Wonders are a progressive power metal band from Italy formed in 2020 by Giorgio Lunesu (Even Flow) and Pietro Paolo Lunesu (Even Flow, Attractive Chaos) – the band completed by Bob Katsionis (Warrior Path, Stray Gods, Prydain, ex Firewind), singer Marco Pastorino (Even Flow, Fallen Sanctuary, Temperance) and Luca Negro (Even Flow, Temperance). The band’s debut album, ‘The Fragments Of Wonder’ was released in 2021, with sophomore album ‘Beyond The Mirage’ emerging in 2023.
Two years ago, I was totally blown away by ‘The Fragments Of Wonder’ – the energy and oomph was simply outstanding. The album was an irresistible mix of attractive songs and incredible musicianship, leaving me breathless and amazed, picking my jaw up from the floor where it dropped with a heaviness on a par with the band’s music! In my ‘The Fragments Of Wonder’ review, I labelled the band as the “eighth wonder of the world” – and now Wonders return with their sensational new album ‘Beyond The Mirage’, featuring another power metal masterclass across forty-five minutes and ten songs. The band’s sophomore album is nothing short of superb – yet after taking a quick glance down the tracklist, you’d be forgiven for thinking this was a covers album! Song titles such as ‘Breaking The Chains’, ‘Here I Go Again’ and ‘Coming Home’ also happen to be the titles of songs by Dokken, Whitesnake, and Iron Maiden. But fear not, readers, all ten songs on offer are Wonders originals – the album striding out of the blocks with the explosive and fast-paced ‘One Million Miles’. Forging a fiery path of destruction, ‘One Million Miles’ is high-velocity power metal to headbang. Raise your fists high and sing along to. Wonders are back – and off to a stunning start!
Dropping a gear, the band march on with the more mid-tempo, and even more melodic ‘Breaking The Chains’, yet manage to keep the irresistible intensity fully intact. The band is made up of five, very experienced and highly talented musicians, so you’d expect nothing less than excellence. And excellence is exactly what you get – ‘Beyond The Mirage’ powering on with ‘Here I Go Again’, the band introducing a jackhammer style rhythm that is just sublime! Wonders are in high spirits here, the mood in the studio at the time of recording must have been an incredibly jolly one, for a happy, smiling party-style atmosphere can be felt emanating from the band’s music. And the energy level, too – off the fucking charts! ‘Hold Me, Save Me’ is a bold, big, and bombastic gallop of traditional sounding “foot on the monitor” heavy metal, the band proudly standing on the border between the heavy and power metal genres. The band’s blend of two of the greatest styles of metal ever created is a wonder to behold – and I’m really honoured to be listening to, and writing about, ‘Beyond The Mirage’. I’m one of the older generation that grew up during the glorious eighties for heavy metal evolution, with the excitement I felt back then – the exact same excitement I’m feeling right now! Not just for Wonders, but for metal in general, the music still gives me the same buzz…even after forty years!
And with an emphatic rise in energy and speed, ‘Once Upon A Time’ races off at high velocity, the band is rocking harder than ever! The meld of pace, power and energy is electric, ‘Once Upon A Time’ setting new land speed records as it hurtles on by. Although, the band do an incredible job of slowing slightly across the chorus break, bringing to the fore the most melodious and listener friendly sing a long. Fucking brilliant stuff from a brilliant band! And now we move into the realm of “arena rock”, err, ahem, I mean “arena metal” – ‘In & Out Of Time’ an astounding anthem of ginormous proportions! ‘In & Out Of Time’ is a mesmerising sprint of energy and pizzazz, and will captivate a worldwide audience! And a concert going one too – Wonders on to a winner with this one. And with absolutely no sign of the band slowing down or allowing the listener a breather, ‘Coming Home’ launches with a very steep upward trajectory, the band at full tilt, the power at abnormally high levels, with the intensity as intense as it has always been. Maybe even more – Wonders moving into territory owned by the “kings of extreme speed metal” DragonForce.
And now Wonders do give listeners a break from the blistering oomph of ‘Beyond The Mirage’ up to this point, ‘All My Dreams’ sauntering in on the crest of a mellowness not usually heard on metal albums. But this is no ordinary metal album – it is an atom-splitting album! From a superb band performing at the top of their game! ‘All My Dreams’ is a majestic mix of power balladry, anthemic and hymn-like leanings – the band cruising right now rather than belting down the highway at top speed. And whoa! The power-driven metal style of icon Judas Priest makes its presence felt, ‘Into The Light’ crashing in and stomping off with purposeful intent. Wonders never fail to amaze me, the band’s debut album a stunning display of metal – the band’s second album a stupendous display of metal! The Italian five-piece are gonna be remembered forever, the band quickly etching their name into heavy metal history. And now for the final hurrah – and a song to leave speedsters DragonForce and Cellador trailing in Wonders‘ wake. ‘The Time Of Your Life’ is fast, extremely fast, clocked travelling at over 670,616,629 mph (1,079,252,848 km/h) – i.e. the speed of light! The band are absolutely ferocious here, laying out a challenge to every speed metal band “catch us if you can”. And methinks there ain’t gonna be many that can!
Overall, a superb second outing from the Italian power metallers, ‘Beyond The Mirage’ is an infectious and quite sensational album.
TRACKLIST
One Million Miles
Breaking The Chains
Here I Go Again
Hold Me, Save Me
Once Upon A Time
In & Out Of Time
Coming Home
All My Dreams
Into The Light
The Time Of Your Life
Wonders: Facebook
Release Year: 2023
Label: Limb Music
Category: Album
Country: Italy
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire and Metal-Roos.
