True heavy metal from Australia. They started out in 1993, and released 2 albums
themselves before signing a deal with Nuclear Blast.
Pegazus - Wings of Destiny (Nuclear Blast) 1997
1. "Wings Of Steel"
(5:38)
2. "Cry Out" (4:36)
3. "Braveheart" (5:24)
4. "Mother Earth" (5:12)
5. "Enchanted World" (8:21)
6. "Life On Mars" [instrumental] (4:06)
7. "The Werewolf" (3:30)
8. "Witches Hex" (7:10)
9. "Destiny" (5:28)
I approached this band with a bit of caution. I never really had a big interest in checking them out, mostly because their name made them sound like some light-weight, keyboard incrusted, dungeons and dragons, power metal band. Well thanks to a generous trader, I was able to check out this album. To my surprise, this isn't really the flowery power metal I was expecting. Rather, this is real heavy metal with similarities to bands like Sacred Steel, Manowar, and especially Iron Maiden. Songs like the straight forward heavy metal romp "The Werewolf" is a take on "Running Free", while "Mother Earth" is a has some similarities to "Children of the Damned". The album's instrumental "Life on Mars" is a galloping nod to Maiden and the classic NWOBHM sound. "Cry Out" is the fastest song on the album and has a good deal of Iron Maiden infuence as well. Album opener "Wings of Steel" is your balls-to-the-wall classic heavy metal romp built upon solid riffs and a smokin' guitar solo This song brings out the "Battle Hymns"-era Manowar influence. "Desinty" is the obligatory ballad on the album and probably the weakest song on the album.
Vocalist Danny Ceca utilizes a clean vocal style and at times has hints of Vince Neil in his tone. He belts out some of those Halford-esque classic metal screams. Lyrically the band sticks to mostly mythological, fantasy based lyrics as well as a bit of horror ("Witches Hex"). "Wings of Destiny" is fist in the air, head banging, galloping, denim & leather, traditional heavy metal
OK, so the music is rooted in the 80's and nothing here is truly original. To this I say, so freakin' what! It's metal! It's good! I like it! To me that is far more imporatant than something being "completely original". The songs are catchy, the guitars are crunchy, the songs are memorable, the drums are pounding. What else does a metalhead need?
My copy in the original Nuclear Blast release. There is also an independent version with an 80's, Manowar-ish looking cover. Also, in 2008, Metal Mind reissued "Wings of Destiny". The reissue is limited to 2000 numbered copies and is remastered and packed in a digipack. The reissue also includes the 4-song 1996 "Metalbound" EP as bonus tracks. That EP includes covers of Black Sabbath's "Symptom of the Universe" and Judas Priest's "Victim of Changes".
Pegazus - Breaking the Chains (Nuclear Blast) 1999
1. Metal Forever (4:36)
2. The Crusade (7:43)
3. Queen Evil (6:27)
4. Breaking the Chains (4:11)
5. Tears of the Angels (4:06)
6. Chariots of the Gods (7:15)
7. Emerald Eyes [instrumental] (2:40)
8. Bastards of Warv05:32)
9. Apache Warriors (3:43)
10. A Little Time (3:53)
Adorning the cover of Pegazus "Breaking the Chains" is a white, winged stallion being harnessed in chains by a couple of scantily clad woman right off the front cover of a Manowar album, or perhaps those are couple of the girls from Kiss' "Love Gun" album. Australia's purveyors of true metal return with their third album of fist-pumping, head-banging heavy metal. This is melodic, mid-paced, galloping metal capped off with the soaring vocals of Danny Cecati. The NWOBHM vibe from "Wings of Destiny" is carried over to this album as well, though I don't hear as many obvious Maiden comparisons. There is a simplicity to the band's sound that is actually quite refreshing. They are not trying to be overly technical or progressive. Rather, they stick to straight-forward, traditional, heavy metal. A couple songs, such as the war themed ""The Crusade" and the melodic "Chariots of the Gods" are slightly longer songs in which the band attempts to create an epic feel. However, for the most part the songs are pretty straight forward. The album kicks off with a metal anthem titled "Metal Forever". The song is memorable and catchy with a sing-along chorus. The title track, likewise, is a metal anthem touting the "tr00 metal" till death. Much like Manowar, Pegazus are almost a parody of themselves, but I sense that this band is serious as a heart attack about all things "heavy metal". "Denim & Leather brought us all together..." Long live heavy metal! Pegazus are doing their part to keep the flame alive.
The original pressing digi-pack release features a bonus track, a cover of Helloween's "A Little Time".