[7][8][9] It is the band's first album to feature drummer Jason Bittner, making it their first one without Ron Lipnicki since ReliXIV (2005), as he had left Overkill shortly after the release of its predecessor The Grinding Wheel (2017).

[10] Two months later, Bittner announced on his Facebook page that they were "in pre-production" for the album, writing, "And were in pre production this week.......been awhile since I dusted the 'ol Rolands off but we're pressed for space..."[11] When asked in an April 2018 interview with Jimmy Kay of Canada's The Metal Voice what fans could expect to hear from the album, frontman Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth stated, "I think we caught a wave on the last four records.

[15] On January 28, 2019, the band announced the Wings over the USA tour, which began on April 25 in Baltimore and included support by Death Angel and Act of Defiance.

He concluded his review, writing, "It's an impressive feat for an aging thrash metal band to release one of its best efforts three decades into the game, and that's exactly what they did with 2010's Ironbound.

Now, the band is nearly 40 years old, and even though The Wings of War doesn't quite pack Ironbound's punch, it is marginally better than the three albums sandwiched between the two: The Electric Age, White Devil Armory and The Grinding Wheel.

While The Wings of War isn't essential nor mandatory listening, per se, it's most certainly good and entertaining, and it serves as a fine soundtrack for working out or getting ready for a night on the town.

"[17] Nathan Dufour from KNAC.com gave The Wings of War a rating of four out of five and called it "a sparkling gem,"[18] while Agoraphobic News referred to it as Overkill's best album since Ironbound.

[24] Despite receiving positive reviews, The Wings of War was considered something of a commercial disappointment in light of its predecessors—The Electric Age, White Devil Armory and The Grinding Wheel—having entered the top 100 on the Billboard 200.