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The review is written by Darkzen!

My Recomendation

An album with excellent musical content! The musical composition is varied within its Symphonic, instrumental, gothic, elegant style and a bit of Folk, there is melody and harmony, with varied tempos in its Symphonic parts ‘A Whole New Land’ is a concept album, both in music and in the lyrics, because each song has something different, there is the presence of strong and soft chords, acoustic parts, parts with wind instruments carried in an excellent way, an extensive album both in the musical part and in the conceptual, an album with a greater Symphonic / Gothic / Folk Metal content with a soft, rhythmic and melodic musical scale with a bit of a soft, dark atmosphere and native sounds that once again show us Metalwings the strong part of the band.

The Voice

Stela’s voice is an excellent and angelic voice, its scale and range of voice is unique, a harmonic, melodic, sweet, clean and beautiful operatic register, a very powerful weapon of the band is in the beautiful voice of Stela that gives to each musical track its own style.

Score

100/100

Follow the link to read the full review!

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This time the review is written by Rainer Kerber from Keep on Rocking Mag Germany!!!

“I am aware that symphonic metal albums are often very controversial among metal fans. But singer and mastermind Stela Atanasova managed to create a balanced mixture of symphonic and metal. Sure, their orchestrations are omnipresent in the songs, but never just a means to an end. Your singing also fits into the sound. She calls a classically trained soprano her own. But unlike many of her colleagues, she does not constantly try to tirilate at the highest altitudes. She uses the full range of her vocal abilities. In addition, the other band members constantly prove their great skills on the instruments. “A Whole New Land” is a symphonic metal album of the better kind.”

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Pix666: Your new album ‘A Whole New Land’ will be released in June. What can fans expect on the album? What makes the album different from your previous releases? Is it already possible to pre-order the album somewhere?

Stela: Our fans can expect a very different album in every aspect – that’s why the name of the album is ‘A Whole New Land’. Our songs are much more complex, from a musical and compositional point of view. The arrangements have much heavier guitars and drums. Last but not least are the beautiful orchestral arrangements, as well as the inspiring lyrics. Yes, the album can now be pre-ordered via iTunes.

Pix666: When you release an album, you want to get out on stage right away and blast the songs at the audience. …but the pandemic unfortunately still has us in its grip. Despite everything, have you already made plans for a record release show or a tour?

Stela: We are already planning a show on June 11, where we will present our new album live to all our fans, here in Sofia. After that we have an invitation to participate in a festival here in Bulgaria. We are expecting other dates in the summer, when I hope we will have the opportunity to present our new songs live.

Pix666: Do you have any wishes and dreams for Metalwings for the future – in which countries would you like to play, which festivals or locations do you miss and with which bands would you like to go on tour or share a stage?

Stela: What I wish for myself and Metalwings is to get the attention of true connoisseurs of metal music. We do not strive for quick popularity, but we strive to win people’s hearts. Of course, my biggest dream is to start doing longer tours, to more destinations and one day, to start receiving invitations from big festivals to share the stage with bands like Nightwish, Dimmu Borgir, Epica.

Pix666: As a musician, you certainly spend most of your time creating music – but what else do you do in your free time when you want to get your mind off things – are there any interesting hobbies that you pursue?

Stela: Apart from the obvious things you listed – I like to read books, walk in nature or just sit on the beach, in my hometown Burgas and enjoy the sea. It charges me and inspires me the most. I use my little free time to remain silent and enjoy the moment.

Pix666: Do you have any other news, that you would like to share with the fans?

Stela: Be prepared for something new and truly epic – our new land is coming on June 11th and I’m sure it will take you on the wings of music, to fabulous lands and forgotten dreams.

Follow the link to read the full interview

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Have you ever thought about giving up your music career? And if so, what prompted you to keep going?

