Never has the saying been so true... Just over a year after the release of their debut album ‘Gates of Twilight’, which opened the gates to success, Wings of Steel are back with their second effort, ‘Winds of Time’, confirming the talent of this band that is going from strength to strength...
We met in May 2024 to discuss your first album released in 2023, and now you're back less than two years later. When we saw you, you said you were hungry, and given how quickly you've worked, we can confirm that! How did you manage to move so fast when some bands take four or five years to come back?
Going back to our beginnings, Parker and I met in Hollywood. We studied music together. We were hungry and eager to start a heavy metal band, and that hunger has never gone away: it's something that will always be there.
So as soon as we finished our first album, ‘Wings of Steel’, we were already writing the next one.
Can we assume that the tracks on ‘Winds of Time’ were already ready at the time of the first album? In fact, we noticed that you played two tracks from the new album on a few dates this summer, ‘We Rise’ and ‘Winds of Time’...
No, actually, none of the songs on this album were written before Parker and I got together last summer. In August, we wrote and recorded the entire new album. We just decided to play “Winds of Time”, which was in demo form, because we thought it was a very good song to showcase the next chapter of Wings of Steel. We played that song before releasing it at a few gigs, but other than that, nothing was really written.
We were so busy, we didn't really pay attention to how people were receiving us.
Before we get back to the album, let's talk about the immediate aftermath of the release of Gates of Twilight. The band quickly made a name for itself, and there was even a bit of a whirlwind surrounding you. How did you deal with all that fame? Wasn't it difficult to keep a cool head?
As you know, we were very busy, and because we were so busy, we didn't really pay attention to how people received us. We know what we want to do, and we did it. But of course, we appreciate all the feedback we get, but we remain focused, knowing that for us, time has passed extremely quickly.
You said you were focused at the time, but since then, have you had a chance to step back and appreciate what has happened?
Yes, the biggest difference is noticeable during concerts. Unlike our first concerts, now the audience sings our songs, more people come to see us, and even at festivals. We've noticed this on stage, but also on social media, which is growing more and more...
So yes, we can say that people like what we do, and the most rewarding thing is to see that some people come from abroad specifically to see us...
How do you explain that, knowing that Wings of Steel is a very young band?
I don't know. You'd have to ask our audience, who are crazy enough to listen to us and support us the way they do. It all depends on the fans and the people we work with, like Replica in France...
Our job is to make sure our music remains authentic and true, and not to sell our souls.
Not only because if you didn't have the necessary talent, you'd be a one-album band...
That's right! Our job is to make the best music possible. Our job is to make sure our music stays authentic and true, and not to sell our souls by doing what others want us to do. That's something we've maintained throughout all our releases, and it's very important. Looking back, I think that's the main reason why people like our music.
But yes, authenticity is the most important thing...
Exactly! That's where it all comes from, and we genuinely love what we do. And as long as you love what you do, it's not difficult to show it. On the other hand, when you force something, whether on stage or on an album, people can sense it.
We've been ready since we were teenagers!
As you suggested, the tour was intense, you played everywhere and at quite a few festivals, I'm thinking of Rock Hard in Germany or Keep It True, the legendary heavy metal festival. Was it stressful or exciting to rub shoulders with a very knowledgeable and sometimes demanding audience?
I think Keep it True was the band's fifth gig... Before that, we had played at Whiskey a Go Go and the Viper Room in Hollywood, so to find ourselves in front of an audience of thousands was fun and great to be able to play our music, and it should always be like that...
I don't think we felt the pressure, I'd say we were more excited about such an opportunity: we've been ready since we were teenagers!
The tour saw you release a live album recorded in Lille, available digitally. Was that a gift to an audience that quickly embraced you? Did you know that this venue has hosted some of the biggest names, including Iron Maiden when Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith returned, and that it was used as a rehearsal space before the tour?
No, I wasn't aware of that anecdote: that's so cool (Smile)!
