Painkiller-era, adrenaline-fueled \u201cSaints and Sinners,\u201d or the M\u00f6tley Cr\u00fce<\/strong> and Ozzy Osbourne<\/strong>-style ballad of \u201cCrying.\u201d It\u2019s not just the energy of the one or the tear-inducing effect of the other. These tunes will have you belting along with the heart-pumping choruses while shredding a mean air guitar. The lyrics, at least those I could pick out, are a mix of rousing and moving. \u201cTo Die in Holy War\u201d takes a play out of the Iron Maiden<\/strong> book in its ability to tell a poignant story. It combines some doleful guitar riffs with powerful blast beats and furious, energetic riffs to convey an anti-war message. The true showstopper is the phenomenal closer, \u201cFlight of the Eagle.\u201d Aided by a killer melody and brilliant chorus, this song slowly, methodically builds up to a climax that rocked my socks and had me in tears. It\u2019s that good.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Impressive as the songwriting is, the musicianship is also top-notch. Leo Unnermark evokes Dio<\/strong> and Midnight<\/strong>, bringing a charismatic energy to his vocal performance. He attacks every note with confidence, from soft croons to high in the sky screams, and, at least to my ears, his voice never strains. Even if it does here and there, so what? The guy is having a blast and it shows. On the kit, Rainaud\u2019s drums punch with force and his blast beats are relentless, but he also shows a more sensitive side when the album requires it. Parker Halub handles axe duty with aplomb. The riffs are great, and he helps tracks stay lively through the use of \u201980s squeals and harmonics that give songs like \u201cBurning Sands\u201d a feeling of constant kinetic motion. These guys are all playing their A-game.<\/p>\n

With all that\u2019s come in the preceding paragraphs, there\u2019s no doubt Wings of Steel<\/strong> have achieved greatness. Yes, there\u2019s still some room to improve. Song lengths could be tightened here and there, and the tune \u201cLights Go Out\u201d sounds like a piece of epic doom inspired by Rush<\/strong>\u2019s \u201cTom Sawyer,\u201d and it sticks out like a sore thumb. It\u2019s not a bad song, but it brings a completely different vibe from the rest of the record. Still, the surrounding material on Winds of Time is strong enough to whip up hurricane-force gales and demolish that poor score counter. These guys have improved on an already really good debut\u2014next time I might not be so lucky to claim it from our overlord ape.<\/p>\n

\ufeff<\/p>\n

Rating<\/strong>: 4.0\/5.0
DR<\/strong>: 7 | Format Reviewed<\/strong>: 320 kbps mp3
Label<\/strong>: RFL Music Entertainment<\/a>
Websites<\/strong>: Bandcamp<\/a> | Facebook<\/a> | Official Site<\/a>
Releases Worldwide<\/strong>: October 17th, 2025<\/p>\n

\n\tGive in to Your Anger:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I know what you\u2019re thinking: how is it that ClarkKent is reviewing Wings of Steel instead of Steel…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":311719,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[1444,18520,18521,157276,157277,171,18527,21929,93526,157278,9350,975,141230,16513,45538,2290,11853,157279,99667,67,132,68,157280,157281],"class_list":{"0":"post-311718","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-1444","9":"tag-4-0","10":"tag-american-metal","11":"tag-crimson-glory","12":"tag-dio","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-heavy-metal","15":"tag-iron-maiden","16":"tag-judas-priest","17":"tag-midnight","18":"tag-motley-crue","19":"tag-music","20":"tag-oct25","21":"tag-ozzy-osbourne","22":"tag-queensryche","23":"tag-review","24":"tag-reviews","25":"tag-rfl-music-entertainment","26":"tag-rush","27":"tag-united-states","28":"tag-unitedstates","29":"tag-us","30":"tag-winds-of-time","31":"tag-wings-of-steel"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115391626718417442","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=311718"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311718\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/311719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=311718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=311718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=311718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}