The supergroup with frontmen Jeff Scott Soto (vocals – Yngwie, Talisman, Eyes, Sons Of Apollo, SOTO) and Erik Mårtensson (Ecipse, Ammunition, Nordic Union) is back with album # 4. To me, W.E.T. – which is completed by Mårtensson’s Eclipse-partner and right hand, guitarist Magnus Henriksson, bassist Andreas Passmark (Royal Hunt), keyboardist Robert Säll (Work Of Art) and drummer Robban Bäck (Mustasch, Sabaton, Eclipse) – has bettered its craft with each album. I always thought their self-titled debut (2009) was a somewhat bland effort, not band but it didn’t reach its goal all the way. Follow-up Rise (2013), however, was a huge leap in the right direction and their last record, 2018’s Earthrage was superb and showed exactly how a blend of AOR and Melodic Rock should be done. This made my expectations for the new album enormous, so big that I can’t possibly expect the boys to better it.
Opening up with the leading single “Big Boys Don’t Cry” and as usual when it comes to the leading single, Mårtensson takes the lead vocal for the two first lines in the verses before Soto takes hold of the rest of the tune. It’s an upbeat AOR-rocker with an equal share of both guitars and keyboards. Style-wise, it’s right out of Talisman’s Genesis album’s pocket which rubs shoulders with a more AOR-ish Eclipse-like chorus where Soto’s smooth vocals shines. Here the verses are more uptempo than the chorus which comes with a more held-back touch, acoustic guitars and an mountain of hooks, catchy as a MF! This is brilliant.
“The Moment Of Truth” is an uptempo rocker, a bit smoother than the opening track, again with big guitars and big keyboards in a great symbiosis and a rhythmic, pulsating bass-line. With a bit of Eclipse here, some Survivor there, topped with the 1987 era Whitesnake, the band throws hooks over us from every angle and another terrific chorus, so catchy you have to cut it out of your skull to make it go away, not that you’s want to. Henriksson’s neo-classic meets AOR guitar solo is amazingly good as well. Awesome song. “The Call Of The Wild” – here’s that title again… – is a crunchy and punchy rocker with a riff not a far cry from early Talisman. There’s a heavier swagger to the tune but it’s also quite slick within the melodies. The call-and-response vocals between Erik and Jeff brings out the dynamics and the huge chorus is a monster. A glorious tune indeed.
Second single “Got To Be About Love” is an upbeat yet mid-paced very 80’s sounding pop-rocker, very smooth and slick, slightly sugary with an astonishing main-melody and hook-lines to die for – and a slight flirt with country-rock. With a more down-beat and even tender verse the song builds up to make the big, tremendous refrain totally explode in your face with massive catchiness. Damn, I miss the days when radio picked up these kind of tunes into heavy rotation – this killer tune deserves a hit-status, see. “Beautiful Game” is more hard-rocking with AOR undertones and the chugging guitars that Eclipse is so fond of along with the steady and bouncy drum-grooves brings on a striking live-feel and a dynamic contrast to the more polished vocal-melodies and the countless hooks of the song. The chorus is, as always, contagious.
“How Far To Babylon” is rhythmic, guitar-driven and holds an instant groove. The verses takes a little more laid-back position with an acoustic guitar as the base and a slightly melancholic atmosphere. The tune heavies up and becomes more crunchy when the massive chorus shows up full of catchiness and an endless stream of hooks. The solo part is even heavier and transforms the song into full-blown Hard Rock. Great stuff. “Coming Home” is a way smoother pop-rock number with a very silky and slick 80’s AOR input and the Eclipse vibes within the melodies are very prominent. It’s a straight-forward and concise number in uptempo and a chunky rhythm and the chorus is über-catchy. Bloody brilliant it is.
Power-balladry deluxe enters in form of “What Are You Waiting For”. The tune comes across as a mid-eighties sounding version of a mix between Eclipse and Soto’s solo-stuff where bluesy Classic Rock guitars blends with smooth AOR-keyboards which makes for a dynamic contrast. Soto’s soulful vocals brings colour to the song and the majestic soundscape makes the tune impossible to escape. Another terrific chorus locks you up for life and throws away the key. Awesome! With glossy pop-hooks and some chunky guitars, “You Better Believe It” takes us for an uptempo ride full of contagious melodies and a happy-go-lucky and positive outlook and another striking refrain. I like the song but for some reason it doesn’t strike me as hard as the rest of the tunes.
“How Do I Know” is slower in pace and slightly heavier and holds a punchy and solid rhythm. The guitars are fatter and more Hard Rock laden and higher in the mix with a distinct main-riff. It’s a bit rougher around the edges and the whole arrangement is more attitude-driven yet Soto’s vocal-melodies are pretty smooth with a Melodic Rock outlook. The chorus is catchy as Hell with hitty hooks all over the place. A real killer. They close the record with “One Final Kiss”, an upbeat, straight-forward and in-your-face Hard Rock fueled rocker with some smoother keyboards and vocal-melodies that knocked me for six by first listen. The chorus hook is simply irresistible and the whole tune throws out a massive hit-potential. Oh my – this is phenomenal.
While the album isn’t exactly as fantastic as the last one, it’s still a brilliant effort and to expect the guys to better an album like that might be just a bit too much to ask for. That being said, W.E.T. has with their last few records, this one included, become one of the finest Melodic Rock/AOR bands around and the fact that this is only a project and not a band as such is an annoying thorn in my side. I love both Eclipse and Ammunition but I now hold W.E.T. as Mårtensson’s finest project, up there with Nordic Union, they’re superior to Work Of Art and when it comes to Soto, W.E.T. is the best thing he has put his splendid voice on since Talisman, the brilliant Sons Of Apollo included. This album is magnificent and I will keep my fingers crossed that they change their mind and take this out on the road when the pandemic is history. I’ll be in the front-row cheering if that ever happens.
8/10
More W.E.T. reviews:
Tracklist:
1. Big Boys Don’t Cry
2. The Moment Of Truth
3. The Call Of The Wild
4. Got To Be About Love
5. Beautiful Game
6. How Far To Babylon
7. Coming Home
8. What Are You Waiting For
9. You Better Believe It
10. How Do I Know
11. One Final Kiss
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