As we now know as we are now on their fourth studio album, W.E.T. is a culmination of some great artist including Robert Sall of the band Work of Art (The “W”); Erik Martensson of the band Eclipses (The “E”) and Jeff Scott Soto of the band Talisman (The “T”). All three bands are Swedish bands and all on Frontiers so it made it easy to bring these three guys together. Rounding out the band are Magnus Henriksson and Robban Back both from the band Eclipse as well. And a new face to the band with Andreas Passmark (Royal Hunt) will handle the bass duties.

The album was released on January 22, 2021 right slap dab during the COVID pandemic. So, no touring sadly. However, at this point in the pandemic, band’s were still delaying albums and we are so grateful that W.E.T. did not. Their fourth studio album, ‘Retransmission’, sees Erik still at the helm and this time, the guitar is king a little more than it has in the past. But don’t worry, if you are expecting to hear W.E.T., you will in spades as you still get melodic rock, 80’s anthemic AOR and solid music throughout still drenched in keyboards and smothered with great melodies and vocals from the great Jeff Scott Soto. They have become AC/DC in a sort of way with the fact that all the albums sounds the same, but in a very good way. I think people might be upset if they changed their sound, thankfully, they did not. Just punched it up, polished it off and delivered another spectacular release. Let’s see how it holds up.

“Big Boys Don’t Cry” comes screaming out of the gates with its bombastic drums, ear-splitting guitars and as is usually the blueprint, you get both Erik and Jeff on vocals for this first song and it is a scorcher. The melodies and harmonies between the two are better than ever. The anthemic beast of a song shows that W.E.T. have not lost a step in the three years since their last release. They come out swinging with this one.

The band continues the onslaught with “The Moment of Truth” which has some great guitars on it as Magnus fingers flies and Jeff’s vocals are soaring and beautifully smooth. However, W.E.T. has set a bar pretty high with great songs and this one falls flat for me. Although it checks all the boxes, the chorus doesn’t give us the big payoff we want and overall the some is too formulaic for me. But as I said, Magnus does have some great guitar work.

Now, before you panic, they steps it back up with “The Call of the Wild”. Kicking it off with a scream, there is a great back and forth on the vocals between Jeff and Erik with Jeff carrying the heavy load. Erik’s responses to Jeff’s verse are fast and furious and add a fun new quality to the song. The rest is nothing short of amazing with catchy choruses, big guitars as Magnus is at it again, slamming drums as Robban pounds away and layered keyboards from Robert that add just enough texture to fill the song with beautiful strokes of color. Now, this is more like it.

The first of two power ballads is “Got to Be About Love”. It starts off slow with simple guitars and beats, but turns in to a more powerful rocker when that chorus explodes on to the scene. Jeff’s vocals are made for this as they are so slick and smooth and a tone that smothers you in warmth. The emotion explodes out at the choruses and reigned in at the verses. A perfect blend. And like any good ballad, you get a perfectly suited guitar solo. I could see the lighters fill the sky with this one. I can see why this was one of the singles on the album.

“Beautiful Game” is a pure rocker with a harder edge. The guitar riffs are numerous and crunchy ready to bite. Jeff attacks the vocals with a veracity not seen yet. A little more edge and power. This is a high energy, frenzied rocker that shows these boys are ready to play this game and win!

Then we get one of my favorite tracks with “How Far to Babylon”. This one sounds a lot like Eclipse (no surprise there) and it sounds huge. It opens with some atmospheric keyboards and then some almost tribal drum beats. Jeff comes in on vocals in an almost chant like style and just slays. This isn’t like anything on the album and that is a good. Variety is the spice of life and this one definitely spices things up. It is borderline anthemic and simply a killer rock track with a twist. It is nice to see them break from script a little with this one.

We go from expected to back on script with “Coming Home”. Not that there is anything wrong with that at all. This is as commercial as it gets for them. This is a cookie cutter W.E.T. song which is good, but doesn’t hit greatness as it doesn’t stretch to find any new roads. It stays in its lane and does it well, jut bored a little with this stuff after four albums.

The next ballad is “What Are You Waiting For” which opens with some soft guitars and then Jeff comes in with the vocals that are almost too perfect. You step through a door that takes you back to the 80’s with some of the best power ballads. This one’s power isn’t as huge as the first ballad on here, but it still resonates. This one is more tender and heartfelt which makes it a little more bland, but still respectable.

