www.needleinthegroove.co.uk: W.E.T. - 'Earthrage' Album Review

Monday 19 March 2018

W.E.T. - 'Earthrage' Album Review

W.E.T. - Earthrage

When I was lucky enough to be asked if interested in writing a music review my reply was "Yep, just set the expectations low and you'll not be too disappointed, oh what artist/album are we considering?

W.E.T. – ‘Earthrage’. No pressure then.

For any non-Melodic Rock fans, W.E.T are a melodic rock fan's wet (pun intended) dream of a super group. The name W.E.T comes from the bands the members play in: Work of Art, Eclipse and Talisman (see what they did there?)

The main protagonists are Jeff Scott Soto of JSS/Talisman/Journey/Malmsteen “and more projects I can mention” fame, Eric Mårtensson (Eclipse/Ammunition/Nordic Union), Robert Sall (Work of Art), Magnus Henriksson (Eclipse) and Robban Back.

I've got the previous W.E.T. albums namely “W.E.T”. and “Rise Up” seen them play at Firefest as well as seeing JSS and Eclipse in their own right. They've never disappointed.

Anyway, forget the past, let's consider the future, how have the years affected their chemistry? Can they still deliver? You better believe they can. ‘Earthrage’ is a stunning album of melodic rock with the obligatory riffs, solos and soaring vocals.

The opening track ‘Watch the Fire’ kicks off with a gentle kind of menacing riff that grows with the guitars kicking in and ramping up the intensity. Erik's vocals come in setting the tone and then JSS kicks in with his distinctive and powerful voice and the song then takes off. WOW, just WOW!!

A band that has the strength of 2 powerful vocalists supported by musicians at their best is something special. I'm not going to appraise every single song in detail but take it as read there isn't a weak track.

There is definitely a massive Eclipse influence on the songs (obviously as Mårtensson produced, recorded and mixed the album) and when coupled with the Jeff Scott Soto lead vocals and the Sall keyboards it takes on a character of its own.

‘Kings of the Thunder Road’ is a perfect example, the Soto ability to take a song, raise the stakes and hit the notes is something magical. He does it time and again. Take a clichéd song title and then blow it to pieces. Driving guitars with the Soto voice, supported by the layered backing vocals is a winner. For me it’s a song that would grace a Rocky film with Soto singing and marching up the road as the supporting cast fall in behind his massively powerful voice and then the guitars step up beside to him to blast out a solo and then they all fall in step to the chorus. Amazing stuff.

Don't get me wrong, whilst ‘Earthrage’ is Eclipse influenced, it is not an Eclipse album, the combined talents ensure that this is a W.E.T album through and through.

‘Elegantly Wasted’ is a superb 3 minute piece of angst. The lines "I meet your tantrums with a smile, won't lose my cool or lose my style" followed by "another glass of wine and I'll be fine" resonated with my wife. "Has he met me?" she asked. Obviously not because whilst she’s been wasted it’s never been elegantly.

‘Urgent’ ups the tempo as does ‘Dangerous’. ‘Calling Out Your Name’ starts slowly but it builds and as we in Glasgow would say, the chorus is a belter. A word of advice, if you work in a quiet office then don’t play this in your headphones when pretending to be working, one of my colleagues thought I was having a stroke.

As you would expect and hope there are the slower songs and for me ‘Heart is on the Line’ is simply beautiful. Yes, beautiful. Oh take the piss, I don't care, I'm old, big and ugly enough to take it.

It is a heartfelt ballad and the softer side of JSS showing off his vocal skills without getting twee or even worse, X-Factor winner like. The killer guitar solo to back it up and the backing vocals scream out that this would, God forbid, be a radio friendly hit.

‘The Burning Pain of Love’ isn't as I first feared a song about an STD or a urinary infection. Instead it's a classic mix of guitar and keyboards with a haunting layered vocal chorus. It leads into the final track that doesn't exactly slip off the tongue – ‘The Never-Ending Retraceable Dream’. A stunning finish to the album.

Quality from start to finish, top song writing and delivery, catchier than a dose and surely there must be live shows planned because this is simply too good to listen to without a few hundred other like-minded fans.

In conclusion, welcome back W.E.T, I've missed you. I listened to Earthrage the first time in nervous anticipation just in case the hype and expectation would end up in disappointment. Shame on me for ever doubting.

I doubt I'll hear better this year but the gauntlet has been thrown down. I'll be right here waiting as Richard Marx sang.

Score 9.5/10

1. Watch The Fire

2. Burn

3. Kings On Thunder Road

4. Elegantly Wasted

5. Urgent

6. Dangerous

7. Calling Out Your Name

8. Heart Is On The Line

9. I Don’t Wanna Play That Game

10. The Burning Pain Of Love

11. The Neverending Retraceable Dream

PRODUCED BY: ERIK MÅRTENSSON

STUDIO: BLOWOUT PRODUCTIONS

RECORDED BY: ERIK MÅRTENSSON

MIXED BY: ERIK MÅRTENSSON

MASTERED BY: ERIK MÅRTENSSON

BAND MEMBERS:

Erik Mårtensson: Guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals

Jeff Scott Soto: Vocals

Robert Säll: Keyboards

Magnus Henriksson: Guitar

Robban Bäck: Drums

Additional guitar solo on “Urgent”: Thomas Larsson

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.

ABOUT ME

I was brought up on my dad's record collection of rock 'n' roll greats. He was a Teddy Boy and had all the gear (and hair) - drain pipe trousers, jacket, crepe shoes. We listened to Elvis, Bill Hailey, Eddie Cochran, Johnny Kidd & The Pirates, Fats Domino, Tommy Steel, and the big names from the sixties such as Dave Clark Five, Wayne Fontana, Dave Dee (etc.,). This music was the kind that you would listen to to rebel against and annoy your parents; it was rough, wild, and the Ted's had a reputation.

So, fast forward to the end of the 70's. I was about 12 when it was the thing to choose your musical stance. It had to be a good choice as there was no going back. You had to be a mod, or a rocker back around 1980. I had a mate (still do, just the one mind) and he was an influence with regards to my musical tastes (and we still go gigging together to this day), and what with my dad's influence I chose the rocker route. I've never looked back. We (me and dad) both started a musical journey where our parents hated what we listened to! In fact, being a teenager in the mid 50s, it wasn't any different to being a teenager in the late 70's/early 80's with regards to rebellion. Although in my era, you couldnt get rickets.

I was fed strictly on a cassette diet of Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake, Rush and Rainbow. From there it expanded into melodic rock and hair metal - Journey, Foreigner, Stryper, Ratt, Motley Crue, and Dokken. And Prog!

I absorbed all I could. I was a human sponge. The internet was eons away, so I got my fix via a wonderful weekly paper called 'Sounds.' It covered a lot of genres, but they specialised in Rock! I read it every week without fail for about three years. I loved the way their reporters wrote articles. It was like they were talking directly to me. It's how I try to do the same today. When it stopped, I moved with the crowd and subscribed to 'Kerrang!' A lot of the 'Sounds' crew moved across, and it felt like home. I wanted to know more about what was happening over in the U.S. So I subscribed to 'Hit Parader' - it was shite really, the articles weren't great, but the pictures were good. Plus I could follow the Dokken feud between Don and George. Thirty odd years later, they still hate each other! Today, its a diet of 'Classic Rock' Mag, sometimes 'Prog Mag', 'Fireworks' and 'Planet Rock' mag.

My enjoyment of this music has never waned. I see the same people time and again and its a great community. I try to get to as many gigs as I can still as its much better than sitting on your arse reviewing. I hope you enjoy the blog!

Paul Chesworth