There probably was no better way to chill after the strong autumn storm, Lyly, than hauling my weary bones at On the Rocks, Helsinki, on Saturday, November 2nd, 2024. There was something extraordinary on the menu. One of the brightest stars in the constellation of Finnish prog-metal, WHEEL, were set to kick off their European tour in Finland with Ostrobothnian metal rogues RIOGHAN confirmed as the warm-up act. WHEEL‘s new album “Charismatic Leaders” is hands-down one of the best metal offerings this year – if not THE best! I hadn’t seen them on stage since the Tuska Festival 2022, so this event was a must-see. On the plus side, RIOGHAN was an entirely novel act for me; apart from the fact that earlier this year, I reviewed the single, “Love Crimes,” by the Finnish prog-metal outfit, ALASE, with RIOGHAN vocalist Rioghan Darcy featuring as a guest, all I knew about this act was some off-hand description of them being a cross between Britney Spears and progressive metal, so I was pretty intrigued to see them live.
Well, these Ostrobothnian tricksters did play quite an intriguing 45-minute set of alternative metal, by turns channeling the spirits of tradition-savvy symphonic metal acts and full-on prog monoliths, with the occasional electronica flourishes adding an air of smokey mystique to the mix. As for the song titles, I haven’t got the faintest clue – except that, toward the end of the set, the band played one as-yet-unreleased banger of a track from their upcoming album. Here and there, vocalist Darcy seemed to struggle with some of those higher notes but, then again, the next moment she pulled them off marvelously, so I reckon it was more likely a monitoring issue rather than some problem with her voice. She pulled off rather impressive harsh vocals, too, and, on occasion, her stage antics were reminiscent of alternative queens such as Maria Brink of IN THIS MOMENT and Taylor Momsen of THE PRETTY RECKLESS. With more mileage, this band will surely become a force to be reckoned with. Musically, I found the atmospheric sections squeezed between the riffathons the most enjoyable – with just a little refining, those passages could challenge, say, even MASSIVE ATTACK at their most spliff-paranoid. RIOGHAN did what a good warm-up act does – it left me wanting to know more about them.
WHEEL kicked off with their progressively infused Saturday Night Fever performance relatively early, around 10 PM. As the setlist below reads, the show was ingeniously bookended by the opening and closing tracks of the new album, respectively. With three 5-star albums and three 5-star EPs in their back catalog, WHEEL has plenty of killer material to choose from in order to compile a mind-blowing set. The new album was almost played in full – only the 10-minute epic, “Submission,” was left out. While the band is still demonstrating their unbridled love for TOOL rather significantly, cross-referencing the new material with the old bangers in this live setting made me realize that WHEEL is drawing closer and closer to the Aussie proggers, KARNIVOOL. Both bands have beat TOOL in their own game by incorporating class-A songwriting into the quantum riffing; yeah, let’s face it – TOOL has long since become the GRATEFUL DEAD of progressive metal. On the first spin, I couldn’t avoid thinking that some of the vocal phrasing in the album closer, “The Freeze,” actually did resonate with the signature air of KARNIVOOL vocalist Ian Kenny. The impression was further cemented by the live rendition of the song.
With the newer songs fresh in mind, having hyperfixated over the new album for the past couple of weeks in anticipation of this gig, I was happy like a dog with two tails when the band blasted “Empire”, “Porcelain,” and the most profound mind-fuck of a riffer, “Disciple.” Longtime fans must have been equally blessed with songs such as “Hyperion,” “Movement,” and the band’s theme banger, “Wheel.” Yeah, these are all bangers, no doubt, but the new album is even better. Then again, WHEEL also performed “Fugue,” from their 2021 album “Resident Human,” and, in my books, the song has the absolute best-ever prog riff in a 9-based meter.
What took me completely by surprise was the hauntingly splendid acoustic rendition of “Synchronise.” The album version has cellos and all but even this stripped-down live version was powerful enough to send shivers up my spine. Having pulled off quite a few acoustic shows myself, both good and bad, I know how hard it is to make acoustic songs work wonders – especially when squeezed in between more electric songs in the set – and WHEEL sure had what it takes! Almost equally surprising was to drop the acoustic interlude, “Caught in the Afterglow,” next and NOT continue with “The Freeze,” like on the album, but with the old banger, “Movement.” Judging by the grins in the crowd, I wasn’t the only one appreciating this move. At this point, the band also announced that they had recruited a fine young bassist, introduced as Jere to the audience, and with this show being the first trial by fire for the young lad, his performance was flawless.
The venue was packed to the full – the event was sold out in advance – and, toward the end of the show, it was getting pretty hot. Or, maybe the band was just so fired up. WHEEL was one of the highlights at Tuska 2022, and this nothing-short-of-impressive performance further proved to me that they are, along with ODDLAND, the absolute best that Finland has to offer in terms of progressive metal. The band seems to be getting better and better with the years, like fine wine. As much as I like the subtle “Toolisms” when it comes to heavy prog riffing of this sort, I am glad that WHEEL has outgrown the most obvious influences and cultivated a unique voice of their own. So, it is no wonder that WHEEL has been booked for the TOOL: Live in the Sand festival in The Dominican Republic in March 2025. If there is one Finnish band that deserves this type of recognition, it is WHEEL. Just like their Aussie cousins KARNIVOOL, these proggy tricksters can make mind-bending riffs sound like the most natural thing in the world.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Setlist
- Saboteur
- Empire
- Lacking
- Hyperion
- Porcelain
- Fugue
- Disciple
- Synchronise
- Caught in the Afterglow
- Movement
- Vultures
- Wheel
- The Freeze
