Charismatic leaders. These are the dictators, demagogues and false idols who, around the world at this very moment, are stoking division and igniting war in the name of nothing but self-gain.

They’re also the unmistakable target of Wheel’s new album of the same name: a seven-song prog metal opus that strives for all things right in a world gone wrong.
Since forming in 2015, Wheel have swiftly grown from underdogs of Helsinki, Finland, to an international tour de force. The angular riffs, unforgettable melodies and adventurous scope of the trio’s 2019 debut, Moving Backwards, was instantly adored by fans of megastars from Tool to Coheed & Cambria. Then, 2021 followup Resident Human received rave reviews from publications across the planet, praising its sonic evolution and bravely dystopian themes.
Charismatic Leaders was meticulously crafted to meet Wheel’s ever-heightening benchmarks.
Although not quite a concept album, Charismatic Leaders investigates this idea in laudable detail. “Empire” rages against the multimedia oligarchy of Rupert Murdoch, its impassioned cries and high-octane riffing making it the most invigorating four minutes of Wheel’s career. Meanwhile, “The Freeze” builds an enormous atmosphere to accommodate its more worldly focus, expressing the paralysis and hopelessness many feel as they see atrocities playing out thousands of miles away. Yet, armadas of ferocious riffs still hammer through across the song.
With an Australian tour alongside Caligula’s Horse and many more concerts already planned for 2024, Wheel’s pulse-pounding cries for justice will never be more widespread. Charismatic Leaders is destined to be looked back on as a manifesto that equally excited its listeners and made them think about the world around them.