Do you think you’re ready for Wheelfall.
I don’t think so. Created in 2009 in France, Wheelfall begins with Fabien Wayne Furter (vocals/guitar, FWF, ex-Phazm, ex-Chaos Echœs) and also Niko El Moche (bass) and Cactus Daniel’s (guitar). Their first drummer lets place to Niko Elbow (drums, Joy/Disaster) in 2010, then Thibaut Thieblemont (keyboards/vocals) join them in 2015 for the release of their third album. A Specter is Haunting the World, their fifth album, is released at the end of 2020.
The album concept is easy: can an ordinary citizen rebel itself? The answer is yes. And it is the rebellion of an ordinary citizen that the band relates us, and their character has for goal the International Monetary Fund’s director assassination. To accompany him, a clever melting between Industrial Metal, Post-Metal and Sludge with as crazy as variated influences.
The album begins with the impressive 1000 Ways to Kill a Man, a heavy and suffocating composition on which throaty howlings make sense. The band transcribes us this hatred, this rage and this fatigue by a massive sound, as well as on Cold & Pure. Riffs become more complex and heady while melting to warlike weighing basis that becomes darker for SEX / OBLIVION / SEX. The song is haunting and disturbing, but we’re still fascinated by those dissonant harmonics that clash before Wisdom is More Erotic When Wasted. A soft but cold introduction, then the band’s catchy basis surfaces again to crush us with a scary break.
The mad rhythmic resumes with Perverse Technology, a dark song of which raw and ice-cold heady sound describes the character’s state of mind. Determination, acrimony and fear fight before Scorched Throats, a song that plays on a choking progression. The explosion is as surprising as energetic, and riffs wear a part of dark mystery before going back to neck-crushing tones. The alarm signs the end of the song and the beginning of the long Saltwater. The song is slow and haunting, offering easy but very heavy and regular riffs, which create a contrast with this mysterious start, then fastnes bursts come next, until the final part. Amplitude Death, the last song, offers us again those crushing tones and raw screams accompanied by piercing harmonics, then a more airy riff leads us until the end of the record.
Wheelfall’s crushing music perfectly serves their concept. A Specter is Haunting the World is a fascinating and disturbing album, heavy and sincere as their message. The band deserves in my opinion more recognition.
90/100
