The last time Prog spoke to Wheel, the future looked bright. The Anglo-Finnish band were about to release their second album, Resident Human, and frontman James Lascelles seemed in good spirits as he discussed mindfulness and the benefits of yoga and exercise, explaining how they helped him work through issues that had caused him to "completely burn out" in summer 2020.
Only, Lascelles wasn't out of the woods yet. "It took me quite a while to bounce back," he admits, a few years on from a period that by his own reckoning almost caused the wheels to come off completely. "Resident Human was a very odd place to be, for all of us. In many ways I think [recording] it was the only thing holding me together. All my paid work in Finland had stopped and I was just trying to grind away.
"Eventually I got a job in a factory," he reveals. "For a moment it looked like our career was done; 2019 had been such an amazing year for us, so it really felt like this profound sense of loss. We really weren't sure where we'd go from there, so I think there was a lot of pain and confusion that went into the album. Life and death, considering our place in the cosmos... that kind of stuff." Three years on from the release of Resident Human, Wheel are in motion again. Returning to the road after the pandemic helped establish a sense of momentum they've carried forward to their bold new album, Charismatic Leaders.
At the same time, the band have also rediscovered a sense of heft that made them rising stars in the prog metal scene in the first place. Three albums in and almost a decade since they formed, Wheel are coming into their own.
"Formed' is a strong word," Lascelles deadpans. "Originally it was all just a demo on my computer I'd done with my old band in the UK many, many years earlier. That ended up being the material for our debut EP [The Path].
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Denne historien er fra Issue 150-utgaven av Prog.
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The Bottom Line
The experimental Aussies have turned heads with their dual bass player set-up, but chief songwriter Matt Fack says The Omnific are no mere gimmick. Having honed their craft to its sharpest point with' second album The Law Of Augmenting Returns, he sits down with Prog to discuss their desire to redefine what bass guitars can do.
UNFADING MEMORIES
Experimental Norwegian jazz-rock trio Elephant9 return with eight new tracks that make up the exploratory Mythical River. The band's co-founders, bassist Nikolai Hængsle and keyboard player Ståle Storløkken, reveal the appeal of long coffee breaks, collabs with Led Zep bassist John Paul Jones, and why three really is the magic number.
Life, Death And The Decemberists
Death, Billy Joel and angelic visitations are just three of the ingredients that shaped The Decemberists' latest album As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again. Vocalist Colin Meloy talks to Prog about creativity as a form of hallucination, sneaking progressive music into the record collections of unsuspecting listeners, and why you have to earn the long songs.
Spellbinding
Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Jo Beth Young is back with a third album, which she describes as art-pop or experimental folk. Prog catches up with Young to learn more about the inspiration and process behind the thought-provoking Broken Spells.
COME BACK STRONGER
Tears For Fears, an A-grade solo from Steve Rothery and, erm, whalesong have all made their mark on the current release from Dave Foster Band. The guitarist and vocalist Dinet Poortman discuss their more relaxed approach to Maybe They'll Come Back For Us, and Foster opens up about his recent departure from Big Big Train.
A Family Affair
Norwegian chamber proggers Meer are back with their hotlyanticipated third album, Wheels Within Wheels. Prog catches up with co-vocalist Johanne Kippersund Nesdal and guitarist Eivind Strømstad to discuss the writing process, running their own festival and the challenges of being part of an octet.
Goodbye Blue Sky
When Pure Reason Revolution made an unexpected but very welcome return with 2020's Eupnea, all eyes were on them to see what they'd do next. However, internal changes, personal grief and a case of writer's block made the future seem less certain. New album Coming Up To Consciousness allays those fears with a selection of powerful new material and a modified line-up. Frontman Jon Courtney chats to Prog about finding inspiration during dark times, working with Guy Pratt and his renewed vigour for the band he founded at university.
PYRAMANIA
Egypt's pyramids have long captivated our imagination, with some even believing the magnificent structures harness magical or healing powers. In 1978, masters of the concept album The Alan Parsons Project explored themes of pyramid power and ancient magic on their third studio album, Pyramid. Prog and Parsons step back in time to uncover the story behind the group's Grammynominated and recently reissued record.
Still Life
\"I like to mix things that don't belong together and see what happens,\" says Eivør Pálsdóttir. The singer-songwriter talks to Prog about channelling the folk traditions of her Faroese home, the power of solitude, and the inspiring magic of the natural world into her transformative new album ENN.
Prog, Pop and Progress
By stripping back their instrumentation, Norway's art-rock sensations Leprous have found a different beast lurking below. Heavier and catchier than ever, they hope it can help them reach new frontiers. Prog catches up with vocalist Einar Solberg and guitarist Tor Oddmund Suhrke to uncover the story behind their new album, Melodies Of Atonement.
