As we now know as we have review five studio albums, W.E.T. is a culmination of some great artist including Robert Sall of the band Work of Art (The “W”); Erik Martensson of the band Eclipses (The “E”) and Jeff Scott Soto of the band Talisman (The “T”). All three bands are Swedish bands and all on Frontiers so it made it easy to bring these three guys together. Rounding out the current band are Magnus Henriksson (Eclipse); Jamie Borger (Talisman) and Andreas Passmark (Work of Art & Royal Hunt). All in some shape, form or fashion have been a small part of one of the three founding bands.
What started as a possible one-off project with Frontiers Records, the first album came out in 2009 and 16 years later we are now through 5 albums and one live album and a ton of great music. There is not a bad album in the bunch as ALL 5 scored a 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars or better. Not many bands can do that in my book. So, which ones are better than the others, let’s take a look.
THE WORST (NOT REALLY) – ‘APEX’ (2025)
I can’t really say this is a bad album at all because it isn’t. If I had any complaint it is the same as I usually give for any Eclipse album. And that is that the songs can be repetitive, the stylings are all similar with little variety, however, the songs are so catchy and hook-laden that you don’t mind in the end. As I said earlier, this is the sweet spot for Jeff’s vocals and my favorite style for him to sing. Erik Martensson’s fine song writing is on full display. How he can write so many great songs is beyond me with this and Eclipse. The guitar playing, the keyboards, the bass and the drums are in perfect harmony on these releases and they don’t know how to make a bad album. My Overall Score is a 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars. This is a brand new album so it could be a grower, but it is here because it doesn’t really offer anything new from the first four.
#4 – W.E.T. – ‘Rise Up’ (2013)
The guitars rip, the keyboards shimmer, the drums slay, the bass grooves and the vocals soar in another Melodic Rock Masterpiece. I think it is slightly less than the debut in overall perfection, but it still rises above most releases at this time. The debut had more punch, they took more chances, where this one played it a little more safe. Yet, it still delivers a solid album and any 80’s Rock, AOR, Melodic Rock will just eat it up. I know I have…but I’m far from full so get me more W.E.T. albums to devour. My Overall Score is a 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars.
#3 – W.E.T. – ‘Retransmission’ (2021)
The run of songs from “The Call of the Wild” to “How Far to Babylon” is one of the strongest four songs run on any of their albums. And the highlight of this one for sure. W.E.T. doesn’t disappoint and gives us another strong album of melodic rock gems with power ballads and anthemic rockers. At times it is like stepping back in time to the 80’s and other times it sounds as fresh as today. The production, as always, is fantastic from Eric. This time around, Magnus stepped it up a notch on his playing as the guitar was shining brightly on this one. Erik’s vocals compliment Jeff’s so well and speaking of Jeff, his vocals are always on point with these W.E.T. albums and the reason I keep coming back (and the reason for this series). I hope we get another W.E.T. album in the near future as I can’t get enough of them. My Overall Score is a 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars and for the record, none of their four studio albums received less than a 4.0…that is how good they are!!
#2 – W.E.T. – ‘Earthrage’ (2018)
The album comes out of the gate swinging and might be the strongest opening of the three W.E.T. albums. They give us more of the best melodic rock out there and also transport us to an era of music we loved so much growing up in the 80’s. The back half fades a little, but that doesn’t take away from the overall beauty of this album. Jeff Scott Soto’s vocals get better with age and they are on fire with this one. Some of his best work. Erik Martensson and Magnus Henriksson’s guitar playing are some of the best as well. Robert Sal’s keyboards gave the songs the textures they needed, but the drumming by Robban Back were a highlight for me as he pounded away during the rockers and was gentle during the ballads. All-in-all, this was almost as great as the debut and definitely better than the 2nd album. My Overall Score is a 4.5 out of 5.0 Stars! The W.E.T. project is one of my favorites that Jeff has ever done and one of the reasons I’m such a huge fan of his.
THE #1 ALBUM: W.E.T. – ‘W.E.T.’ (2009)
The writing styles of Sall and Martensson worked so magically together. They definitely brought the best of both their talents in to one cohesive unit. Jeff’s vocals have never been better and when accompanied by Martensson on backing vocals, the two played off each other so well. The album is best of Work Of Art, the best of Eclipse and the best of Talisman and you couldn’t want anything more. The album that solidified my love for Soto’s vocals and made me a fan for life and a collector of everything he did. This was the catalyst that made me a little obsessive. It also made me a fan of Eclipse and Work of Art. It did a lot of things to me. My Overall Score is a 5.0 out of 5.0 Stars as it doesn’t get much better than this in my book.
The One Live Album…in case you were interested…here is what I thought of the live album…
W.E.T. – ‘One Live – In Stockholm’ (2014)
Overall, another stellar live show from Jeff Scott Soto and especially great since it is with W.E.T. The band shows they were a band and played well of each other. There were a few sloppy moments and I didn’t care for their version of “I’ll Be There” since they didn’t play it as much as have the crowd involved. But those would be my only downfalls on the album. They definitely played the best songs of W.E.T. (so far) and the nice surprises of playing songs from each respective band was a nice touch. Especially when they brought Work of Art’s singer Lars out to do “The Great Fall”, that was really cool. Jeff live is almost as good as Jeff in studio, so live shows are always a must with him and this one is no exception. My Overall Score is a 4.0 out of 5.0 Stars. The Deluxe version is the way to go to get bonus tracks and DVD, all the things you want. Don’t miss out and grab a copy if you see it.
And that is it!
They only have 5 albums and a live album so far and as you can see, nothing worst than a 4.0 means every album is solid and worth a listen. Don’t take my word for it, go check them out. And while you are it, go check out all the reviews in the Jeff Scott Soto series. That should keep you busy for awhile. It will just keep growing and growing so come back ofter to check out anything new Jeff delivers. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.
