W.E.T – Retransmission – Taking us back to the 80’s (album review)
Swedish/American melodic hard rock band W.E.T, (not to be confused with American indie pop group Wet) certainly define the concept of “supergroup.” Their acronymic band name comes from the first letter of the 3 founding members’ main bands. Keyboardist/guitarist Robert Säll hails from Swedish classic rock group Work of Art, guitarist Erik Mårtensson is from Swedish rock band Eclipse and American vocalist Jeff Scott Soto comes from Swedish hard rock band Talisman. They formed in 2008 after Italian record label Frontiers asked Säll and Mårtensson to each contribute six songs to a new project with Soto. In 2018, the band also recruited drummer Robban Bäck (Mustasch) and guitarist Magnus Henriksson (Eclipse). On January 22, 2021 W.E.T released their fourth album, Retransmission through Frontiers. With so much talent packed into one band, their music is inevitably well-produced (thanks to Mårtensson) and well-executed. In fact, the production is really the one thing that lets the listener know this album is brand new and not released in 1986. Retransmission is an apt title for this album as W.E.T has a sound that is entirely retro. It is a style of power metal that harkens back to big arena-filling bands like Dokken, Europe, and early Bon Jovi. The music is uplifting as only power metal/ hard rock can be in an Eye-of-the-Tiger kind of way. Songs like the first single Big Boys Don’t Cry and the follow up The Moment of Truth boast vocal harmonies, shredding guitar solos and powerful rhythm sections that instantly take you back to the days of big hair, scantily clad women, and awesome fighting montages in your favorite action films. There is also an element of the glam rock of the era, especially on the ballad What Are You Waiting For. Additionally, songs like How Do I Know have an epic quality reminiscent of Winds of Change era Scorpions. All the songs throughout Retransmission, like You Better Believe It, are heavy yet catchy enough to get anyone pumped for whatever the day throws at them.