Speaking of 80’s sound, “You Better Believe It” rocks out with the big boys from the 80’s. Erik opens it vocally with a “you better believe it” before the guitars and drums come in and Jeff takes over the vocals. The verses keep building and then the chorus is the big payoff as they are catchy and explosive. I feel like I’m in a time warp listening to the local radio station in the mid 80’s. It is great. Let me hit record on my tape deck so i can hear this one again and again.

“How Do I Know” is another typical melodic rock track that bores me a little. Nothing new and exciting and another generic, formulaic track. It has more great vocals and guitars and drums, but all wrapped in a too familiar structure that does nothing for me.

The final track is “One Final Kiss” and this one has a little more punch and fire to it. The chorus is huge with some great backing vocals from Erik as it compliments Jeff so well. And speaking of Jeff, he hasn’t faltered the whole album as that stellar voice is so well suited for this music and why I fell in love with this band. The sound on this one is massive and the guitar work by Magnus is on fire as he has been this whole album…the unsung hero of this album. A blistering track and one helluva way to go out.

Track Listing:

1. Big Boys Don’t Cry – Keeper
2. The Moment of Truth – Delete
3. The Call of the Wild – Keeper
4. Got to Be About Love – Keeper
5. Beautiful Game – Keeper
6. How Far to Babylon –Keeper
7. Coming Home – Keeper (1/2 Point)
8. What Are You Waiting For – Keeper (1/2 Point)
9. You Better Believe It – Keeper
10. How Do I Know – Delete
11. One Final Kiss – Keeper

The Track Score is 8 Tracks out of 11 or 73%.  And there are some killer tracks on here.  The run of songs from “The Call of the Wild” to “How Far to Babylon” is one of the strongest four songs run on any of their albums. And the highlight of this one for sure.  W.E.T. doesn’t disappoint and gives us another strong album of melodic rock gems with power ballads and anthemic rockers. At times it is like stepping back in time to the 80’s and other times it sounds as fresh as today.  The production, as always, is fantastic from Eric. This time around, Magnus stepped it up a notch on his playing as the guitar was shining brightly on this one.  Erik’s vocals compliment Jeff’s so well and speaking of Jeff, his vocals are always on point with these W.E.T. albums and the reason I keep coming back (and the reason for this series).  I hope we get another W.E.T. album in the near future as I can’t get enough of them.  My Overall Score is a 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars and for the record, none of their four studio albums received less than a 4.0…that is how good they are!!

UP NEXT: JEFF SCOTT SOTO – ‘THE DUETS COLLECTION, VOL. 1’ (2021)

THE JEFF SCOTT SOTO SERIES:

