Album Review: Shield of Wings – Unfinished (Elderpath Records)

Shield of Wings begin the year of 2022 with their epic symphonic metal resurrection (after 11 years of silence), and their debut full-length album, Unfinished. Out on February 11th, 2022 via Elderpath Records.

Shield of Wings say:

These songs’ roots range from a decade old to only a year, yet they all carry the weight and concurrent theme of a soul obsessed with self-analysis and growth. Often, we travel these roads seemingly alone, and sometimes we get lost in the meaningless or mundane sloughs of despond. Hope can only remain if we keep the flame alive, and sometimes we are lucky enough to find others to carry the flame with us. We hope this music helps to carry your flame for a little while, and that we may all, in our Unfinished states, never give up on our reshaping.

For fans, it has been a very long wait for this debut, but here we are. The year of 2022 and the year that Shield of Wings bring their bombastic sound to the masses.

A symphonic powerhouse to get you pumping your fist and cheering from the high heavens. The instantaneous hit of Crushing Hail is every bit the giant you could want it to be. Fast instrumentation, symphonic depth, glorious vocals, and verbose grandness. It’s a massive start and is immediately complimented by Native Colossus and Breathing. The former’s sense of magnificence is met by some of the album’s most powerful heavy metal sounds. Whereas the latter goes harsher and heavier with some death metal vocals and a foreboding style of symphony.

Frozen Harbor is an epic, not quite the most epic track on the album, but certainly in contention. Where Shield of Wings create haunting imagery that transforms into a gargantuan and lavish sounding track. As grand as symphonic metal gets.

Although, there are no complaints to be had about Cedar and Wetland. The former’s touch of folk melody is very welcome, and the latter’s cinematic edge feels larger than life. Two fantastic tracks to ensure any symphonic metal malaise that might slip in is instantly banished.

It’s time for something more melodramatic (if such a thing was possible) with Mind of Myth before Sunfire Shower reminds you of just how bombastic Shield of Wings can be.

The symphonic side of the band is at the forefront for Come Home before the album’s grand finale arrives. The Scarred Clay Reshaping is the album’s most epic effort and is the culmination of all Shield of Wings’ hard work. A track that brings punchy rhythm, symphonic splendour and bundles of energy to close out things on a massive high.

Shield of Wings – Unfinished Full Track Listing:

1. Crushing Hail
2. Native Colossus
3. Breathing
4. Frozen Harbor
5. Cedar
6. Wetland
7. Mind of Myth
8. Sunfire Shower
9. Come Home
10. The Scarred Clay Reshaping

Links

Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube