Reviews: Wheel, Black Tusk, Unearthly Rites, Attic Theory (Reviews By Matt Bladen, Paul Hutchings, Mark Young & Zak Skane)

Wheel - Charismatic Leaders (Inside Out Music) [Matt Bladen]

Often used to refer to those in charge of cults, dictators, demagogues et al We have all witnessed Charismatic Leaders more and more recently. Think of the blonde, mop top from a few years ago or Mr Orange over the water in the USA and you'll be on the right train of thought.

These are the people that use their personality and their rhetoric to breed dissention for their own gain, it is “divide et impera” in practice, orchestrated by inflammatory language behind crocodile smiles and the idea of being something different or needed. It’s these people that Finnish prog metal masters Wheel deal with on their new album, it’s not quite a concept record but one where the things that link these Charismatic Leaders together, ideologically, practically and mentally are explored, decried and exposed for all to see.

Dealing with subject matter that for a lot of listeners is quite close to home and could illicit feelings one way or another, it's no surprise that Charismatic Leaders is an aggressive record, Wheel calling it their 'metal' album. The heaviness is turned up higher than before, James Lascelles' cranking out riffs at a louder volume and more hostility than on any other Wheel releases. Tumultuous grooves on Empire or the Tool-like swirl of Submission and Disciple, bring rhythmic wooziness, low end grunts and stop start riffs that are made bone breaking by the engineering/production of Daniel Bergstrand and Meshuggah man Fredrik Thordendal. They put their crushing audio stamp on this third full length.

James' vocals too are a bit rawer in parts but he still has that brilliant melodic phrasing throughout, so it's more an evolution than a revolution. Wheel adopting textures they have toyed with but now they have fully embraced them, as rock bleeds into metal but stays progressive and innovative. From the Tool parts I mentioned that have always been there, much like the introspective Porcupine Tree-isms, they shift towards Gojira’s emotive technicality and even some repeating Meshuggah battering, without being too heavy for anyone who has heard their previous efforts.

Now a trio on record at least, James is joined by the lead guitar of Jussi Turunen, adding intricate melodies to tracks such as the Saboteur and The Freeze, his leads give lustre to the dense riffage, while the backroom of Santeri Saksala behind the drumkit means that Porcelain and Disciple have a rhythmic thunder to it, but a an adroit approach widens the percussive sound. Wheel add a more metallic shine to their gifted prog rock on this third full length, crowning them as Charismatic Leaders in the prog world. 9/10

Black Tusk - The Way Forward (Season Of Mist) [Paul Hutchings]

Album number seven for Black Tusk, a band we’ve not covered a huge amount here at MoM. My fellow reviewer Paul Scoble gave their 2018 release T.C.B.T. an appropriately sensitive review, whilst I have vague memories of a sledgehammer of a show supporting BLS almost a decade ago at the Academy in Bristol.

The Way Forward is another starting point for Black Tusk and is therefore aptly named. Guitarist/vocalist Andrew Fidler explains the themes. “The big theme of this record is putting your life back together. When everything seems like it’s against you, put your head down and push through. Take those bad things that are happening and use them to help create”. Wise words indeed, and with a revised line-up, there’s no doubting that Black Tusk are once again focused and driven.

Fidler and drummer James May are joined by guitarist Chris “Scary” Adams and bassist Derek Lynch for The Way Forward. The result is one blistering 11-track album that brings two guitars into the band for the first time. With additional leads, harmonies and melodies as a result, the other noticeable thing on The Way Forward is the singing; there’s many more voices as the band expand to a triple-vocal assault. This may sound horrific, but it works well amidst the frantic riffing and high paced opener Out Of Grasp.

As the album progresses, one can see the expanded version of the band getting to grips with everything that is thrown at them. Lynch takes lead vocals on Bushfire, a song for which he also wrote main riffs and lyrical content. It’s fiercely aggressive, with the theme of keeping pushing forward no matter what comes at you.

Full of dark lyrical content, there remains a defiance in Black Tusk throughout. Riffs cascade down like sparks from a catherine wheel, the tempo is fast and furious, and you can tell that a lot of thought has been put into the songs. Navigating through a world in chaos has been a focus for previous Black Tusk songs, and it’s no different here. Breath Of Life is one of those suffocating dark songs, with Adams adding the main riff to complement Filder’s lyrics.

The songs are generally short, the message delivered in bursts that require pauses and an inhalation of calm before the race starts again. The exception is the title song, based on Fidler’s recent divorce and his determination/desire to rebuild and pull himself out of the collapse around him. That he has done so is to his credit, as is the album.

Without a doubt an album that you should listen to if you like raw powerful metal, The Way Forward is another excellent release from a band whose return to the scene should be powerfully welcomed. 9/10

Unearthly Rites - Ecdysis (Prosthetic Records) [Mark Young]

Finland’s Unearthly Rites drop Ecdysis, an absolutely filthy slab of old school death metal filled with some of the darkest sludge. This is their first full-length, following on from a self-titled EP in 2021.

