After the “Wings of Steel” EP in 2022, the duet of Parker Halub (guitars) and Leo Unnermark (vocals) return with the debut full-length album of WINGS OF STEEL, called “Gates of Twilight”. The album concludes, more or less, the sound and the philosophy of the EP, and those who liked that mini-album will find many interesting moments here as well.
The EP had five songs, three of which could be described as classic heavy/power metal, one hard-rock track and one acoustic ballad. The same thing happens with “Gates of Twilight”, where some tracks unfold the classic metal influences and ideas of the band, some other are more “hard & heavy” oriented and the rest sound like a blend of those two styles.
The album’s opener, “Liar in Love”, is truly one of the band’s best songs, bringing in mind a very successful mixture of QUEENSRŸCHE (because of the amazing Geoff Tate vibe) with FIFTH ANGEL’s first album. The vocals in general are amazing and for many people will be the highlight of the album. Thankfully, the album has more songs in this style; “Fall in Line”, “Cry of the Damned” and “Gates of Twilight” are in the same spirit, with “Fall in Line” being one of the best songs in heavy/power metal for 2023.
The rest of the album is like listening to a heavy/power metal version of FIREHOUSE and similar bands. These songs are less speedy and heavy than the tracks we mentioned above, they are clearly more melodic, they have a playful or a ballad mood, but they manage to maintain the powerful up-tempo character of the band. “Lady of the Lost” is perhaps the best in that style.
The overall estimation about the debut of WINGS OF STEEL is that it is successful. The reason is that the band members want to create a genuine 80s metal feeling and that is actually what the listener gets. According to someone’s musical taste, some songs will attract the classic heavy/power metal audience while other tracks are for the melodic metal fans. It would be nice of course to see the band following the heavy/power metal path which perhaps suits them better, but in the meantime the album is a nice choice for those seeking something between LEATHERWOLF and QUEENSRŸCHE.
Check the discussion about the album in our forum pages.
