WINGS OF STEEL – Winds Of Time (2025)
Every so often a comment in a review regarding some act we didn’t receive promo from, gets us curious enough to do some research. This is what led us to L.A.’s WINGS OF STEEL. A young, unheralded duo made up of guitarist Parker Halub and vocalist Leo Unnermark, they are about to unleash a very ambitious, wide-ranging ode to classic ’80s metal next October, and it deserves attention.
You see, this titanic twosome is highly talented and on “Winds Of Time” they attempt a daring blend of traditional and epic melodic metal with a side of metallic hard rock. And the monster they create is 666% Steel bait!
It stitches together influences ranging from Crimson Glory, T.N.T., early Queensrÿche, Masterplan, and Dio-era Sabbath, and somehow shoehorns in some Whitesnake for no good reason.
This is an over-the-top piece of ironworks, huge, very well produced with a modern, mammoth sound.
Wings of Steel was formed when vocalist Leo Unnermark and guitarist/bassist Parker Halub met while studying music in Los Angeles. They both shared the same vision and musical influences and began working together to create and refine their musical sound and style that would eventually become Wings of Steel.
2019 was the year the two started writing songs together, but the band Wings Of Steel did not really exist before the release of their self-titled debut EP in 2022.
“There are many, many different influences that helped to shape our sound,” explains singer Leo, who is not fond of attaching a label to his band’s style, “the music speaks for itself, words alone cannot do it justice. But some words that could begin to describe it include: epic, heavy, flashy, classic yet modern, bluesy, energetic, genuine.”
A year after the mentioned EP, the first full-length album by Wings Of Steel, ‘Gates Of Twilight’, saw the light of day, and sometime in 2024 the band got in contact with High Roller Records and eventually signed a licensing deal for their work.
‘Gates Of Twilight’ received favourable reviews, especially over in Europe, where Germany’s Rock Hard magazine described Leo’s vocals as a cross between Geoff Tate and Bruce Dickinson.
All songs on the brand-new album ”Winds Of Time” were written by Parker Halub and Leo Unnermark. Vocals were done by Leo, guitars and bass by Parker. The two form the core of Wings Of Steel. Drums were recorded by Damien Rainaud, who also mixed and mastered the album. ‘Winds Of Time’ was written, recorded, and produced in California between September and November 2024, produced by the duo.
Now the band has a complete line-up, and it’s ready to tour presenting the upcoming album.
”Winds Of Time is not exactly a full-on concept album, but the songs are generally rooted together with a similar concept,” explains Leo Unnermark. “We reflect on the state of the world today: war, tyranny, oppression, but also unity, hope, and peace. Musically, the album covers a lot of territory, and each song really has its own unique place and identity. But a great ‘overview’ could be the title track as musically and lyrically this was the song that really set the tempo for the album.”
It seems clear the duo behind WINGS OF STEEL wrote songs that would showcase their ample gifts and that they certainly do. Unnermark is a gifted vocalist with a very broad range and you hear every inch of it over the album’s runtime. At times he sounds like Geoff Tate, Dio and Midnight, sometimes in the same song. This kind of commitment to excessive overperformance can work against him, as it does whenever he forces his upper range higher and higher into infinity and beyond. Still, this is what metal is about and it’s wild to hear him stretching those vocal chords to their limits.
As he does so, Halub supplies a steady diet of ace riffing, tasteful noodling, and wild soloing. The man can tear it up and does so often with dynamic playing that skims multiple genres and styles while always remaining stately and elegant.
If you are a connoisseur of traditional melodic heavy metal and hard rock, then you should note Wings Of Steel is name you will definitely hear from a lot in the not too distant future.
“Winds Of Time” is a very impressive album and the potential these guys possess is limitless. If you’re a fan of classic metal and want to hear it done in the biggest way possible, let Wings Of Steel carry you to grandiose locales. Big stuff awaits.
01 – Winds Of Time
02 – 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
Vocals – Leo Unnermark
Lead Guitars, Bass – Parker Halub
Rhythm Guitars – Stefan John Bailet
Bass – Mathieu Trobec
Drums – Marcel Binder (Damien Rainaud on the record)
Pre order:
hrrecords.de/WINGS-OF-STEEL-Winds-of-Time-SLIPCASE-CD
