WHEEL GET REAL IN RESIDENT HUMAN
Anglo-Finnish collective aim for honesty with their second album, due in March.
Anglo-Finnish proggers Wheel will release their second album Resident Human on March 26 via Odyssey Music.
Like so many recent releases, it was pushed back due to the pandemic, but vocalist James Lascelles says the delay was in fact a blessing in disguise.
“We were so disappointed to have so many tours cancelled, especially with bands like Meshuggah and Devin Townsend,” he confirms. “But in all honestly, the extra time was enormously beneficial.” It gave the singer space to focus on the album’s lyrics, which hone in on the complexity of the human condition often through last year’s events, such as the aftermath of George Floyd’s death (Movement) and the Covid-19 pandemic (Fugue).
Lascelles also found inspiration in the sci-fi novel series Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons, which he discovered during lockdown. “It blew my mind,” he says. “It’s set in the future, but there are so many elements of our world that pop into the books. It really contemplates the notion of mortality and death. The song Hyperion is 12 minutes long, so it needed a suitably big topic – the fit was just right!”
The singer adds that Wheel aimed for a “more humanistic vibe” than on their debut LP Moving Backwards. “We’re living in a time where you can correct everything if you choose to, and it’s great that you can do that, but for this album we really tried to pull back. I like how honest it’s ended up being.”
More details can be found at www.wheelband.net. HMK