Wings Denied- Mirrors For A Prince

Wings Denied is a Progressive Metal band from Washington D.C. that formed in 2012 and have been slowly rising ever since. They have an amazing blend of Progressive Metal that has the riffs of Periphery, the atmosphere of Cloudkicker, the vocal melodies of Fair to Midland, and the sensibility of Porcupine Tree. this great formula has lead to the band's debut album, Mirrors For A Prince. Could this be the start of what is to come in the world of Progressive Metal?

The album kicks off with their single that was released in 2013, Generation Y. The opening riff is a great nod to Protest The Hero in guitar. The album has an occasional scream but it is predominantly filled with Luka Kerecin's soaring clean vocals. Like mentioned before the vocal melodies have a great approach much like what is used in the band Fair To Midland. The actual song itself is very atmospheric along with it's heaviness. The album does have the chugs used in the Djent side of Progressive Metal, but in no way is this a Djent band. This song is filled with so many different changes and dynamics that all make perfect sense. it is the best choice to start off this album. The Machinist is next and it is a bit more on the poppy side. It still crushes, but it more upbeat overall. Great use of dynamics once again and makes for a very fun song. In Search of Sunrise is a bit of change up. It starts off with clean guitar and very mellow, but that quickly changes into a very heavy, crushing riff willed with amazing clean vocals. In a odd sense it feels like a great midtempo, almost ballady song (which is strange to say because the main riff of the song is so heavy). Not nearly as time change filled or dynamic crazy as the songs before, but it is a killer song. Maiden is the next song up, and once again it is a great left turn in the album. Much like you could almost sense from the title, it has a Iron Maiden feel. Almost as if Iron Maiden wrote Djenty Progressive Metal songs. The song stays predominately midtempo (much like Maiden songs) and has that Classic Metal vibe throughout. 3/4s into the song features one of the rare appearances of full on growls in the album, and it fits perfectly. The next song is called Signs. This is another song that is quite upbeat and Poppy amongst the Progressive Metal going on. Towards the middle of the track is gets a bit more mellow and softer (though not too much). The song then picks back up for a fantastic finish. Néant is the next song And it starts off the slowest the album has come so far. Very dark and ethereal, leading to one of the heaviest, chuggiest riffs on the entire album. It is a good mix of a Stoner Metal song and a tribal warfare march. Lots of heavy, doomy atmosphere fill this track. Picture Sleep meets Meshuggah meets Fair To Midland. Next up is Clockwork. The song starts off like a very melodic and early day Periphery song. Through the course of the song it keeps that Periphery vibe going on. For Djent fans, this is a dictionary definition song of Djent, and that is definitely a good thing. The End Of History is the next track. The song has a great melodicness throughout. A bit more scaled back and atmospheric, all while still keeping everything going at a good pace. It's not until roughly half way into the song that the Djenty guitars come back into play, but it ends much like it started when the song picked up and finishes strong. Up next is Courtesan. The song starts off again much more laid back and mellow in comparison to the rest of the album. it still has a great heavy vibe, but not overbearingly heavy. It has a good TesseracT vibe throughout. A great mellower track for what is to finish off the album. The album does end in true Progressive Metal fashion, with an epic. Six years And A Day. The song starts off with one of the catchiest riffs on the album filled with tremendous tom work and great atmospherics.  The song then turns into the Djent version of the riff. Again this song just crushes and showcases everyone in the band's talents in a fantastic way. About 3/4ths of the way into the song, it plays on as it began with that catchy guitar riff and tribal tom drumming, then explodes into one of the heaviest riffs on the album, matched with that sexy guitar riff. This all leads into a mellow section, before leading into one final epic riff that has one of the best showcases of Kerecin's vocal abilities, then a quick reprise of the first Heavy riff of the song into piano to close out the album.

For a Modern Day Prog Metal fan, Mirrors for A Prince seriously has it all. Super heavy riffs, incredible dynamics, fantastic musicianship, catchy melodies and harmonies, and above else, 10 amazingly written songs. The band recently concluded their first full US tour and I know it won't be there last. Check out Mirrors For A Prince and go see these guys when they come back to your area. Wings Denied could be the forefathers of what Progressive Metal will become in the future, and if they do, Progressive Metal is going to soar like never before.

- 4.5/5

Wings Denied- Mirrors For A Prince available NOW via Wings Denied's Bandcamp

- Josh Rundquist (That Drummer Guy)