Around 1995, even before that, a movement that could have been nicely called the New Wave of Italian Power Metal and let emerge, amongst others band like RHAPSODY, LABYRINTH, PROJECTO and SKYLARK. I even dedicated myself to this new Metal scene for four years. SHADOWS OF STEEL seems more like an all star band, surrounding the strange yet funny Wild Steel, that still today, haven’t shown is real face, always hiding behind a mask of steel. So if you just take a fast look of the players on this CD, any fans of Italian Power Metal won’t be lost at all: Andrew McPauls on keys (LABYRINTH, VISION DIVINE) and Andrea “TOWER” Torricini, on bass (VISION DIVINE), Frank Andiver, drums (Ex-LABYRINTH), Olaf Thörsen (Ex-LABYRINTH, VISION DIVINE) and Vic Mazzoni (PROJECTO) on guitars. Although it would have been easy for Wild Steel (Andrea de Stefanis) to just use all the band members’ styles and song writing skills, he managed to write some really interesting Power Metal songs. The funky part of “The Playing Room IV” is a great example for that, with some slapping and popping bass in the middle of it. They even throw some Progressive touches (“Journey”, “Out Of The Darkness”) in.

Even though he tried hard to write some personal and original songs, it is hard not to hear some LABYRINTH and PROJECTO influences. Basically, SHADOWS OF STEEL follows the usual patterns of speedy Power Metal: Fast double bass drums and guitars solos mixed with blazing keyboard parts. What I like the most in speedy Power Metal is huge sing along choruses and SHADOWS OF STEEL deliver in this department.

But what makes SHADOWS OF STEEL different than the other usual Power Metal band is the voice of Wild Steel, quite difficult to pinpoint. You really have to hear it for yourself to really understand what I mean. For a Power Metal band I think he is the perfect kind of singer, not too much out of key, although when he hits high notes (and he often does) he can be a little irritating.

In 1997, when this album was released, not too many bands where playing this kind of Power Metal, but nowadays, some would surely find them quite unoriginal. For myself, I think that they are still one of the unique Power Metal band out there and I’m kind of missing this freshness that I had with this band at first, when I listen to today’s Italian Power Metal bands. In fact, SHADOWS OF STEEL should be named more often in Power Metal bands credits, as they had composed, with their first album, a unique album. (Online April 11, 2004)