Everyone always complains about the various Nightwish copies coming out of Europe these days, as if some people are too lazy to come up with anything original and prefer to ride on the tails of the success of Nightwish and similar bands. I’ll agree with the general opinion that most of these bands are not even worth a listen, though now and then comes a band who take this old school symphonic metal and give it a fresh new perspective. One of these bands is Shield of Wings, from Chicago of all places. Now, I can’t really point to exactly what it is that sets these guys apart from all the Nightwish wannabes out there, but these guys (and girl) seem to be on to something. It might just be that, growing up in the US, one is exposed to different music overall, even if you listen to mainly European bands. So maybe it’s this American perspective that makes the music of Shield of Wings more interesting than Europeans who attempt similar styles and come off as cheap copies. We don’t see many old school symphonic metal bands from this side of the ocean, so that might just be it.

Shield of Wings recently released their debut EP Solarium, which contains six tracks of quality symphonic metal. Vocalist Grace Méridan soars over a bed of chugging guitars and pleasant symphonics. Not quite operatic, but not fully rock-oriented either, her vocals are rather refreshing. Adding some contrast are the harsh growls of guitarist James Gregor on songs like "Essence and the Moon," "War and Rapture," and "Carnival Mirror" that successfully still fit with the music instead of sticking out like a sore thumb. Jeff Olsem on bass and Paul Eulitz on drums tie everything together.

Though mostly symphonic metal at its core, there are some folk influences, as well as a little bit of death and black metal thrown in to spice the music up a bit. At about twenty seven minutes, Solarium doesn’t have a boring moment on it. I only wish it were a bit longer, because it really leaves you wanting more. And hopefully we’ll hear more from the band soon!

Standout tracks include: "Solarium" "Malady" "Carnival Mirror"

7 / 10

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