All musicians who put their soul into music had moments when they wanted to give up. Music is a blessing, but it can also be a curse. Especially when nowadays you see how stars are created in days and real talents are neglected and forgotten. There is no artist who loves works in the dark. Everyone wants attention, contact with the audience and their music to see the light of day. But in fact, instead of making it easier, it has become much harder for real artists because they don’t have the energy or time to be assertive, to be online and to be so social. The real artists don’t have the desire to shoot constantly for dozens of social networks and to show what they eat or what they do. This is exhausting for a real artist. A real artist just wants to make music and share it with the world. But the world has changed and cruelly oppressed those who are not ready for change. At the moment, the chances of becoming popular because of how you look are much higher than becoming famous because you make great music. There are only a few people who will appreciate your music. Millions are those who are impressed by the external, spectacular and easy to perceive. As for how I manage to move forward – I’m a scorpion, I don’t give up easily. The harder I work, the more I pull forward. Besides, music is my life. I don’t make music to impress the whole world. I make music to be heard by those who have the hearts and minds to appreciate it. Our music is boutique – it is only for connoisseurs. I am happy for every fan and every positive comment, because for us everyone is valuable. When someone take the time to hear our songs, to write us a comment – this means that we have already achieved our goal. So, the music industry brings both a lot of joy and can kill you. It is important with what expectations you pass through the door of fame.

How has your experience been as a woman and being in the music and metal scene?

I don’t think we should divide musicians into men or women. We are all the same. If so far there has been a feeling that women are neglected and not accepted in the metal scene, it is because women have paid too much attention to men’s opinions. I already think that has changed and women have gained much more confidence that they are no less good than men on the metal scene. I personally feel great being part of the metal scene and showing the world how amazing we women are in every way.

 Finally, what message would you like to leave to all those women, and people in general, who still do not dare to play an instrument and form a band due to fears, prejudices and insecurities?

I want to say that we live in a small country – the poorest in the European Union. We do not have a developed music industry. The media does not support local bands. No organizer of major festivals here wants to open his eyes and hear something different from what he has already heard. The battle is fierce and unjust and will always be so. I don’t know how it is in other countries, but it is like that here. We have achieved everything so far on our own. Do you know why? Because we didn’t give up and didn’t pay attention to anyone who criticized us or betrayed us. We always stand up and move forward. Don’t let anyone take away your dreams and break your wings. Life is only yours, and the world is huge and waiting for you to concure it. Do not waste your time in fears, do not put up with crumbs. Always strive for more, for a higher, for your better self. And forget about those who don’t like or disapprove of what you do. You have your own path and destiny – just follow it.

Read the interview here

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The new review is written by Metal World!!!

“A Whole New Land” was mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios. Guests on the album include Ivo Kalyonski (extreme voice on “Monster In the Mirror”) and Georgi Dobrev (Kaval on “Milo Moe Libe”), while the cover art was created by Yasen Denev at Red Ring Entertainment.

“A Whole New Land” begins with a dark atmosphere intro, gradually incorporating percussion, powerful guitars, keys and angelic vocals for a magical eight minutes with opera choruses and various stop and go. In “Monster In the Mirror” the vocal interpretation varies a little more choral and high applied in a song of climates that sounds forceful and lets hear some well-placed guttural contributions between the lines. “Like A Willow Without Tears” is epic and very folk, continuing in the middle tempos until the power side starts in a great song. Then on “I See Your Power”, the performers are overflowing with energy and they really do a great job where the drums stand out.

Again the beauty of the voices stand out in “Silence” where they slowly consolidate a kind of stormy ballad of great composition that takes off musically at times. A great melody captures us with “Still Believe in Us”, emotional and dramatic. “Killer Of The Angel’s Love” is my favorite, a song with pure energy and dexterity that has a sober balance of combinations and where all the instruments fly very high. From song number eight “Wonders of Life”, I can say that we are facing an important component of the album that I am going to use to assess the particularities of the band, which at no time invite us to be compared with close exponents by gender or by having female voices and that’s great …

Follow the link the read the full review

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Another review for our ‘A Whole New Land’ written by @Allesandro Power from The Dark Melody

Three years after that debut, those directed by the vocalist Stela Atanasova return with a new production, which will be released this June 11 through an independent label, their second album is titled “A Whole New Land”, a concept album both in the musical as in the lyrics, which will take you to a totally new land in which all predators and their victims live in harmony and peace, each of the 11 songs start from the necklace of life, each composition tells a different story from the life of a girl who set out in search of the lost land of her ancestors. It is a totally new land where she once had honor, dignity, beauty and strength, where there was peace and harmony. Love is the main theme of the songs, but specifically in more lyrics on the album, Stela was not referring only to the love between two human beings, but rather to the love of life and how some people use the power they have to destroy the life instead of creating and preserving it. With this album the Bulgarians intend to take a great step forward in development and have a great desire to present to the world a radically symphony-oriented musical concept. With their musical arrangements they want to show the world that there is always sun after rain. Always after the apocalypse, comes salvation and understanding.

