… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least two artists who have recorded under the name Wheel.
1) Progressive rock/metal band from Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland.
2) Doom metal band from Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
1) Wheel are based in Helsinki, Finland and have been working together since 2015 when former guitarist, Saku introduced James Lascelles (singer/guitarist) to Mikko Määttä (bassist) and Santeri Saksala (drummer).
James had some home demos that he had been working on which became the foundation for The Path EP (2017) after months of tweaking and re-arranging by the band. The EP was originally planned to be a demo and was recorded in only two days but the tracking process went so well that they decided to get the songs professionally mixed by one of Finland's most talented producers, Jesse Vainio.
Saku Mattila left the band to pursue other projects at the beginning of 2018 and was replaced by Roni Seppänen.
Wheel are known for their meticulous attention to detail, a fondness for unusual meters and poly-rhythms and their explosive live shows. They have already toured Germany and the UK and are planning more shows in 2018 to support their recently released, The Divide EP that came out on 1.6.2018.
2) WHEEL was formed in 2006 under the name ETHEREAL SLEEP by Marcus and Arkadius, former members of the Power Metal Band AVANITAS from Dortmund, and Benjamin, former member Dortmund's Thrashers McDEATH.
The common goal of the trio was to create old school, heavy, emotional music different from their former bands and so traditional Doom Metal was the only logical consequence.
In 2008, after several rehearsals with more or less talented drummers, Cazy joined and guitarist Timo finally completed the line-up for the first time ever.
ETHEREAL SLEEP then changed their name to WHEEL because they felt more comfortable with a shorter, more concise name.
In early 2009 WHEEL recorded a two track demo in their rehearsal room which led to a multi album deal with Eyes Like Snow. During that time Timo left the band and subsequently Ben took over both lead & rhythm guitars for the album recording.
Now that the album is about the be released WHEEL are looking to play some live gigs and perhaps find a new second guitarist to complete their live and possibly studio line-up..
The vinyl version of this album will be released later in 2010 on 12"+7" format including an exclusive bonus track..
Icarus
Wheel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A castle built upon the sand
A word - I can not understand
A path that guides me to the end
"Yes, Death, Death must be so beautiful,
To lie in the soft brown earth,
With the grasses waving above one's head,
To forget time, to forget life, To be at peace, you can help me,
You can open for me the portals of death's house,
For love is always with you,
And love is stronger than death is" - Oscar Wilde
No dope no booze will help to hide
The pain that strikes from deep inside
So weary and too tired to fight
Against the ever tempting light
I live my life of sorrow
Always waiting for the perfect day
When I finally spread my wings
And fly into the sun
If there's a picture there
In the mirror, telling you "Beware!
Of what you have become
You're still melting in the sun"
And if you try to find your picture in the darkness
There will be nothing, but a shape my dear
And if you try to find salvation in the darkness
Thee will be nothing, but yourself you fear
Isn't it funny the only place where I feel safe
In the beckoning silence of self buried grave
I burry my emotions under a mountain full of pills
And think to myself "Oh my God,,what a thrill!"
If you gaze upon this man of stone
It's just a frame of flesh and bone
If you gaze up his skin
It is nothing but an empty shell
If you gaze upon this man of stone
It's just a frame of flesh and bone
If you gaze up his skin
It is nothing but an empty shell
The song "Icarus" by Wheel begins with the analogy of a dream compared to China in the hand, indicating something precious and fragile that can easily slip away. The second line refers to a castle built on the sand which means that the dream is not reliable or stable. The following line states that the singer cannot comprehend what they are experiencing, and the final line says that they are following a path that will lead them to the end. Essentially, the opening stanza speaks about the fleeting nature of dreams, and how it is leading the singer towards an ultimate end.
The following stanza features a quote from Oscar Wilde that suggests that the singer is struggling with suicidal thoughts, and the desire to escape the pains of life, including the emotional pain that no drugs or alcohol can help. The next lines express that the singer is becoming tired of fighting it and wishes to succumb to the "ever tempting light", presumably death. The chorus touches upon waiting for the perfect day when the singer will finally break free of their struggles and spread their wings to fly, out from under their sorrows.