THE JEFF SCOTT SOTO SERIES:
- Panther – ‘Panther’ (1986) – recorded in 1984
- Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force – ‘Rising Force’ (1984)
- Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force – ‘Marching Out’ (1985)
- Kuni – ‘Lookin’ For Action’ (1988)
- Kryst the Conqueror – ‘Deliver Us From Evil’ (1989) / ‘Soldiers of Light: The Complete Recordings (2019)
- Eyes – ‘Eyes’ (1990)
- Eyes – “Nobody Said It Was Easy” (1990) – 7″ Single – Bonus Edition
- Talisman – ‘Talisman’ (1990)
- Talisman – “I’ll Be Waiting” (1990) – 7″ Single – Bonus Edition
- Skrapp Mettle – ‘Sensitive’ (1991)
- Axel Rudi Pell – ‘Eternal Prisoner’ (1992)
- Bakteria – ‘Deficate! Suffocate! Mutilate! Masturbate!’ (1992 / 2009)
- Eyes – ‘Windows of the Soul’ (1993)
- Talisman – ‘Genesis’ (1993)
- Axel Rudi Pell – ‘The Ballads’ (1993)
- Biker Mice From Mars – ‘Biker Mice From Mars (Soundtrack)’ (1993)
- Takara – ‘Eternal Faith’ (1993)
- Talisman – ‘5 Out Of 5 (Live in Japan)’ (1994)
- Talisman – ‘Humanimal’ (1994)
- Axel Rudi Pell – ‘Between the Walls’ (1994)
- Gary Schutt – ‘Sentimetal’ (1994)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Love Parade’ (1994)
- Axel Rudi Pell – ‘Made in Germany (Live)’ (1995)
- Takara – ‘Taste of Heaven’ (1995)
- Talisman – ‘Life’ (1995)
- Axel Rudi Pell – ‘Black Moon Pyramid’ (1996)
- Human Clay – ‘Human Clay’ (1996)
- Talisman – ‘Best of’ (1996)
- Axel Rudi Pell – ‘Magic’ (1997)
- Human Clay – ‘U4IA’ (1997)
- Boogie Knights – ‘Welcome to the Jungle Boogie’ (1997)
- Takara – ‘Blind in Paradise’ (1998)
- Talisman – ‘Truth’ (1998)
- ‘Rock Star: Music from the Motion Picture (Soundtrack)’ – Various Artists (2001)
- Humanimal – ‘Humanimal’ (2002)
- Humanimal – Find My Way Home: Limited Edition E.P. (2002)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Holding On E.P.’ (2002)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Prism’ (2002)
- Talisman – ‘Live at Sweden Rock Festival’ (2002)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘JSS Live at the Gods 2002’ (2003)
- Talisman – ‘Cats & Dogs’ (2003)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Believe in Me E.P.’ (2004
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Lost in the Translation’ (2004)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Live at the Queen Convention 2003’ (2004)
- Soul SirkUS – ‘World Play’ (2004/2005)
- Talisman – ‘Five Men Live’ (2005)
- Talisman – ‘World’s Best Kept Secret DVD (2005)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Essential Ballads’ (2006)
- Journey – ‘Live from Atlanta (Bootleg)’ (2006)
- Talisman – ‘7’ (2006)
- Talisman – The Albums Ranked Worst to First
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘B-Sides’ (2006)
- Redlist – ‘Ignorance’ (2007)
- Jeff Scott Soto – LA Rocks Demo / Vinnie Vincent Demo 1988 (2008)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Beautiful Mess’ (2009)
- Jeff Scott Soto – “21st Century” / “Gin & Tonic Sky” CD Single (2009) – Bonus Edition
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘One Night in Madrid’ (2009)
- Trans-Siberian Orchestra – ‘Night Castle’ (2009)
- W.E.T. – ‘W.E.T.’ (2009)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Live at Firefest 2008’ (2010)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Damage Control’ (2012)
- W.E.T. – ‘Rise Up’ (2013)
- W.E.T. – ‘One Live in Stockholm’ (2014)
- Jeff Scott Soto – The Authorized Biography (2014)
- SOTO – ‘Inside the Vertigo’ (2015)
- Joel Hoekstra’s 13 – Dying to Live (2015)
- SOTO – ‘Divak’ (2016)
- Sons of Apollo – ‘Psychotic Symphony’ (2017)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Retribution’ (2017)
- W.E.T. – ‘Earthrage’ (2018)
- SOTO – ‘Origami’ (2019)
- Sons of Apollo – ‘Live With the Plovdiv Psychotic Symphony’ (2019)
- Sons of Apollo – ‘MMXX’ (2020)
- Talisman – “Never Die (A Song For Marcel)” – 7″ Single (2020)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Live and Loud in Milan 2019’ (2020)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Wide Awake (In My Dreamland)’ (2020)
- SOTO – ‘Revision’ (2020)
- W.E.T. – ‘Retransmission’ (2021)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘The Duets Collection, Vol. 1’ (2021)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Complicated’ (2022)
- Jeff Scott Soto – The Solo Albums Ranked Worst to First
- Ellefson/Soto – ‘Vacation in the Underworld’ (2022)
- Slam – Slam (2023)
- Art of Anarchy – ‘Let There Be Anarchy’ (2024)
- D’Luna – ‘Monster’ (2024)
- W.E.T. – ‘Apex’ (2025)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ALL THE ALBUMS Ranked Worst to First
- Jeff Scott Soto / Jason Bieler – Live In Concert (2022) – Bonus Edition
- Jeff Scotto Soto / Jason Bieler – Live in Concert (2023) – Bonus Edition
