“Ladiatia” the 1^st “Mini Album” by Wheel Of Doom is as powerful as they come. Oriental, Chaotic, Loud, Heavy, and Hard Core are all used when trying to categorize this 5-piece outfit from Japan who are basing their US operations out of Los Angeles, CA.

Wheel Of Doom features the twin seven-string guitars of Mitsu Kadokura and Tsuka, anchored by Numa on bass and Matsu on drums, with vocals credited to only Shinn Kadokura – I say ‘only’ because it seems that two completely different vocalists are used through out, effectively carrying the disc with soaring high melodic tones that are broken into with a throat distorting holler that rips through vocal chords – An amazing effort if both styles are delivered by Shinn.

The vocals are but one of several conflicting points that converge upon each other to create this intense piece of artistic expression.

“Ladiatia” presents conflict, and presents it with the conflict that can be found in and fashioned through music. It is introduced by the subdued overture “Bassuqio,” an almost hypnotic electronica piece played on guitars, bass, and drums with a little studio tweaking. We feel ourselves being lifted, perhaps out of body, so that we may take a seat high above the consciousness in order to observe the ageless internal battle that is about to erupt in our ears.

And erupt it does. “Origin” gives us our first taste of this imported sound as the high falsetto vocal channels us into heavy spiritual chanting (I must confess that as the wall of distortion swells and sweeps over the vocals like a tsunami, I can not clearly or accurately distinguish all the words being presented. I hear English mixed with what could/may be Japanese, and/or some ancient [oriental/holy] tongue, or a combination off all three – And yet, it does not matter – It delivers the message.), we feel a blissful hope, yet sense impending danger. When the harsh reality invades this spiritual realm that we’ve been privileged to, we acknowledge the subjects helplessness in facing this vicious cycle. WOD uses the Heavy and Hard-Core guitar attack paired with the menacing throat vocals to make the classic battle of good vs. evil bounce between our ears, and even without full knowledge of the lyrics we understand the meaning of this struggle - how man cannot exist without each element; be it the spiritual aspects of good or the demon seed of evil, these conflicts have always been and always will be the cycle of fate that man must come to terms with. It is our Wheel Of Doom.

And that message is repeated in some of the most original Heavy Metal, Hard Core music that we’ve heard in ages. “ZO.DI.AC” catapults us to a headbangers stratum heretofore unattainable. A 6:32 classic; picture Led Zep’s Kashmir harder, faster, more melodic - vocals reaching heights Robert Plant only wishes he could’ve, lead guitar that would make Page envious, drums and bass rivaling anything Bonham and Jones ever did – Add the demonic vocal intervention and there’s just no stopping the rush! TURN IT UP!

“Border-less” and “Float” continue the assault of conflicting territories colliding to create a solid brick wall of Metal polished to a gleaming monolith rising high within our consciousness to illuminate the realities of life and the continued aggressive struggle to maintain mental, spiritual, and physical control/dominance over them.

Finally “Into Your Voices” returns us full circle to the hypnotic electronica music of the opening piece “Bassuqio.” Bringing us back from the out-of-body experience, it reinstates us to a consciousness that can reflect on the battles we’ve paid witness to within our ears. Stretched to 7 plus minutes this coda allows us to not only ponder the vicious cycles of conflicting reality and spiritual consciousness, but to realize that everything, including music, has it’s own Wheel Of Doom.

Ladiatia by Wheel Of Doom
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