Review: W.E.T.- Earthrage

Every now and again you really get excited about something you are about to review. That was the case when it came to the newest effort by W.E.T. entitled Earthrage. This is the third release by these melodic masters and judging on how good the first two albums were I knew that this one would be no exception and I’m happy to say…I was so right. The albums roster reads like a who’s who in terms of players such as Erik Martensson on guitars, bass, keyboards and vocals from the band Eclipse, powerhouse lead vocals by Jeff Scott Soto from Talisman, killer keyboards by Robert Sall of Work Of Art, excellent guitars from Manus Henriksson and delectable drumming provided by Robban Back. With a list of players this strong you just know it’s going to be absolutely astonishing and it doesn’t disappoint. The vocal tradeoffs in “Watch the Fire” are seamless as well as flawless as the drums and guitars begin to swell, building towards the truly stunning chorus that will play in your head for days, while at the same time they show a blissful disregard for limitations on “Burn;” It’s contemporary and classic at the same time. The bone-jarring rhythms of “Kings on Thunder Road” serves as a deafening wake up call to embrace the skull crushing heaviness within. The masterfully-balanced songwriting in “Elegantly Wasted” is compelling and infectious to cause sensory overload, while “Urgent” finds the band stepping away from their usual comfort zone and biting down hard like a pit bull. Elsewhere, “Dangerous” and “Calling Out Your Name” are heavy bass driven masterpieces that sees the band never shying away from constraints and expectations. “Heart Is on the Line” is an amazing power ballad that will take this band to a whole new level of undeniable super stardom while “I Don’t Want To Play That Game” is a modern take on the classic blueprint that makes the whole place come alive. Meanwhile “The Burning Pain of Love” is one of those songs that is so good it will stop you in your tracks and burn its way into your mind. Finally, “The Never Ending Retraceable Dream” is so good it defies logic. It’s also why they are one of the brightest hopes to carry the torch into a whole new generation. Here’s the bottom line- This by far one of the best melodic AOR albums in a good decade or more so do yourself a favor and get your hands on W.E.T.’s Earthrage now. Rating: 9.5/10 Eric Hunker