| Written by Alex Stojanovic TRACK LISTING Believer This House Is On Fire What Are We Fighting For Love Conquers All Where Are The Heroes Now Breaking Up Nowhere To Run Pay Dirt Pleasure & Pain Stay Alive Day By Day Release Date: March 28, 2025 Label: Frontiers Music srl |  |
When it comes to supergroups, it's always exciting for us as fans to see different members from many of our favourite bands come together to form something new. Of course, new music is a given with all these supergroups. The other part is live activity, and how long will the project last. W.E.T. is a prime example of a supergroup that very much seems more like a recording project than a live band, although they have played live gigs in the past, one of which resulted in a live DVD. Active since 2009, they released a few quality studio releases, with the brand new album Apex being #5. The band's foundation was built off of members of three different bands, with each letter representing that member's respective band, that being Robert Sall of Work Of Art, Erik Martensson of Eclipse and Jeff Scott Soto from Talisman.
After some lineup changes since the last album Retransmission, the band's lineup now consists of two members from each of those bands. While Erik's Eclipse bandmate Magnus Henriksson has been there since the beginning, and Robert's Work Of Art bandmate, bassist Andreas Passmark has been there the last few years, the main lineup change was in the drum department, with Jeff's former Talisman bandmate Jamie Borger replacing Robban Back. This makes two members from each of their respective bands part of the lineup, making it for a truly emphasized and complete lineup.
Being a fan of both Jeff and Erik, this combination was always a winner in my eyes. Their vocal and songwriting styles both individually and combined make for some of the purest ear candy imaginable, as proven by the quality of their previous albums. Apex is no different, containing stadium-sized hooks that are so juicy, it feels like you're eating a moist and rich chocolate cake. Is there any better feeling? Given that Erik is the chief songwriter and has his own songwriting identity and production style, it's very easy to assume that you are listening to Eclipse, but once Jeff comes in with his powerful and magical, it's like a slap into reality (in a good way). Songs like "This House Is On Fire", "What Are We Fighting For, "Breaking Up" and "Stay Alive" are prime examples.
Of the eleven tracks of pure melodic, fist-pumping AOR goodness, there's only two tracks that can be classified as the ballads of the album, and those are "Love Conquers All" and "Pleasure & Pain", with the former being the best of the two. They both contain gargantuan hooks and have huge choruses that will sweep up any audience and get them singing along. If you're already a fan of Erik Martensson and all his bands, you know what kind of sound to expect. Some may think of W.E.T. as just another Eclipse clone, and while it is to a degree, it's a damn good one.
After some lineup changes since the last album Retransmission, the band's lineup now consists of two members from each of those bands. While Erik's Eclipse bandmate Magnus Henriksson has been there since the beginning, and Robert's Work Of Art bandmate, bassist Andreas Passmark has been there the last few years, the main lineup change was in the drum department, with Jeff's former Talisman bandmate Jamie Borger replacing Robban Back. This makes two members from each of their respective bands part of the lineup, making it for a truly emphasized and complete lineup.
Being a fan of both Jeff and Erik, this combination was always a winner in my eyes. Their vocal and songwriting styles both individually and combined make for some of the purest ear candy imaginable, as proven by the quality of their previous albums. Apex is no different, containing stadium-sized hooks that are so juicy, it feels like you're eating a moist and rich chocolate cake. Is there any better feeling? Given that Erik is the chief songwriter and has his own songwriting identity and production style, it's very easy to assume that you are listening to Eclipse, but once Jeff comes in with his powerful and magical, it's like a slap into reality (in a good way). Songs like "This House Is On Fire", "What Are We Fighting For, "Breaking Up" and "Stay Alive" are prime examples.
Of the eleven tracks of pure melodic, fist-pumping AOR goodness, there's only two tracks that can be classified as the ballads of the album, and those are "Love Conquers All" and "Pleasure & Pain", with the former being the best of the two. They both contain gargantuan hooks and have huge choruses that will sweep up any audience and get them singing along. If you're already a fan of Erik Martensson and all his bands, you know what kind of sound to expect. Some may think of W.E.T. as just another Eclipse clone, and while it is to a degree, it's a damn good one.
FINAL RATING
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