Wheel & The New Death Cult, Exchange Bristol
For less than 10 of your British pounds you too could have been at Bristol's Exchange for what will probably one of the best gigs of the year. Into Bristol's community hub/venue after an easy commute to the city from South Wales the waiting area was jam packed with all manner of punters. It seems that since we last frequented this venue it has gained another performance area downstairs in it's 60 person cap basement. There was soemthing else on as well as the gig we were here for luckily we were in the bigger room for the evening.
After a few beverages, it was into the venue, a scout of the merch and before long show/tour supports The New Death Cult (7) came to the stage, dressed in all black with skeleton half masks and UV paint (guitarists orange, rhythm section green) they kicked off the evening with some jangly, propulsive rock music. As they cranked out their fiery alt rock-meets-indie-meets-prog two words came to my head, "Spooky Muse" this for me is a perfect way to describe the Norwegian band who reminded me a lot of the British masters of genre manipulation as their jangly guitars, passionate vocals and thumping rhythms kept the heads nodding through their support slot. There was enough groove and virtuosity to keep the hardcore proggers in the crowd interested increasing the temperature ready for the main event. Frantic and fiery The New Death Cult were the best kind of opening act, they differ from the headliners and get you moving.
There are few bands who have impressed most of the MoM the way Wheel (10) has, nearly everyone who has witnessed them has instantly fallen for their groove heavy, dark prog metal. Myself and Mr H alone saw the band at both Bloodstock and Damnation last year and both times they were mesmerizing, so when the chance to seem them at their own headline tour arose we jumped at the chance. This was not only their first UK headline tour but also their first show in Bristol and the first date on the tour itself. Some opening night jitters and technical gremlins were to be expected and forgiven but not with Wheel. They are the tightest, most technically precise band I've witness live, their setlist structured for maximum impact as the light show is programmed to link with the music, all controlled by a sound engineer who was banging her head and jumping to every single song. Now the band went through a few line up changes last year and just before this tour they had their most recent changes as long term guitarist Roni Seppänen left the band replaced by the mountainous JC Halttunen who joins Aki 'Conan' Virta (bass) and Santeri Saksala (drums) along with frontman/guitarist James Lascelles in this awesome foursome.
Once again taking to the stage in their hoods the addition of Halttunen added a new dimension to their songs as his lead chops and swirling solos are laid over the the Tool-like grooves. Ah yes the T word, I thought I would have avoided it in this review but it's only live that you can really appreciate how much an influence bands like Tool and Karnivool are to Wheel, however if given the choice between the Americans and Norwegians I'd go Nordic everytime, mainly due to the difference in price, but also that Wheel are a much more entertaining live act. Drawing tracks from their EP and their album Moving Backwards the first hour flew even when they indulged in the 10 minute prog numbers, it was like time was melting away in a hypnotic daze, the crowd banging their heads almost in unison. James' between song speeches were humble and appreciative that so many turned out to watch them on a Thursday night, however to me that proves how good the band are. A wash of disappointment came over the crowd when they announced their final song but it was a long one so no shortchanging here, then it was over a collective breath was taken and we filtered out of The Exchange with grins a mile wide. If Wheel tour again soon you can bet it won't be in venues of this size, a majestic act that in this humble writers opinion are a must see.
For less than 10 of your British pounds you too could have been at Bristol's Exchange for what will probably one of the best gigs of the year. Into Bristol's community hub/venue after an easy commute to the city from South Wales the waiting area was jam packed with all manner of punters. It seems that since we last frequented this venue it has gained another performance area downstairs in it's 60 person cap basement. There was soemthing else on as well as the gig we were here for luckily we were in the bigger room for the evening.
After a few beverages, it was into the venue, a scout of the merch and before long show/tour supports The New Death Cult (7) came to the stage, dressed in all black with skeleton half masks and UV paint (guitarists orange, rhythm section green) they kicked off the evening with some jangly, propulsive rock music. As they cranked out their fiery alt rock-meets-indie-meets-prog two words came to my head, "Spooky Muse" this for me is a perfect way to describe the Norwegian band who reminded me a lot of the British masters of genre manipulation as their jangly guitars, passionate vocals and thumping rhythms kept the heads nodding through their support slot. There was enough groove and virtuosity to keep the hardcore proggers in the crowd interested increasing the temperature ready for the main event. Frantic and fiery The New Death Cult were the best kind of opening act, they differ from the headliners and get you moving.
There are few bands who have impressed most of the MoM the way Wheel (10) has, nearly everyone who has witnessed them has instantly fallen for their groove heavy, dark prog metal. Myself and Mr H alone saw the band at both Bloodstock and Damnation last year and both times they were mesmerizing, so when the chance to seem them at their own headline tour arose we jumped at the chance. This was not only their first UK headline tour but also their first show in Bristol and the first date on the tour itself. Some opening night jitters and technical gremlins were to be expected and forgiven but not with Wheel. They are the tightest, most technically precise band I've witness live, their setlist structured for maximum impact as the light show is programmed to link with the music, all controlled by a sound engineer who was banging her head and jumping to every single song. Now the band went through a few line up changes last year and just before this tour they had their most recent changes as long term guitarist Roni Seppänen left the band replaced by the mountainous JC Halttunen who joins Aki 'Conan' Virta (bass) and Santeri Saksala (drums) along with frontman/guitarist James Lascelles in this awesome foursome.
Once again taking to the stage in their hoods the addition of Halttunen added a new dimension to their songs as his lead chops and swirling solos are laid over the the Tool-like grooves. Ah yes the T word, I thought I would have avoided it in this review but it's only live that you can really appreciate how much an influence bands like Tool and Karnivool are to Wheel, however if given the choice between the Americans and Norwegians I'd go Nordic everytime, mainly due to the difference in price, but also that Wheel are a much more entertaining live act. Drawing tracks from their EP and their album Moving Backwards the first hour flew even when they indulged in the 10 minute prog numbers, it was like time was melting away in a hypnotic daze, the crowd banging their heads almost in unison. James' between song speeches were humble and appreciative that so many turned out to watch them on a Thursday night, however to me that proves how good the band are. A wash of disappointment came over the crowd when they announced their final song but it was a long one so no shortchanging here, then it was over a collective breath was taken and we filtered out of The Exchange with grins a mile wide. If Wheel tour again soon you can bet it won't be in venues of this size, a majestic act that in this humble writers opinion are a must see.