1. Panther – ‘Panther’ (1986) – recorded in 1984
2. Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force – ‘Rising Force’ (1984)
3. Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force – ‘Marching Out’ (1985)
4. Kuni – ‘Lookin’ For Action’ (1988)
5. Kryst the Conqueror – ‘Deliver Us From Evil’ (1989) / ‘Soldiers of Light: The Complete Recordings (2019)
6. Eyes – ‘Eyes’ (1990)
7. Eyes – “Nobody Said It Was Easy” (1990) – 7″ Single – Bonus Edition
8. Talisman – ‘Talisman’ (1990)
9. Talisman – “I’ll Be Waiting” (1990) – 7″ Single – Bonus Edition
10. Skrapp Mettle – ‘Sensitive’ (1991)
11. Axel Rudi Pell – ‘Eternal Prisoner’ (1992)
12. Bakteria – ‘Deficate! Suffocate! Mutilate! Masturbate!’ (1992 / 2009)
13. Eyes – ‘Windows of the Soul’ (1993)
14. Talisman – ‘Genesis’ (1993)
15. Axel Rudi Pell – ‘The Ballads’ (1993)
16. Biker Mice From Mars – ‘Biker Mice From Mars (Soundtrack)’ (1993)
17. Takara – ‘Eternal Faith’ (1993)
18. Talisman – ‘5 Out Of 5 (Live in Japan)’ (1994)
19. Talisman – ‘Humanimal’ (1994)
20. Axel Rudi Pell – ‘Between the Walls’ (1994)
21. Gary Schutt – ‘Sentimetal’ (1994)
22. Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Love Parade’ (1994)
23. Axel Rudi Pell – ‘Made in Germany (Live)’ (1995)
24. Takara – ‘Taste of Heaven’ (1995)
25. Talisman – ‘Life’ (1995)
26. Axel Rudi Pell – ‘Black Moon Pyramid’ (1996)
27. Human Clay – ‘Human Clay’ (1996)
28. Talisman – ‘Best of’ (1996)
29. Axel Rudi Pell – ‘Magic’ (1997)
30. Human Clay – ‘U4IA’ (1997)
31. Boogie Knights – ‘Welcome to the Jungle Boogie’ (1997)
32. Takara – ‘Blind in Paradise’ (1998)
33. Talisman – ‘Truth’ (1998)
34. ‘Rock Star: Music from the Motion Picture (Soundtrack)’ – Various Artists (2001)
35. Humanimal – ‘Humanimal’ (2002)
36. Humanimal – Find My Way Home: Limited Edition E.P. (2002)
37. Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Holding On E.P.’ (2002)
38. Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Prism’ (2002)
39. Talisman – ‘Live at Sweden Rock Festival’ (2002)
40. Jeff Scott Soto – ‘JSS Live at the Gods 2002’ (2003)
41. Talisman – ‘Cats & Dogs’ (2003)
42. Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Believe in Me E.P.’ (2004
43. Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Lost in the Translation’ (2004)
44. Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Live at the Queen Convention 2003’ (2004)
45. Soul SirkUS – ‘World Play’ (2004/2005)
46. Talisman – ‘Five Men Live’ (2005)
47. Talisman – ‘World’s Best Kept Secret DVD (2005)
48. Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Essential Ballads’ (2006)
49. Journey – ‘Live from Atlanta (Bootleg)’ (2006)
50. Talisman – ‘7’ (2006)
51. Talisman – The Albums Ranked Worst to First
52. Jeff Scott Soto – ‘B-Sides’ (2006)
53. Redlist – ‘Ignorance’ (2007)
54. Jeff Scott Soto – LA Rocks Demo / Vinnie Vincent Demo 1988 (2008)
55. Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Beautiful Mess’ (2009)
56. Jeff Scott Soto – “21st Century” / “Gin & Tonic Sky” CD Single (2009) – Bonus Edition
57. Jeff Scott Soto – ‘One Night in Madrid’ (2009)
58. Trans-Siberian Orchestra – ‘Night Castle’ (2009)
59. W.E.T. – ‘W.E.T.’ (2009)
60. Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Live at Firefest 2008’ (2010)
61. Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Damage Control’ (2012)
62. W.E.T. – ‘Rise Up’ (2013)
63. W.E.T. – ‘One Live in Stockholm’ (2014)
64. Jeff Scott Soto – The Authorized Biography (2014)
65. SOTO – ‘Inside the Vertigo’ (2015)
66. Joel Hoekstra’s 13 – Dying to Live (2015)
67. SOTO – ‘Divak’ (2016)
68. Sons of Apollo – ‘Psychotic Symphony’ (2017)
69. Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Retribution’ (2017)
70. W.E.T. – ‘Earthrage’ (2018)
71. SOTO – ‘Origami’ (2019)
72. Sons of Apollo – ‘Live With the Plovdiv Psychotic Symphony’ (2019)
73. Sons of Apollo – ‘MMXX’ (2020)
74. Talisman – “Never Die (A Song For Marcel)” – 7″ Single (2020)
75. Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Live and Loud in Milan 2019’ (2020)
76. Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Wide Awake (In My Dreamland)’ (2020)
77. SOTO – ‘Revision’ (2020)
78. W.E.T. – ‘Retransmission’ (2021)
79. Jeff Scott Soto – ‘The Duets Collection, Vol. 1’ (2021)
80. Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Complicated’ (2022)
81. Jeff Scott Soto – The Solo Albums Ranked Worst to First
82. Ellefson/Soto – ‘Vacation in the Underground’ (2022)
83. Slam – Slam (2023)
84. Jeff Scott Soto – ALL THE ALBUMS Ranked Worst to First
85. Jeff Scott Soto / Jason Bieler – Live In Concert (2022) – Bonus Edition
86. Jeff Scotto Soto / Jason Bieler – Live in Concert (2023) – Bonus Edition