This is the third album for German Doom band Wheel, and I would say this band exists for really one reason, and that is to recreate the sound of Solitude Aeturnus on Beyond the Crimson Horizon. I'm not saying that's an unworthy goal, especially since they have pretty much nailed it. Maybe singer Akadius Kurek isn't the vocalist Robert Lowe is, but a lot of people aren't, and he does pretty well. The riffs are enjoyable, and the production is way better than what Solitude Aeturnus managed a lot of the time. I am just glad to see a Doom band that is not strictly addicted to trying to be Sabbath and wants to continue the sounds that have come along since them. Maybe being so strongly influenced by a 30-year-old album is not exactly progressive, but for a Doom band moving past Sabbath is pretty close to revolutionary. A highly enjoyable album.