But it's a funny story: we came for a concert in Paris, which was great. And then we went to Lille two days later. The atmosphere was incredible: it was an amazing experience! After the concert, Olivier (ndStruck: Olivier Garnier, from Replica) told us that the concert had been recorded without our knowledge!
That's better!
It's even better! We weren't prepared for it to be recorded at all. It was just an authentic Wings of Steel concert experience. But even at that time, we had only played a few concerts and yet lots of people wanted to hear how we sounded live. So we decided to release this live album to show that we could play live abroad, not just as a band playing at the Whiskey a Go Go.
I suppose you wanted to prove this all the more because I remember that during our interview, you didn't know exactly how and with what line-up you were going to play on stage...
That's right! We auditioned three new members for last year's tour. We did three or four rehearsals before the tour started with a 40-minute concert or playing at festivals. But they are talented musicians. Sure, it wasn't perfect, but it was authentic and we improved as the tour went on.
As you said, you added to the band for this tour, but these musicians aren't on the album. Does that mean that Wings Of Steel is still just the two of you and Damien Rainaud on drums in the studio for the moment?
Yes! But our writing process is a little different from our live process. It goes back to when we met Parker - during Covid - and we started recording together on this project, but we had no other choice: we didn't have a band, but we had to record our music. And over time, we became very good at it. So we continued like that. For the first two releases, Mike Mayhem recorded the drums, and for the upcoming album, his shoulder was injured, so Damien Rainaud, the engineer who mixes and masters our albums but who is also an incredible drummer, by the way, is currently touring with his band. When we started recording, he assured us that he was perfectly capable of playing the drum parts, and that's the case: he kicks arse (smile)!
We are a band in a unique situation...
Nevertheless, given the growing popularity of Wings of Steel and the visibility that comes with upcoming tours, are you planning to have a stable line-up around you?
The band's working conditions are unusual: we are a band in a unique situation... I'm from Sweden, I live in Germany, Parker is in the United States... there are lots of factors to take into account, both for concerts and recordings... Everyone is aware of the situation and our ultimate goal is to work with people who click with us and who kick ass on their instruments.
This new album is called ‘Winds Of Time’. On the cover, we see your winged horses again, but in a darker mode, I think, with this clock and this burning earth. Should we see this clock as a reference to the countdown to the end of the world, which is steadily approaching for humanity?
That's a good way of looking at and analysing it. I don't want to give a single way of looking at this album, but the cover reflects the lyrics in many ways and I think that's a good way of looking at it.
The balance of the whole world is at stake and I think it's up to each of us to make the best decisions to ensure we have a better world. That's what we wanted to do with this album as well. For example, a song like “We Rise” is about peace and the strength of unity, even in these difficult times we are currently going through...
We are living in complicated times and it's a real challenge for many of us...
This divided world you mention: you are Swedish and Parker is American, I suppose you have time to talk about what is happening in the world. How are you experiencing these crazy times when everything seems to be coming to fruition in terms of disasters and war? Do you feel like you are living in a dystopia?
We are living in complicated times and it is a real challenge for many of us... Parker and I are not personally affected by many things. But I believe it is up to each of us to do what is necessary to make the world a better place. And the best we can do on our part is through our music. Because I think music is one of the few outlets left in the world where people can put aside their differences, whether political, skin colour, gender... and come together in music.
Despite everything, has the tense global situation, particularly between Europe and the US, influenced the band's life?
We try not to politicise things too much. Parker and I are very open-minded. We believe in freedom for all, particularly freedom of expression... that's the basic rule for us...
If Parker believes in freedom of expression, then he's not pro-Trump...
(Laughs) I'll let Parker answer that... But I think our job is to focus on everything else that pits people against each other.
This album opens with a long title track, “Winds Of Time”. A surprising choice, as songs over ten minutes long usually close an album. Why did you choose to open with it? Aren't you afraid of scaring off listeners who are used to shorter, more direct openings?