Line by Line Meaning
A dream - Like china in my hand
The dream feels so fragile and delicate like a broken piece of china in my hand.
A castle built upon the sand
I've built something big, a castle, but it's not built to last, it's built on a foundation that will wash away.
A word - I can not understand
A word has been spoken, but it's so vague and cryptic that I can't figure out its meaning.
A path that guides me to the end
I'm on a path that I hope will take me somewhere, but I'm not sure where it's leading to.
"Yes, Death, Death must be so beautiful,
This quote suggests that death is a comforting idea. It's a peaceful place without worries or obligations.
To lie in the soft brown earth,
Death means to sleep on a soft bed made of earth, surrounded by nature.
With the grasses waving above one's head,
Being buried means being surrounded by the waving grasses which gives a sense of a natural, organic environment.
And listen to silence, To have no yesterday, and no tomorrow,
In death, one can get away from the rhythm of the world and enjoy complete apathy.
To forget time, to forget life, To be at peace, you can help me,
This is a plea to Death to help leave all the suffering and find peace in death.
You can open for me the portals of death's house,
This statement is asking the Death to take away all the sorrows by opening the gate to death's kingdom.
For love is always with you,
Love is not something that dies with us. It remains even after we die and can bring comfort in death.
And love is stronger than death is" - Oscar Wilde
Even with Death, love can be a constant and can give us strength in the face of our end.
No dope no booze will help to hide
No matter what substance I try, it can't erase my pain.
The pain that strikes from deep inside
The pain I'm feeling is deeply rooted, and it won't go away easily.
So weary and too tired to fight
I'm so drained that I don't even have the energy to fight anymore.
Against the ever tempting light
There is a sense of darkness, and the only light that shines through is something that will lead to destruction.
I live my life of sorrow
I have accepted my fate and accepted my life will be full of sadness.
Always waiting for the perfect day
I'm hoping someday everything will become perfect, and I can find happiness.
When I finally spread my wings
When I finally have the strength to fight back against my pain and problem.
And fly into the sun
I'll find peace when I die.
If there's a picture there
If there's a reflection of a truth anywhere.
In the mirror, telling you "Beware!
The truth you see terrifying, warning you to beware.
Of what you have become
Reflections show how far you have shifted from being authentic to someone you don't recognize.
You're still melting in the sun"
Failing and losing life, destroying oneself, and moving towards the inevitable end.
And if you try to find your picture in the darkness
If you try to find the root cause of the problem in the darkness.
There will be nothing, but a shape my dear
In the darkness, you'll find something in shape but hollow inside.
And if you try to find salvation in the darkness
If you look for a way to escape your problems in the darkness.
Thee will be nothing, but yourself you fear
You can't escape yourself, and eventually, you'll face everything that you are trying to run from.
Isn't it funny the only place where I feel safe
The only place where someone can feel safe is in death.
In the beckoning silence of self buried grave
In the silence of our grave or death, we're safe from our pain, sorrows, and problems.
I burry my emotions under a mountain full of pills
I'm physically numbing my emotions by taking pills, as a way to keep my mind and heart from feeling the things that upset me.
And think to myself "Oh my God,,what a thrill!"
Even if I'm destroying myself, I'm enjoying the sensations that comes with it, and it's like a thrill.
If you gaze upon this man of stone
This man of stone refers to the facade that people often put up to hide their true feelings.
It's just a frame of flesh and bone
This man of stone is a human being, same as anyone else, who just happens to be hiding behind a mask.
If you gaze up his skin
If you were to look deeper, beyond the surface level of this man of stone.
It is nothing but an empty shell
It becomes clear that this man of stone isn't as solid or as emotionless as he seems.
Contributed by Jasmine T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Rodorigo
30:50 THAT RIFF
Tibor Farkas
:)