Finnish progressive metal trio Wheel (comprised of vocalist and guitarist James Lascelles, lead guitarist Jussi Turunen, and drummer Santeri Saksala) have made quite a name for themselves over the last decade. With their irresistible blend of catchy melodies, vivid environments, and pulse-pounding instrumentation – comparable to the works of Karnivool, Godsticks, Caligula's Horse, and Earthside – it's easy to hear why. Fortunately, they continue the trend with the aptly titled Charismatic Leaders, an intoxicatingly emotional and fervent ride that finds the trio matching, if not outdoing, superb predecessor Resident Human.
Charismatic Leaders finds Wheel moving forward after the July 2023 departure of longtime bassist Aki "Conan" Virta. Although Jyri Helko (Warmen) has been filling in on tour, it's unclear if he (or anyone new) performed on the new LP. Either way, they've certainly not lost any of their magic in the process, and with Meshuggah guitarist Fredrik Thordendal and the multitalented Daniel Bergstrand (Meshuggah, Devin Townsend, In Flames) serving as engineers/co-producers, the trio have never sounded better on a studio recording.
Thematically, the record observes the traditional and untraditional notions of being a "charismatic leader" in modern times. Lascelles reflects: "Normally, [it's] a term used to describe the leader of a cult, [but] I think the meaning is changing, considering how we've seen politics evolve over the past ten years. It seems to be less and less about policy; it's more and more about these cults of personality, like we've seen with Boris Johnson and Donald Trump. I started seeing these people everywhere and thought, 'There's probably enough information here to do an album.'"
Lascelles also considers it to be their "heavy album," adding: "For the people who like metal and are into Wheel music, this is the one for them. It's not like we've become a caricature of the previous albums, but we've definitely moved in a more metal direction, and we wanted to make a metal album."
He's not exaggerating, as the opening invasion of djent-like riffs and rhythms immediately makes "Empire" one of the band's fiercest tunes to date. Multiple guitar tones are rough as hell, and despite still being quite soulful and clean, Lascelles' chorus is notably gruff. Thus, the song is an expertly crafted whirlwind of anger and vulnerability whose lyrics ("Burrowing deeper / Desperate to engage / And we rise to it / Feeding on the hate inside / Blinded by our rage / Hastening the end") reflects both Wheel's stylistic modifications and the real-world topics they're exploring with them.
Much of the remaining six songs walk similar – and equally effective – tightropes between complex aggression and densely poignant hooks and alluringly atmospheres. "Porcelain" and "Discipline" do especially gripping jobs of favoring the latter approach, with sustained notes and silence doing a lot to convey sleekly resonant sentiments. Likewise, "Caught in the Afterglow" is a haunting instrumental interlude comprised of defeated acoustic guitar strums and subtly eerie soundscape. It's a wonderfully sobering bridge into the all-encompassing "The Freeze" (which more or less condenses all of the record's winning attributes into an awe-inspiring finale).
Charismatic Leaders is undeniably Wheel's weightiest album sonically and conceptually, and those looking for more punchiness in their formula will probably enjoy more than the two before it. That said, it lacks a bit of Resident Human's variety (which could be a fair trade depending on your perspective). Regardless, Charismatic Leaders is another classic entry in their catalog and another reason for why Wheel absolutely deserves to be a household name in the prog metal world.
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