The second production “A Whole New Land” is not only a good symphonic metal album, but it is also a great step that Metalwings takes to consolidate itself and thus achieve the attention of symphony lovers, it is also necessary to highlight the vocalization by Stela Atanasova who also worked on the composition of it.

Follow the link to read the whole review

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Here are some excerpts from the interview:

“The dreams do not come alone, on the wings of a white dove – they come with a lot of work, faith and passion” – Stela Atanasova.

MG: You combine classical elements with operatic vocals, which may sound pretty old school, but the album sounds really fresh, with a lot of powerful, dramatic and dynamic moments. How did you manage to achieve this sound? What was your goal with “A Whole New Land” soundwise?

Stela: Thank you very much for your positive opinion. This means a lot to me. It is true that combining classics with opera vocals already sounds old school, but when you do it with passion and are not afraid to use different elements or experiment, you will always sound different and fresh. There is a huge potential in this style of music and I am happy to be part of the world of symphonic metal.

In my personal opinion, all artists and bands must strive for constant development and change. We must constantly provoke ourselves to do what we are afraid of and never stop looking for new techniques and means of expression in order to make as real and beautiful music as possible.

The sound we achieved with our new album is not accidental – from the very beginning, when we started discussing the new album, I gathered the guys and told them what my vision was for it. I wanted everything to sound more complex. I wanted heavier guitars and drums, as well as much more epic orchestral tracks. Then I decided that in order to present our songs in the best possible way, we should mix and master them with already proven names. That’s why I chose Jens Bogren. I didn’t just want to release another album – I wanted to release one of the best albums of recent years, which will be listened to for years to come. And I am convinced that we succeeded. We are very pleased with the sound we achieved, thanks to Jens, and that our album sounds amazing as a whole concept in musical and dramatic terms. But of course, the best indicator of that is our fans, so I can’t wait to hear their feeling and opinion about our album.

Follow the link to read the full interview here!

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We just received the next review for our upcoming album, again with a maximum grading! A huge thanks to metal-heads.de for this great review!!!

Here are some excerpts from the review:

METALWINGS have created with „A Whole New Land“ the most melodic album I have heard in a long time. Even though the last album was already good, they have taken a giant leap forward with „A Whole New Land“ and have transported their sound to a new level. There are fantastic songs on this album that just won’t let me go.

I have listened to the album so many times from front to back despite its very opulent playing time and I never tire of listening to it. I am also not able to point out highlights, because really all songs are masterful and enchanting. Due to a high degree of progressiveness, monotony never sets in and there are so many details that want to be discovered. Personally, I would have liked to see a bit more of the inclusion of male vocals, but that in no way detracts from the quality of this album.

Anyone who likes highly melodic symphonic metal simply has to love this album. For me in this genre a clear contender for the album of the year.

Follow the link to read the full review!

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We just got the first review for our upcoming album ‘A Whole New Land’ with a maximum grading. Thank you so much Thomas Stengel and Undercover Rock and Metal !!!

Here are some excerpts from the review 👇

“A Whole New Land” has become a gigantic symphonic metal epic, with huge orchestral arrangements, thundering guitar riffs and a really fat production. For me, “A Whole New Land” definitely sets a few new standards in terms of the combination of heavy metal and orchestral arrangements.

The actual size of the individual songs can hardly be described in words. You just have to hear it to recognize what Stela Atanasova has created here together with her colleagues. I’ve heard the album 15 times before I dared write something about it, and I’m still sure that I haven’t discovered every detail by far. Each song in itself is a small work of art! One thing is very clear. “A Whole New Land” is definitely not light fare or something for the “quick kitchen”. This fabulous metal epic is an 11-course gala menu in a 5-star restaurant!

“A Whole New Land” is a milestone in the history of Metalwings. For me, without a doubt, one of the strongest symphonic metal albums of all time!”

Follow the link to read the whole review!

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METALWINGS proudly presents

Front cover art of the upcoming album ‘A WHOLE NEW LAND” – design is made again by the amazing artist Yasen Denev at Red Ring Entertainment.

Official release date: 11 June 2021

Design by Yasen Denev