Steelwing - Zone Of Alienation review
| Band: | Steelwing |
| Album: | Zone Of Alienation |
| Style: | Heavy metal |
| Release date: | January 2012 |
01. 2097 A.D.
02. Solar Wind Riders
03. Full Speed Ahead!
04. Breathless
05. Tokkotai (Wind Of Fury)
06. Zone Of Alienation
07. The Running Man
08. They Came From The Skies
09. Lunacy Rising
10. 2097 A.D. [Extended cut version] [Limited edition digipak bonus]
11. Hit 'Em Hard [2010 demo version]
Rating in words: appropriately nostalgic, suitable for rocking out in a ridiculous fashion.
Steelwing, Steelwing, how happy you make me. They were one of the supporting bands on a Sabaton tour in late 2010 which had Belgrade as one of the dates, and friends of mine who went to the show have spent a good chunk of 2011 trying to persuade me to check them out. And I stubbornly ignored their suggestions for some stupid reason. When I finally gave a listen to Steelwing's debut, I thought: "This type of decent band usually screws up on the second album and fades into obscurity, never to issue anything good again."
I'm glad to say I was wrong.
Firstly, if you dislike everything Iron Maiden released in the 80's, avoid this like the plague (and probably turn yourself in to the police too, because you're the type of person that hates cute baby animals, you FREAK). Secondly, don't think it's pure Maiden-worship with no redeeming qualities that will make you pause it and play Powerslave instead. Listening to Zone Of Alienation only makes you crave more Zone Of Alienation.
Retro metal-playing bands, this is how it's done. Wearing your influences on your sleeve does not equal being unoriginal and not inspired, playing an old style doesn't mean it can't sound youthful and vibrant. The performance is pretty tight (I'm going to steal Lyrinan's "tighter than the band's jeans" expression here), especially Riley's vocals which show signs of great improvement, but the band's greatest "magnet" is their composing abilities. Everything is made to sing along and air-guitar to, everything is fast, everything is cheerful, and when the band goes into ballad mode ("Breathless") it still rocks.
Writing reviews like these is hard, because, while I know that this isn't everyone's cup of tea, I'm pretty sure it has that universal metal spirit and enough quality to appeal to a lot of metalheads if it's promoted in the right way. The only question is whether enough dudes and dudettes will decide that a revamp of 80's metal is worth their time or will they just listen to their old records over and over again? If you still aren't convinced, head to their Youtube channel for some samples. If it doesn't make you smile - too bad, you're missing out.
 | Written on 02.02.2012 by A part of the team since December 2011. 7.0 means the album is good. |
Comments
Comments: 19
Visited by: 308 users
| strade Posts: 677 From: USA  |
Awesome album and awesome review, Mora. Pretty much reflects its nature perfectly.
---- My lo-fi synth project: http://luciddreamer.bandcamp.com
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| maged918 Posts: 18 From: Egypt |
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| R'Vannith ghedengi Posts: 3099 From: Australia  |
Sounds like fun to me, I'll be checking this out.
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| Milena gloom cookie Posts: 4603 From: Norway  |
Written by R'Vannith on 02.02.2012 at 10:30 You should, they're pretty cool. Thanks for the comments guys! I'm afraid this review isn't very descriptive but I found it very hard to describe a sound that is familiar to everyone.
---- 7.0 means the album is good
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Posts: 40071 From: The Netherlands  |
They are great fun, especially live. But SkullFist is even more fun 
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| silenius Posts: 527 From: Sweden  |
I don´t hate baby animals! Being one of those freaks not finding anything fun in iron maiden i still found this to be quite awesome^^
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| Milena gloom cookie Posts: 4603 From: Norway |
Written by silenius on 02.02.2012 at 22:36 Ah, knew a comment like that will appear in the thread  I believe the dudes from Steelwing would be flattered if they heard that. Enjoy your album, I know I do.
---- 7.0 means the album is good
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| RavenKing Posts: 1941 From: Canada  |
I like baby animals too much to torture their ears with that kind of outdated crap. Traditional Heavy Metal needs to die.
---- They shake your hand and they smile and they buy you a drink They say we'll be your friends we'll stick with you till the end But everybody's only looking out for themselves And you say who can you trust I'll tell you nobody
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| Silver Soul Posts: 3 From: USA |
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| Arcticus Posts: 178 From: Australia  |
Written by RavenKing on 03.02.2012 at 00:51 Is it really so hard to accept that a lot of people still have a healthy appreciation for traditional heavy metal? And not just the old school rockers clinging to their cherished memories, but the hordes of younger fans that discover Iron Maiden (or whoever!) for the first time and love it just as much? Don't get me wrong, I love a lot of new stuff as well (I'm only 26), various stylistic evolutions etc, but there's still much to be said for rocking the fuck out - just because you feel something is past its expiry doesn't mean other people can't enjoy it. Live and let live - stop being such a cynical little bastard!  Also, I think it would be fair to say that any type of music, played at an adequate volume, would be considered torture towards baby animals. Back on topic, this album sounds awesome, and the review was very well-written. I look forward to checking it out!
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| Fat & Sassy! Posts: 3857 From: USA  |
"... and when the band goes into ballad mode ("Breathless") it still rocks." This album is 89% rock-solid heavy metal. The other 11% of the album is the song, Breathless. >:[
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| tea[m]ster Au Pays Natal Posts: 5245 From: USA  |
Tried it...ugh...felt like sitting in the dentist chair without Novocaine...sorry Mora 
---- rekt
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| Milena gloom cookie Posts: 4603 From: Norway |
Written by Fat & Sassy! on 04.02.2012 at 05:42 I love that song. Have you never listened to silly glam when you were a kid?
---- 7.0 means the album is good
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| Milena gloom cookie Posts: 4603 From: Norway |
Written by Arcticus on 03.02.2012 at 21:27 I was just suggesting that the person who has the heart to hate music such as 80's Iron Maiden also hates baby animals... it was a bit of a joke of course, I know plenty of non-metalheads who squeal at the sight of internet kittens and such. Anyway, RavenKing has a firm stance against these forms of revivalist metal, he thinks they're redundant, so you've just prepared a long-winded response for yourself But I'd suggest dropping the debate all together, since you two obviously don't agree, so it's a bit pointless.
---- 7.0 means the album is good
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| Stalker Lone wanderer Posts: 2705 From: Serbia  |
Never listened to the band before, but this review definitely made me curious.
---- 
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| Milena gloom cookie Posts: 4603 From: Norway |
Written by Stalker on 04.02.2012 at 17:24 That's the purpose of positive reviews I guess can't guarantee you'll like it, but this was a very fun release for me and a couple of others.
---- 7.0 means the album is good
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| Fat & Sassy! Posts: 3857 From: USA |
Written by Milena on 04.02.2012 at 12:02 uuuhhhhhhh... nope! x3 I've always had a pretty strong distaste for hair rock or whatever-the-fuck Sebastian Bach is doing nowadays.
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| Milena gloom cookie Posts: 4603 From: Norway |
Written by Fat & Sassy! on 04.02.2012 at 21:41 Well. There was Motley Crue and Poison and Warrant and all that bullshit. But then there was silly glam I actually liked back when I listened to it. This song reminded me of it.
---- 7.0 means the album is good
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| Daggon Underpaid M.D. Posts: 1689 From: Mexico  |
Totally agree with your review, it is a nice retrospective album with a great touch of youthful musicianship and songwriting. 
---- "Les vers savent qu'ils n'ont pas d'ailes, c'est pour cela qu'ils se cachent sous terre"
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