Wheel @ Midsummer Prog Festival 2025 – day 2 (May 24)

Wheel @ Midsummer Prog Festival 2025 – Dark Beauty Beneath a Rainy Sky

On day two of the Midsummer Prog Festival 2025, Finnish prog-metal outfit Wheel took the stage following the abruptly cut-short performance by Sylvan. Unfortunately, their set was accompanied by persistent rain, forcing much of the audience to huddle under ponchos. Yet the band remained unfazed, delivering a performance brimming with emotional intensity and technical finesse.

Formed in Helsinki, Wheel consists of James Lascelles (vocals, guitar), Santeri Saksala (drums), Jussi Turunen (lead guitar), and Jere Lehto (bass). They presented a well-balanced selection from across their three studio albums.

‘Porcelain’ opened the set with a captivating build-up, layered guitar textures and the expressive trademark vocals of Lascelles. His voice remains the band’s most powerful weapon: tender, yet charged with tension. The song hovered between fragility and brute intensity, driven by pulsing drums and atmospheric guitar work.

With ‘Fugue’, they revisited the introspective tone of Resident Human — a track filled with melancholy and subtle dynamic shifts. ‘Empire’, a standout from their latest album, brought searing riffs and biting social commentary, with the chorus “You’ll reap what you sow” landing like a punch to the gut.

‘Dissipating’, the nearly 12-minute centrepiece of the set, showcased Wheel at their most ambitious and dynamic. From soft, ominous guitars to an eruption of complex rhythms and emotional power, the track emerged as the artistic highlight of the evening.

Next came “Movement”, one of the most socially charged tracks from Resident Human. With its tribal drum patterns, dissonant guitars and commanding vocals, Wheel returned to the urgency that defines this song. The audience was drawn into a musical outcry against indifference with the poignant line “We all know the price of silence” at its emotional core.

 ‘Vultures’ and the closing track ‘Wheel’ demonstrated that their debut Moving Backwards (2019) still holds strong. During this final, drummer Saksala had ample space to unleash his tribal-infused grooves, perfectly synced with Turunen’s cutting guitar work and Lehto’s solid bass foundation.

Wheel delivers progressive metal with substance. Their socially conscious lyrics, tight musicianship and shifting atmospheres evoke comparisons to bands like Soen, Tool, or Karnivool — yet Wheel manages to forge their own voice, one that is both raw and carefully crafted. Though Finnish in origin, the UK-born Lascelles brings a distinctly international flavor to the band’s sound.

Their history of touring with Soen gave this festival an added layer of meaning. While Soen closed the day with their sweeping, emotionally resonant performance, Wheel offered a more cerebral, yet equally gripping counterpart.

Even under grey skies and with a soaked crowd, Wheel’s performance left a lasting impression. Once again, they proved that progressive metal can be both intellectually stimulating and emotionally powerful.