WINGS OF TOMORROW

Wait! Stop! Either you are one of two different types here. You have come to see how I am going to tear this band to shreds if you are a prog power metal fan or if you are a glam fan you have come to see what the heck this album is and wonder when it was released. This is one of the few cds that I have in my collection that it seems no one has even heard OF. Not even some former Europe fans. Now if I could turn back time, and make everything as it should be, this would have been the FIRST album I reviewed for my website, afterall it was the first metal recording I ever owned, so of course it has a special place in my heart. Even minus the nostalgia factor I still believe I am qualified to review this album with a unbiased opinion, since I have heard it almost constantly over the past dozen years or so. I was very young when I got this on tape way back in the mid 80s, and when people my age at that time were worshipping Care Bears and HeMan, the gods I worshipped were European metal. This was the band that started it all for me.

So just for a moment, erase the memories of "The Final Countdown" out of your head. This album came before that record, and is by far superior to anything they ever did, prior to this and many years after. To me, this truly was their magnum opus, and it remains a gem in a wasteland of metal discs, that has rarely been discovered. And yes, it does qualify as heavy metal.

Forget the poppy vocals that Joey Tempest has performed in the past, but imagine that golden voice...rawer, pure, and brimming with youthful aggression. John Norum has always proven he is a class act where guitar playing is concerned, and his thick chops and blistering riffs just blaze this album wide open. The fiery guitar melodies provide the structure for these songs, and Norum commands it all perfectly without overdoing anything. The keys are kept at a minimum and basically provide some backdrop and fill in for most of the songs. The drumwork is pretty nice, and the bass really shows up too, big and booming. The production however, suffers quite a bit, considering the year of its release and the fact the disc was never remastered. But even yet, its better than what you would expect.

Now even after all these years, everytime I hear the opening guitar explosion of "Stormwind", my heart leaps into my throat and my breathing just stops for a few moments. Its a flurry of aggressiveness with real fire and drive. Its not an overly complicated song, but one that has alot of personality and it is very memorable, I have never heard anything quite like it. The ballad "Open Your Heart", is best known on "Out of this World" as a poppy song that has more in common with Heart and Foriegner than metal. On "WOT" is the ORIGINAL version of this superb tune, and its one song that should not have been messed with. Lapping acoustic, absolutely perfect vocals, driving guitar melodies, and a show stopper solo blended right into the middle of it all. From start to finish its just the perfect example of how much talent this band had. Its a ballad with balls, as they sometimes say.

"Scream of Anger" is the most kick ass song on the disc. The drums just thunder and Joey Tempest shows just how good he used to be before he went soft on us. He was one damn good metal vocalist. Another terrific solo from Norum is showcased here, he really shows off his flair for guitar playing, and he had to have been what...about 18 at the time? Amazing. "Wings of Tomorrow", the title track, is not quite is good as I remember it to be, but its always been a highlight in my opinion, and still is. It has an almost epic quality to it, and is on a par with the fabulous hard rocker "Stormwind". There is really only one truly soft ballad on this disc, and that's "Dreamer", a delicate song, containing a beautiful piano and synth opening. It follows along a slower paced rhythm, with angelic vocals, and a really big and pompous chorus. The lyrics throughout this album are rather nice as well, and not 'cheese' like was scattered through the releases following this one, with the exception of feel-good rocker "Dance the Night Away", which I used to hate, but now really like it. Also of note is the instrumental "Aphasia", which is just simply electric.