What do You get when you take the guitarist and songwriter Robert Säll from Work Of Art, the multi-instrumentalist Erik Mårtensson from Eclipse and the singer Jeff Scott Soto from Talisman? You get W.E.T. of course. Work Of Art released one of the best records last year, Eclipse released their best record so far and Talisman is, well… Talisman. So nothing can basically go wrong here, can it? With help from Magnus Henriksson (Eclipse), Miqael Persson and Robban Back, they have made an awesome record.

The soundbytes and video-clips that Frontiers released about a month ago were more than promising. Already then I had the feeling that this record would be hard to beat this year, that feeling certainly didn’t change when I got the whole record to listen to. On the contrary, it IS at least as good as the soundbytes showed.

It starts of with Invincible, followed by the two fantastic One Love and Brothers In Arms. I can’t help to connect the latter song with Jeff and the late Marcel Jacob, Brothers In Arms… The ballad, Comes Down Like Rain, Running From The Heartache and I’ll Be There continues the highquality songs. Then we have the two “fillers” for me, if You really can call them “fillers”. Damage Is Done and Put Your Money Where The Mouth Is just don’t reach the high standard as the rest of the songs on this record, even if they’re really good songs. One Day At The Time is a phenomenal ballad, one of the best I’ve heard for a long time. Closing the record is the absolutely outstanding If I Fall, the best song on the record and one of the best songs this side of 2000, a cracker!

The main thing about this record is the songwriting. To write 12 songs of this standard takes some brains, I’m amazed to say the least. Jeff does maybe his best vocals to date, on If I Fall it’s most significant, brilliant! Here’s something for everyone on this amazing record. Here’s some Eclipse, some Work Of Art, some Talisman and even some Journey.

This is as close to a masterpiece as it gets. The record of the year, without a doubt…

Info:
Label: Frontiers (FR CD 434)
Producer: Erik Mårtensson
Release date: November 6th 2009
Line-up: Jeff Scott Soto (vocals), Erik Mårtensson (guitars, bass, keyboards), Robert Säll (guitars on Running From The Heartache).
With: Robban Back (drums), Magnus Henriksson (guitars on Brothers In Arms, One Day At The Time, I’ll Be There, Comes Down Like The Rain, Just Go, If I Fall)

Rating: 9,5/10