W.E.T.
Rise Up

Work of Art, Eclipse and Talisman are what the initials stands for in this band name, the three main men of this band are the main characters of said bands and to their help they also have tow guys from Eclipse to fill the empty spaces in the band. This band was set up as a project of the Frontiers label boss and that resulted in a first album called W.E.T. which was well received by fans and the press, and now fast forward a couple of years and we have another one, this time it is called Rise Up. It has an attractive album cover and it is also the only album I have been excited about that I know will see the light of day in 2013. So let us now see it it gives us what we want or if it is flying away on broken wings like a bird that was shot through the heart. I know I have been excited about this one since Erik of Eclipse told me about it in an interview we did last year and now it is here.

It is a work of melodic rock or hardrock and the first thing we notice is how it is a bit heavier and more straightforward than the debut was which also means that it is so compared to most things called melodic rock or AOR. Also they keyboards are more toned down on this album leaving it with a straight sound with no little bothers going on. The songs are mostly built around strong choruses and a very catchy disposition but also around the powerful presence they present on this album. All performances are top notch, especially the vocals by Jeff Scott Soto which are amazing and emotional to the maximum, a real highlight performance from him. The album has a strong flow from start to finish and the sound as well as overall production is probably the best one I have heard in the genre, I don’t think any AOR or melodic rock band can listen to this album without a hint of jealousy, it is that good. That is the sound and performance but as we all know you also need some good songs to go with that in order to make an exciting album.

And boy do they make that, this is a collection of songs that are better than anything I have heard in the genre and better than most else I have heard from any other genre as well. The album feels more or less flawless and anyone would be really hard pressed to find anything to complain about in the twelve songs that make out this album, especially considering that they keep the playing time short enough as well. And this is not something I say just lightly either as I have been playing through this album more than fifty times and some of the songs twice as much and I am not bored with it still and I can enjoy this album at least twice a day almost any day and have done so for a while now. Because of that I think that I can conclude that anyone who says he/she is into the melodic rock or AOR genre and does not like this must have some mental problem as this is as near perfect as an album in that genre can be.

It is probably not the best ever album I have heard seen to all categories but a statement like that is something best left to time, when we can really see how this album ages some years from now. One thing is for certain though and that is that the track called Shot is probably the most perfect track ever in the genre as it is just brilliant in every regard. Think of the best and catchiest AOR you have ever heard and then spice it up a bit with a touch of heaviness and you have this brilliant track that I just cannot stop playing over and over again because it is just perfect. But the thing is that it is not the only brilliant track on this album there are a several more in the opener Walk Away, What You Want, the ending pair and On the Run to name a few and the fact is that this would probably make up half the album if I was to make a Best of Melodic Rock of ten or twelve track then we’d fill with some past favourites like More than a Feeling, Babe, Any Way You Want it, Don’t Stop Believin', I Want to Know What Love is and probably some more that I cannot think of right now, but that might illustrate how good I think this album is. I am actually certain that this is the best album in the genre called melodic rock or AOR, I cannot think of any better and I suppose I should if there was one.

Therefore I would conclude that if this does not end up being the best album of 2013 it will be one of the best years on record at least when looking at the higher end of the scale. I would say that all in all it is a brilliant album that is damn near perfection and it is also finally an album of my favourite musical genre that reaches full marks which is fun considering the time we have reviewed albums for this webzine. Then of course it is also the best album at least since september 2011 so it has been a while since we found such great music and it is also one I am thankful for because it isn’t often you find albums you want to play several times every day and still not get tired of listening to. The thing is though to see if I can let it go now that I have written about it so that normal service with other reviews can be resumed as this has really messed up my review schedule considering that most of my days has been spent listening to this album.

Before I am getting completely out of hand in length of writing I can just point out that in my opinion this is the best ever melodic rock or AOR album. When this album is released on 22nd of february, do yourself a favour and buy it immediately because you will regret it forever if you don’t.

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