Fueled by the energy of classic heavy metal and the drive of a new generation, Wings of Steel are quickly establishing themselves as one of the most promising bands in today’s hard & heavy scene. With their upcoming album Winds of Time, set for release on October 17th, the Californian duo delivers an ambitious work — a musical journey that’s powerful, emotional, and nostalgic all at once.
Between heartfelt solos, epic atmospheres, and a rare sense of authenticity, Parker Halub and Leo Unnermark embrace total creative freedom, refusing to conform to trends or formats.
We met Parker just before the band’s big leap — as Wings of Steel prepare to hit the road across the U.S. with Sabaton — to talk about the new album, their creative process, and their burning desire to bring rock back to its purest essence: raw, sincere, and timeless.
Hello everybody! We’re here today with Parker from Wings of Steel. How’s your day going?
The day is going very well, thank you.
We’re here to talk about your upcoming album, Winds of Time, which will be released on October 17th. First of all, can you describe it in one word or one sentence?
Epic. An epic and heavy, reflective journey.
I love that.
That’s what we’ll go with.
The album opens with the eponymous track, which runs over ten minutes and that you’ve already played live before its release. I have a few questions about that one, but first: why did you choose it as the title track?
When Leo and I sat down to record this record, that was actually the first track we wrote. We had the idea, made the demo, and thought, “Wow, this is really cool - let’s put this out as the first single.” At that point, we hadn’t yet decided it would be the opening track of the album. Later on, we realized it made sense. It’s a statement. You don’t really see bands releasing ten-minute songs as singles, and I get why - it’s harder for radio stations to play longer tracks. But for us, that was exactly the point. It’s an artistic statement. And because it’s something nobody really does, we thought, yeah, we should do that. That song, the different sections, the journey - it really reflects what we do as a band. It showcases so many elements that we feel are integral to our sound. We could’ve buried it on the B-side, but no - it deserved to be front and center.
There’s also the message. It’s a very reflective song about the world we live in today. So yes, it’s an artistic statement, it says a lot about who we are, but it’s also very relevant. We have an old-school sound, but the song’s themes are very modern. So with all those reasons combined, we said, “Yes, let’s do this.” And it paid off. We played it at Heavy Weekend before it was released, and people really liked it. Then the video came out and did great. We’ve played it all throughout our European tour, and it’s gone over really well. So I think we made the right call.
You also introduced your new artistic era with this song, but the album announcement came later with We Rise. Why that timing?
We announced the album’s existence when we released Winds of Time. But since the album comes out October 17th and that single dropped June 13th, it was too early to start presales. With We Rise, we had all the CD and vinyl preorders ready, so that’s when we really started pushing the promotion. It was more of a business decision than anything else.
And We Rise came with a great video that mixes live footage from your tour. Was that planned before you went on tour, or did it come afterwards?
Let’s talk about both videos. The We Rise video is the one with tour footage. The Wings of Time video we actually shot back in March of this year. We were in Athens, Greece, to play a festival, so we flew the band out. Since we were already there -and half the band lives in Europe- we thought, “Let’s film the video for this big ten-minute song.”
It was quite an adventure. We filmed in a few locations, and it was one of the most extensive projects we’ve done so far. But it was also another artistic statement: yes, it’s a ten-minute single - and we filmed a full music video for it.
As for We Rise, we had the idea early on. We bought a 4K Sony camera and started shooting behind-the-scenes footage during the Greece trip, Heavy Weekend, and another German festival. We wanted something like those old-school MTV videos - half performance, half real-life footage. It lets people see more of the band’s personality. Not just us acting in a music video, but really doing our thing. I think that helped put more of a face to the band, which is really cool.
On this album, there’s a song over ten minutes long, but also one that’s under three. Do you decide the length beforehand, or do you just go with the flow?
