Wings of STeel
Face the Truth

These Wings of Steel are a Dutch trio that plays melodic rock with evident progressive hints, but without overdoing it. They are similar to bands like Asia, to give a reference, in other words, the songs almost always have a normal length and ordinary verse-chorus structure, without too many flights of fancy but also without an excessive search for the “hook”, the easy musical phrase for the charts.

The reference to Asia is mainly due to the vocal timbre of the singer, who is also the trio's drummer (I won't mention names because they are all Van… something and for us Italians, it goes in one ear and out the other): a discreet baritone voice, vaguely similar to John Wetton, albeit much less so. The roles of the three musicians in the band roughly parallel those of the last Genesis, with the drummer singing and the remaining two handling guitar, bass, and keyboards. Indeed, here and there in Wings of Steel's music, some echoes of Collins, Banks, and Rutherford's group can be felt, but the more evident inspirations are rather to be found among the simpler and more linear sounds of Rush and Kansas, with the electric guitar sounding quite hefty when needed, unlike Genesis!

The album in question is dated 1995, it should be their second, and it opens (“Stay Away” the first title) with an organ fanfare very much à la Kansas, well crafted and lush. But then the voice enters, which certainly doesn't have the stentorian bearing of a Steve Walsh... A pleasant mediocrity is quickly apparent, there's artisanal passion but it could use a pinch of salt, genius, a bit more spirit. Other tracks similarly led by keyboards and thus with a musical emphasis and density roughly similar to the previously mentioned Topeka band include “The Kings Blues,” in boogie time with rather graceless rhythmic passages here and there, and then the closing “I Can’t Reach You,” made interminable by one of the longest fades I can remember (it takes three whole minutes for the overall volume to fade to zero).

Elsewhere, when the guitar leads the rhythm, Rush comes to mind: such is the case of “Into My World” which features a guitar solo over just the bass and drum rhythm, so typical in the works of Alex Lifeson and his Canadian companions. It's also the case for “It’s So Cold,” mainly due to the electric guitar drenched in chorus in their style, but at this point, the problem Wings of Steel have needs to be highlighted: the drummer really holds back... He has a varied and descriptive playing style but completely sinks the groove of the piece. Instead of pushing, the drumming lags behind, making it melodically rich but terribly disjointed, lacking swing.

Thus, the best tracks turn out to be firstly the almost acoustic and funky “If I’d Say”, with the happy clatter of seventh chords in up tempo and, as the only electrified contributions, the bass and a small wah-wah pedal solo. And then the two ballads, namely “Heaven” which is terribly Pink Floyd-esque with its acoustic beginning with full chords and then the more syncopated development rich in choruses, and “Still Together” which is instead deeply melancholic, carried forward in the beginning and end by a poignant arpeggio that supports a beautiful and intricate intimate melody, while the central instrumental section is reserved for a dramatic keyboard passage, set with a lush string sound.