Steelwing formed in the spring of 2009 under the name Scavenger, but changed the name to Steelwing after singer Riley joined.
The new name was inspired by the cover of the Judas Priest album Screaming for Vengeance, which depicts a steel bird.
Shortly after recording the first four songs, the band took part in a newcomer competition organized by the Austrian booking agency Rock the Nation, in which they won against 1,200 other groups together with the Greek group Suicidal Angels.
Their debut album Lord of the Wasteland was mastered by Achim Koehler, who has supported Brainstorm, Primal Fear and many more.
Steelwing's style is often associated with NWOTHM (New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal), in reference to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.
The band sees their influences and role models in groups such as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Diamond Head, Accept and Savatage.