Wheel: Caught In The Afterglow

Things have really been taking off for WHEEL since 2021. After years of hard work, the Finnish progressive trio released their Resident Human album, and turned a lot of heads. The blend of catchy melodies, imaginative song writing and complex instrumentation drew favourable comparisons with genre leaders like CALIGULA’S HORSE, along with a wave of positive reviews.

If there was any pressure to keep the momentum going, it doesn’t show on the recent Charismatic Leaders. A worthy successor to their breakthrough, it sees the band continue their trend of meticulously crafted prog, but there’s one significant stylistic change. According to guitarist/vocalist James Lascelles, this one is more aggressive, and aimed squarely at an audience who enjoy GOJIRA as much as PINK FLOYD.

“It is our heavy album,” he tells us. “It still has the dynamics of our previous work, but the climaxes are more intense and more frequent than Resident Human. The material is also the most challenging I have written so far, and I really have to pay attention not to screw it up live!”

This is noticeable almost immediately. The record starts with Empire, a track that has a convincing claim to being the heaviest thing they’ve created so far. The lush soundscapes and ethereal melodies are still present, but they’re joined by some intense, crushing passages and there are a few moments where James screams so violently it would get lozenge salesmen rubbing their hands with glee. It also doesn’t shy away from a politically-charged topic.

“Lyrically, the song is about the lawsuit Fox News lost against Dominion, one of the companies who were manufacturing the voting machines used in the US 2020 election, who Fox falsely accused of not working – therefore the whole ‘stolen election’ tangent,” James explains.

“I started thinking about the individuals at the top of the group who own the channel and knew immediately there would be no legal consequences for them – even though a private business had effectively thrown in its support for an attempted coup – this is absolutely insane isn’t it? The Murdoch empire (like several other similar conglomerates) holds incredible power over what ideas enter public discourse and it’s terrifying to think that the worst possible outcome for sharing lies as dangerous as these is for the owners to have to sell the channel.”

Given that the effects of the ‘stolen election’ conspiracy theory are still being felt today and bound to have an impact on this year’s presidential race, this is likely to ruffle a few feathers. However, it ties into a broader theme within Charismatic Leaders. It’s not strictly a concept album, but there is a running question over what it means to be a “charismatic leader.”

“We seem to revere and reward those who lack empathy, feel entitled and are utterly ruthless – most of the songs on the album are exploring an aspect of this idea,” he says, and while this might sound bleak, the record isn’t without hope. Empire is a dark way to kick things off, but forty minutes later it’s counterbalanced by The Freeze. The climax to Charismatic Leaders is a more personal track, but there’s a wider focus too. It’s about overcoming the sense of apathy and helplessness in an increasingly bleak world, and “striving to be better tomorrow than we are today.” It ends things on a sweetly optimistic note, so things are not as grim as they first appear.

It’s also really long. This one track runs to over ten minutes and it’s not even the biggest one on here. WHEEL are very aware of the stereotype of over-indulgent prog bands writing needlessly epic tracks, and it’s to their credit that Charismatic Leaders doesn’t get boring. And a lot of these songs have literally been worked on for years. For example, Submission, the album’s centrepiece has been in James’ head since the pandemic era.

“I started working on the original idea (the first four minutes roughly) back in 2020 I think but it wasn’t until January last year when I really got into trying to finish it. I had a lot of ideas that ended up on the cutting room floor as the original Pro Tools session was well over one hour long! I am always mindful of the commitment we are asking from a listener, particularly for our longer tracks, and I want the arrangement and structure to be as perfect as possible to justify their attention – maybe this is why I take so long to finish stuff!”

This does mean that WHEEL’s music might seem overly intimidating to some folks. There are no three-minute radio anthems to be found here, but it is remarkably easy to get into. Charismatic Leaders is also a highly rewarding listen, and you’re likely to notice something new each time you play it. It gets dark and it gets violent at times, but there’s a wealth of humanity to be found here. It’s not always pleasant, but WHEEL could be on the verge of reaching the upper echelons of prog. They might even drag a few metalheads in with them.

Charismatic Leaders is out now via InsideOut Music.

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