We always follow the flow. The song lasts however long it needs to. I didn’t sit down and say, “Let’s write a ten-minute, forty-second song.” It just happened naturally: section after section, idea after idea. The first track is Windgs of Time - our longest. The second, Saints and Sinners, is the shortest. We just had that idea, and when it was done, it felt complete - and it wasn’t even three minutes. That’s how it goes.
And what’s your creative process like? Do you all compose together?
The songs as they’re recorded come from me and Leo working in our studio in California. But it’s a bigger process than that - it’s ongoing. I play guitar every day, and whenever I come up with something good, I record it. I’ve got hundreds -maybe thousands- of riffs saved up. Leo does the same with melodies or guitar parts.
So when we get together to write, we already have way more ideas than we can use. We’ll pick one like “Okay, let’s work on this today.” We’ll decide if it’s a verse, a riff, or something else, and it evolves from there. We combine ideas we’ve saved with new inspiration that comes in the moment. It all flows naturally until suddenly we realize: okay, that’s the song.
Do you ever have songs that didn’t make it onto the record?
Always. Sometimes we’ll spend a day on something and realize it’s not ready yet, so we put it on the shelf. Later, maybe months -or even years- later, we revisit it and go, “Oh, now I know what this needs.” Every song takes the time it needs to grow.
This record has a lot of guitar solos. Did you struggle with any part of the recording?
Perfectionism is a beast. I’m definitely a perfectionist to a degree, but there’s something to be said for that 2-3% of human error. That’s where all the character and emotion live. You can’t fake that.
My solos are mostly improvisations. Sometimes I’ll nail it on the first take -like on Stormchild or Into the Sun. But not always. Often I’ll record something, then go back and refine phrases until it tells the story I want. Because solos have to say something - they’re not just technical displays. They have to be little songs within the song.
Did you experiment with anything new in the studio?
Kind of. There were small details -new licks or motifs- that we hadn’t used before. It’s like cooking: you try a new spice and see if it works. We didn’t do anything crazy with sound effects or production tricks. The biggest step forward was in attention to detail - both individually and as a band. That’s what really sets this album apart.
You clearly have a strong bond with old-school rock and metal. How does it feel to evolve in a modern, more mainstream world while sticking to that sound?
The music we love most comes from the ’70s and ’80s - that’s where our biggest inspiration lies. But what we do isn’t a recreation. We’re not trying to replicate what someone else did. We’re doing what those bands were doing - being inspired by what moved them and channeling that into something new.
Good music is good music, in any style. I don’t like the gatekeeping you sometimes find in the metal world. I’d rather be open-minded and enjoy as much as possible. So even though our sound is rooted in the old-school, it still feels fresh to us.
And what message would you like people to take from this album?
It’s hard to summarize in one line, but the record is very reflective of the world we live in today - if you choose to see it that way. We always prefer not to say “this song is about this” or “that,” because we want listeners to form their own connection.
But yes, it’s about today’s world - where we are now, where we’ve been, and where we can go. There’s hope, if we focus on what unites us rather than divides us. That theme ties beautifully with our music: inspired by the past, but speaking to the present.
If your album were the soundtrack to a movie, what kind of movie would it be?
That’s a great question. I think it would be something very dramatic - maybe with some darkness to it. There’s a lot of atmospheric and cinematic stuff on this record. I’ll have to think more about that - it’s a really good question.
And you recently announced a US tour with Sabaton. How do you feel about that?
Extremely excited. Sabaton’s an amazing band. Even if they’re more on the modern side stylistically, I know we love the same music they do. It’s cool that we get to bridge that gap between traditional and modern metal fans. Also, we’re based in the US, but touring there has been tough due to visas and logistics. So to finally tour our home country -at an arena level- right as we release the album… it’s perfect. Honestly, I get chills talking about it. We’re super excited and very grateful.
Can we hope for a European tour, too?
Yes, definitely. I can’t say much yet, but we’ll be back in Europe next year.
That’s great news! Thank you for taking the time today - and congratulations on the album and the tour.
Thank you for having me, and thank you very much.