I think all those questions are the reason we made that choice (laughs)! We didn't really analyse it strategically. We wrote the track and thought it was a kick-ass song. Of course, we know that this kind of track normally appears on the B-side. But we think it represents the album and the band well. And we wanted the audience to hear it, so we put it at the beginning of the album. And so far, the reactions have been really good (smiles), but yes, you're right, some people are going to be shocked...
We've never tried to copy or sound like any particular band.
As you said, we feel that this track is a bit like the band's signature, as if you wanted to show your DNA. The track is heavy speed but also more melodic hard rock from the 1970s, with influences from Priest but also Uriah Heep, UFO and Scorpions in the break. Would you agree with these comparisons?
That's really cool to hear... It's always an honour to be compared to such incredible bands. But it's hard to answer because we've never tried to copy or sound like any particular band.
This song created itself, which is why it's so long: we started out one way and it turned into something else, then something new... So, yes, we're not trying to do anything in particular. As I said, it's almost as if this song wrote itself: we were just there to communicate it.
We don't want to be labelled too much: we sum up our music as heavy metal!
It wrote itself, but we also get the feeling with this track that you wanted to tell the audience that you have no boundaries and that you refuse to be pigeonholed?
You're right, and I couldn't give a better answer: you've summed it up perfectly. As soon as you put a band in a box, part of the audience will be very happy that you're there, but as soon as you offer something else, you're going to cause chaos in that box... That's why we don't want to be labelled too much: we sum up our music as heavy metal!
If you look at albums like Judas Priest's ‘Sad Wings of Destiny’, for example, a landmark heavy metal album, there isn't just one type of song, but all kinds... That's how we see our music: we don't want to write just one type of music: we want to write “Fly of the Eagle”, but also “Saints and Sinners”, “Crying” – different songs, but always heavy metal, with their own sound and sharing a different journey.
This album is varied, with each track different from the others. Was it important for you to vary the pleasures and show that your writing palette is broad?
It's part of our process. When we try to write these albums, we usually do it in a very short period of time, mainly because of visas (laughs)... When we finish one song, we move on to the second one fairly quickly. It's great because we have the album we want to make in mind.
Unlike this album, when composing in this way, isn't there a risk of making the same track?
As soon as we finish composing a track, we naturally move on to something else. And for us, the next natural thing is not the same thing... Typically, we wrote “Saints and Sinners” and the next one was “Crying”, the next one was “Burning Sands” and then “Fly of the Eagle”... and you can hear how different these songs are.
“Saints and Sinners” is short and energetic, like a power metal potion not far from thrash. Was the idea behind that track to show that you could sound nastier than people thought? Could you go even harder and move into thrash in the future?
We'd definitely like to do thrash: we listen to all kinds of different metal... I think when we wrote “Saints and Sinners”, we really wanted to sound aggressive. We wanted a big chorus. When we wrote the song “Wings of Steel” – which is a fairly similar fast song with similar elements – it didn't have a chorus, but it still worked. “Saints and Sinners” has a chorus, an opening, it's a fast and heavy song, and even though it's a short song, it has dynamics, and that's the ultimate goal. And I would say that's what makes the song faster because there are breaks.
As for writing thrash in the future? Listen to “Winds of Time”, that riff, there are definitely thrash elements in there too. But we also have completely different elements: very ‘ballad-like’ and in the latest album, you can find elements of reggae, blues... It just comes out that way: that's how it is, and that's the beauty of it! But I would also say that's why people like our songs too: we offer them something they don't expect, but which I hope will delight them even more...
We grew up listening to arena rock, that epic side of hard rock
You mentioned ballads. “Crying” and “We Rise” sound like power ballads that take us back to the 1980s when Whitesnake, Europe and Ratt were huge. Is offering this kind of song a must when you play melodic hard rock? Could we say that it's also a tribute to that scene?
It's part of our DNA! We grew up listening to arena rock, that epic side of hard rock. Whether we like it or not, it's part of who we are and it influences the way we play our music. I think it's a natural part of who we are as musicians. But it's also important to mention that since our last album, we've evolved as musicians. We listen to a lot of different new bands and they influence us in one way or another... And that's very important when you're in a band. For example, a band like Judas Priest: if you listen to their discography, you realise how much their music has changed, and that's what I love. I love it when bands do that because I know it's the result of a musician's natural progression. The least natural thing you can do is write the same thing over and over again: it means you're trying to do something. You shouldn't try or force yourself to do something: it has to be natural!
I may shock some people, but AC/DC is not one of my favourite bands...
So you're not an AC/DC fan?
I may shock some people, but AC/DC is not one of my favourite bands... I really respect them for who they are and what they've done for the scene.
You're consistent with your previous answer: AC/DC has a signature sound that's instantly recognisable, but they haven't really evolved since the beginning of their discography...
And that's probably why I don't listen to them much.
“Light Go Out” may also surprise with its very heavy tone, reminiscent of Black Sabbath and even Candlemass-style doom at the beginning. Rainbow also comes to mind with the instrumental part and the Dio-worthy vocals... Did you want to sound different again with this track?
Part of our sound and our influences are certainly also oriented towards doom... Usually, the riffs come from Parker, but the one in “Light Go Out” came from me. Of course, I suggested it to him and he turned it into a masterpiece: I'm not a guitarist...
But I love Candlemass, I love Black Sabbath, early Black Sabbath... I love doom because sometimes the heaviest thing isn't necessarily going fast but, on the contrary, going slow... That's how I feel, and other people may think the opposite... But when you combine something slow and heavy with something very open, melodic and dynamic, I feel like you have a unique type of expression that opens the door to a lot of lyrical possibilities.
Finally, to come back to this idea of varying the tones, “Burning Sands”, “To Die In Holy War” and “Flight of The Eagle” fit in with the idea of “Winds of Time”, I think. There's a mix of classic heavy metal and hard rock with an ethereal, soaring quality, as if Helloween and Judas Priest had merged with Scorpions... Are these tracks ultimately the heart of this album?
It's difficult to answer, but I love the concept of bringing together the bands you mentioned: it's a really cool mix. I don't really know what the heart of this record is: I think it's up to each person to come to that conclusion.
When I listen to this album, what I love is that it's a journey!
We approached this album that way when we wrote it: as a journey!
Is listening to ‘Winds of Time’ a journey for you?
It's a journey for me to listen to it, and it was a journey for me to write it. We approached this album in that way when we wrote it: as a journey!
As I said earlier, we wrote this album in one go. If you release an album with songs written in 2019, 2022, 2025... you can't have that aspect!
And when you listen to this album, what journey does it take you on?
A handful of different ones (smiles)! But they all come together in the end. I wouldn't say it's a concept album, but the lyrics share quite a few common ideas.
And what are the main ideas you want to convey with this album?
We talked about it a little earlier, but it's about people coming together. When you look at history, you realise that things work better when people are together.
We also feel very strongly that we are only at the beginning.
As we said, everything has happened very quickly for you since the release of ‘Gates of Twilight’. I suppose you've realised quite a few dreams, but what are your expectations for the release of ‘Winds of Time’ and what might be the next step?
We hope that this new album will be a step towards achieving even greater and better things. We are both very proud of this album, which is a natural progression for the band. But we also feel very deeply that we are only at the beginning. We are already excited about writing the next album, even though we haven't released this one yet (laughs).
Things will continue to develop: the fans want it and so do we... We don't know exactly what will happen, but we'll do our best to play our music in front of as many people as possible and bring them together...
I'm sure that will be the case. Thank you.
(In French) ‘Merci beaucoup!’
And thank you to Noise for his contribution...