Starting with an industrial tinged introduction, Hellscape is followed by Deep Drilling Earth’s Crust which sounds like it recorded in a cave. It’s a call back to the primitive recordings of the late 80’s/early 90’s with an abrasive vibe and a gnarly guitar tone. The vocals are fit for purpose, ranging from deep, deep growls to high pitch screeching. I’m about 4 minutes in and thinking that this is going to be a test of endurance. 

I think that when bands mention about how brutal their sound is, I would just point to Ecdysis and say, ‘Brutal like these?’. The Master’s Tools continues in the same vein, with riffs that come straight from the swamp – thick, viscous and heavy. Ecdysis steps up the pace, without leaving the sludge behind. There is some wonderful OSDM in here, the trem picking, the screaming and improbable solo that blows in out of nowhere.

Capitalocenic Nightmare is exactly that. It’s a non-stop barrage, even in it’s slow measures it comes across as though it is designed to bring you out in hives. New Venus kicks off with what sounds like an act of violence being committed on the guitar, running into another rumbling riff. Despite the muted production, there is enough there to know that each song doesn’t repeat the one before it. 

What they do well, as New Venus show is that they put those filthy sludge packed riffs together and then knock the bejesus of out of it. It is definitely not dull, and points to them having a singular vision of what extreme music should sound like. Fuck Eco-Fascism again has some quality riffs in there, hitting like a brick in the face as it lumbers from point to point like a drunk Godzilla.

Sacrifice Zones seems to go harder, the vocals more guttural, the tone darker with an ending that spins like a wheel of death. This cacophonous ending tees us up for the final track, Doomed. Doomed goes for that slowed-down attack, ponderous and blacker than night. The song just grinds, and suddenly something clicks. There is a brutal beatdown which is superb and by rights should cause the most lethal circle pit ever. It almost falls apart as the tempo slows to an almost stop, teetering but not falling over.

This is like stepping back in time, vocals you can’t make out, guitar you can just about hear and drums / bass that combine to an earthquake effect. I realise that from my review it could be taken that I’ve approached this like some musical effete. I haven’t, I’m just trying to accurately describe it to you, the reader so that it either attracts or repels you from buying it. What I am saying is that I’ve not heard a band sound like this in ages. 

It is incredibly refreshing to hear music recorded like this, pure and visceral, not super produced to an inch of its life. It's as raw as you can get and for those who dig this approach, you will love it. 7/10

Attic Theory - What We Fear The Most (ThunderGun Records) [Zak Skane]

The Liverpool based band Attic Theory, which consists of vocalist Lewis Wright, guitarists Peter Donnelly, Tim Cunningham and Matt Lawler, bass player Kenny McArthur and Norm Walker on drums have released their highly anticipated debut album, What We Fear The Most. 

This album opens up with Violent Delight which greets us with walls of 2000’s era guitar layers stemming from straight forward dry overdriven tones to dynamically placed flanger effected sections. The vocalist brings this classic grungy rasp that we all know and love when it comes to this style of music, honing in some classic Chris Cornell and Scott Weiland deliveries whist the drums does a good job of locking in this wall 4 layered guitar tones and vocal phrases. 

Tattooed Heart takes back to old school MTV era rock hits by bringing some classic 90’s vibes with it’s Superunknown (Soundgarden) era chorused up cleans and Chris Cornell styled vocal trade offs in relation to the guitars and drums before it ramps up to some retro style hit choruses. 

Through out this 11 track album it also packs up some huge riffs and with tracks like Tapestry and Sweet Parasite with the guitars bringing the classic approach to writing riffs that have this Old Grey Whistle Test worthy catchiness to them but are wrapped in this modern edged silk.

Your Light and A Brand New Burden bring in some classic 2000’s rock formulas that I would put in the same of ilk as bands like Stained and Seether with especially dynamic structures of clean verse passages and then loud dynamic chords. 

What We Fear The Most also brings in some underrated chart worthy ballads especially with the song Narrow Lines, which explores the themes of suicide through it’s heart felt lyrics, walls of melancholy guitar melodies and naturally moving arrangements. This level of song writing and vocal hooks on this track really should be in the running with some of the top bands in the industry. 

Finally the album also packs some good vocal collabs with Kevin Martin on the song Paper Mâché with bring some great additional vocal layers and additional verses to the acoustic ballad The Legacy features Lucy Ellen which she brings in some heavenly harmonies. 

Overall, Attic Theory's What We Fear The Most brings in classic grunge rock vibes in a more modern package. From the huge riff approaches in the songs like Sweet Parasite to the acoustic ballads of The Legacy, this band has got you covered. For fans of Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots and Seether. 8/10