It’s been a while since we’ve heard from W.E.T. the Swedish supergroup that has been producing great Melodic Rock for the past 16 years. 2021’s ‘Retransmission’ was certainly our favourite so far at The Rockpit, featuring high on our ‘Best of the year’ lists, as we said at the time: “W.E.T. might just have released a modern day masterpiece! It doesn’t get better than this if you are a lover of Melodic Rock.“
So how do you top that? Well ‘Apex’ four years on certainly comes out firing. As Erik Mårtensson says: “It’s always a challenge to find that sweet spot in our calendars when we are all available, not to mention the fact that Jeff lives in California and the rest of us in Sweden. But I also believe that adds to our ambition once we are able to gather. We are all aware that we don’t get too many shots at this, so when we do we gotta make it count.”
So whilst you might have to wait till March to hear the whole thing with singles like “Where Are The Heroes Now” which feature joint vocals from Erik and Jeff you’re getting another good taste of what turns out to be another powerhouse of an album. It may even be their heaviest yet!
Watch the official lyric video for “Where Are The Heroes Now” HERE
5 albums in, and 11 sizzling tracks it’s all there – the huge choruses, the melodic hooks, all with added guitar. It’s definitely and album to make an immediate impact! This time round the lineup is augmented by Talisman drummer Jamie Borger, who joins Robert Säll & Andreas Passmark from Work of Art, Erik Mårtensson & Magnus Henriksson from Eclipse and Jeff Scott Soto also from Talisman, making it two from each of teh bands that contribute to the name: W.E.T.
Opening with ‘Believer’ and then ‘This House Is On Fire’ is a great way to start the former has a great riff and is muscular Melodic rock and there’s something about the lush chanted anthemic chorus of the latter that has me thinking of mid-period Eclipse. ‘What Are We Fighting For’ comes as a nice change of tempo and is slower and Folkier in structure but with a cool modern sound that just underline the art of Erik Mårtensson as a producer. Indeed this might be W.E.T.’s best sounding album yet.
‘Love Conquers All’ is another great slower number that just sounds huge, and the just released single ‘Where Are The Heroes Now’ as you probably already know is a real stormer and I love the joint vocals with Erik in there. For me it’s one of the most compelling songs here. ‘ Breaking Up’ is a scorcher with a great chorus but its one of only a couple of songs here that sound a little ‘by numbers’. By contrast ‘Nowhere To Run’ is one of my favourites here, there’s a great groove and a wonderful smooth lead into the huge chorus with a great crunching guitar and wonderful solo.
‘Pay Dirt’ that follows has a great driving lyric even if the chorus doesn’t quite gel. Both verse and chorus individually are great and whilst the solo that cuts the song in half is wonderfully frenetic it all feels a bit ‘cobbled together‘, ‘Pleasure & Pain,’ a slower number, is a glorious W.E.T ballad that ticks all the boxes; and ‘ Stay Alive,’ what can we say! It’s one of the best here – deceptively simple at the onset before Soto drives it forward to an Eclipse-like chorus that really sticks!
That just leaves the closer ‘Day By Day’ which bursts with ‘blue-sky’ energy. it’s one of the most feel good songs here and completely in-keeping with all I love about W.E.T. It’s very close to my favourite here and a simply wonderful way to close what has been an album a long time coming.
The press release concludes with:
W.E.T. truly epitomizes what melodic rock has become in the new decade. The key element at the foundation of W.E.T. has always been to create a modern melodic hard rock sound that will drive the genre into the future. Combining powerhouse rhythms and top-notch production (courtesy of Erik Martensson), the music is equally classic and contemporary.
This is another great step forward. It’s just such a shame that it’s so hard to hear music of this quality ‘live’.
Pre-order “Apex” HERE
8.5 / 10
“Apex” Tracklist:
1. Believer
2. This House Is On Fire
3. What Are We Fighting For
4. Love Conquers All
5. Where Are The Heroes Now
6. Breaking Up
7. Nowhere To Run
8. Pay Dirt
9. Pleasure & Pain
10. Stay Alive
11. Day By Day
Line Up:
Jeff Scott Soto – Vocals
Erik Mårtensson – Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards
Robert Säll – Guitars, Keyboards
Magnus Henriksson – Guitars
Andreas Passmark – Bass
Jamie Borger – Drums
Follow W.E.T.:
Facebook
