Have you been keeping it WHEEL lately? If you haven’t, that might be because after the release of their sophomore record, “Resident Human,” progressive metal act WHEEL have mostly been focusing on touring everywhere! Thankfully, for those who needed their portion of progressive metal, the band released a brand new EP, “Rumination,” on November 10th, 2022, consisting of three new songs.
The EP starts off with “Blood Drinker,” which kicks in rather heavily with incredibly rhythmic guitar riffs that are repeated throughout the song. This song immediately shows that WHEEL have yet to show us their full range of songwriting capabilities. This track feels very experimental for the band; heavier, but I can totally see this being a kick-ass live track. I believe “Synchronise” was the first of these new songs they released, admittedly, it was a little bit more difficult to get into this track. It’s an acoustic WHEEL piece, with beautiful acoustic guitars and underneath the many layers, cellos provide a little bit more atmosphere. Notable here is that the acoustic guitars have a really beautiful, warm sound. Final track “Impervious” is the song that sounds most WHEEL, less experimental, but no less fun. Guitarist Jussi Turunen‘s playing is playful, adding a little something extra to the mix.
Altogether, this EP is an intriguing endeavor for a band like WHEEL because it shows how much the band has grown since their debut EP, “The Path.” All songs definitely sound more WHEEL than ever and it will be truly interesting to see if this EP will serve as a bridge between their sophomore release and their eventual third release, or will the next album be a complete change of pace. All the more reason to keep an eye on these guys!
Tracklist
- Blood Drinker
- Synchronise
- Impervious
Lineup
James Lascelles – vocals, guitars
Jussi Turunen – guitars
Aki Virta – bass
Santeri Saksala – drums
Label
InsideOut Music
