REVIEW: STEELWING – Lord of the Wasteland

 

STEELWING – Lord of the Wasteland

NoiseArt Records

Lord of the Wasteland marks the full‑length debut of this young Swedish heavy metal outfit, and it’s a confident statement of intent. STEELWING lean unapologetically into classic heavy metal, drawing heavily from the IRON MAIDEN school of galloping riffs, melodic twin guitars, and soaring vocals. The result feels familiar in the best possible way: energetic, tightly executed, and rooted in the genre’s traditions without sounding derivative.

The album’s concise runtime works in its favor, keeping the momentum high and avoiding the fatigue that often comes with longer debuts. While the tracklist is consistently solid, a few songs stand out for their immediacy and strong hooks—particularly “Headhunter,” “The Nightcrawler,” “Point of Singularity,” and “Clash of the Two Tribes.” These tracks showcase the band’s ability to balance melody and speed while maintaining a clear sense of identity.

For fans of classic heavy metal, this is an album worth seeking out. It sits comfortably among the notable releases of 2010, alongside records from SCORPIONS, ATLANTEAN KODEX, ARRYAN PATH, ENFORCER, and SKULL FIST. STEELWING are currently touring with SABATON, though unfortunately Greek audiences haven’t had the chance to catch them live yet.

Their debut shows real promise, and it will be interesting to see how they evolve from here.

Ioannis Kaskamanidis