Retransmission

Retransmission, released on 22 January 2021, is the fourth album, on which W.E.T. gathered the strengths of Jeff Scott Soto, Erik Mårtensson and Robert Säll into one band sound. Powerful vocals, contemporary guitar riffs and thick choruses are placed with nothing wasted, and the songs move clearly toward the chorus from the very start. Andreas Passmark of Royal Hunt and Work of Art came in on bass, and the guitar carries more of the weight than before. Mårtensson again held production and mixing. There is none of the diffuseness that afflicts “project” records: all the playing skill is returned to the lift of the songs. The advance track “Big Boys Don't Cry” was given a video. Recovering from adversity, looking at oneself, taking strength back — the themes are consistent. It arrived in the middle of the pandemic and no tour was possible. Then again, Soto has said repeatedly that W.E.T. is a studio project: the three bands are too busy and they have never properly toured. Even so it reached No. 36 in Germany — the band's first German chart entry. Hardness and pop approachability balanced at a high level.