Anglo-Finnish progressive metallers Wheel are pleased to announce the release of their much-anticipated third studio album ‘Charismatic Leaders’ on May 3rd, 2024. The album was meticulously crafted to meet Wheel’s ever-heightening benchmarks and recording with engineers/co-producers Daniel Bergstrand and Fredrik Thordendal (Meshuggah) stretched from August to December 2023. The end result, mixed by Forrester Savell, has consolidated all the gains of what came before: singer/guitarist James Lascelles, lead guitarist Jussi Turunen and drummer Santeri Saksala’s third album represents their heaviest and most conscious music to date.
To mark the announcement, the band have launched the first single taken from the album, and you can watch the video for ‘Empire’ here:
Vocalist & guitarist James Lascelles comments of the track: “This is probably the most metal song I have ever written – it is intense as all hell when it kicks in and it keeps finding new ways to punch you in the face all the way to the end! Santeri did an incredible job with the drum track on this one and playing it live is really going to take some work in the rehearsal room..
Lyrically, it is about media empires and the effect they have on wider society – all of us are influenced to some degree, even if we would rather not admit it. Issues that require nuance are presented as binaries and opposing views are made into caricatures – a target for us to rage at that far too often, doesn’t even exist. This is not a new phenomenon by any means but it is one that seems to have been catalysed by the modern landscape of media, the internet and populist politics. As you might be able to tell from the mood of the song, this pisses me off immensely and it was cathartic to vent about it.”
‘Charismatic Leaders’ clocks in at just under 50 minutes, and will be available as a Limited CD Digipak (also featuring the Rumination EP tracks as bonus), and a Gatefold 180g LP, both featuring artwork from Lucas Mayer (Long Distance Calling, Blackout Problems). Pre-order your copy now here: https://wheelband.lnk.to/CharismaticLeaders
The full track-listing is as follows:
1. Empire 04:20
2. Porcelain 07:12
3. Submission 10:46
4. Saboteur 09:01
5. Disciple 04:12
6. Caught in the Afterglow 01:12
7. The Freeze 10:35
The band will be celebrating the release of their new album with their first ever shows in Australia (supporting label-mates Caligula’s Horse) as well as their first ever North American headline shows. Later in the year the band will return to Europe for further headline dates, which have just been announced and can be found below:
05/02 Orlando – Conduit
05/05 Philadelphia – The Foundry
05/06 Vienna – Jammin Lava
05/07 New York – Mercury Lounge
05/08 Boston – Brighton Music Hall
05/09 Montreal – Petit Campus
05/10 Toronto – Adelaide Hall
05/12 Chicago – Beat Kitchen
05/13 Minneapolis – 7th St. Entry
05/16 Denver – Moe’s
05/19 Phoenix – Underground
05/20 San Diego – Brick by Brick
05/21 Los Angeles – 1720
05/22 Berkeley – Cornerstone
5/23 Sacramento – Goldfield Trading Post
05/25 Seattle – Barboza
31st October – Olympia, Tampere, Finland
1st November – Sawohouse UG, Kuopio, Finland
2nd November – On The Rocks, Helsinki, Finland
7th November – Lutakko, Jyväskylä, Finland
8th November – Finlandia-Klubi, Lahti, Finland
9th November – 45 Special, Oulu, Finland
15th November – Logo, Hamburg, Germany
16th November – Melkweg Up, Amsterdam, Netherlands
17th November – 013, Tilburg, Netherlands
19th November – Rebellion, Manchester, UK
20th November – Cathouse, Glasgow, UK
21st November – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham, UK
22nd November – 1865, Southampton, UK
23rd November – Underworld, London, UK
24th November – Thekla, Bristol, UK
26th November – Kavka, Antwerp, Belgium
27th November – Luxor, Cologne, Germany
28th November – Colos Saal, Aschaffenburg, Germany
30th November – Backstage, Paris, France
2nd December – Komplex, Zurich, Switzerland
3rd December – Legend, Milan, Italy
4th December – Backstage Halle, Munich, Germany
5th December – Analog Music Hall, Budapest, Hungary
6th December – Chelsea, Vienna, Austria
8th December – Hyrdrozagadka, Warsaw, Poland
10th December – Lido, Berlin, Germany
11th December – Pumpehuset, Copenhagen, Denmark
12th December – John Dee, Oslo, Norway
13th December – Nalen Klubb, Stockholm, Sweden
