Work Of Art, Eclipse, Talisman. Three bands whose members started this project in 2008 and fortunately did not just stay there but continue to this day. It is also one of the few cases where an ensemble of Frontiers’ musicians does not produce a worthless piece of crap, but something with great quality.
The founding five of their line-up are together until today, with a new addition this time. Robert Säll (guitars, keyboards) from Worf Of Art, the ubiquitous Erik Mårtensson (guitars, vocals) and Magnus Henriksson (guitars) from Eclipse, the versatile Jeff Scott Soto (vocals) from Talisman and Robban Bäck on drums (Mustasch, ex-Eclipse, ex-Sabaton). Bass duties are handled by Andreas Passmark (Royal Hunt, ex-Narnia), a new but very experienced member.
So, “Retransmission” doesn’t need much analysis. We are talking about old, good, classic AOR. Although I love Eclipse (and almost everything Mårtensson does) and have spent several hours listening to Work Of Art, I have not listened to this band as much as I should do until now. Therefore, I cannot compare this album with the previous three full-lengths that have been released.
Wonderful melodies. Excellent guitar work, both in leads and in beautiful solos. Henriksson is a great guitarist anyway and has a very distinctive, warm and classic sound. Soto’s vocals are perfect as always, to which of course Mårtensson also contributes, who once again has done a great job in production, mixing and mastering of the album.
Songs that immediately stand out in my opinion, are “The Call Of The Wild”, “Got To Be About Love” that brought sunshine and beaches to my mind (even if they shot the video in the forest), the uplifting “Beautiful Game” with the party rhythm and catchy refrain and the beautiful ballad “What Are You Waiting For”. I do not believe that there are any fillers here, W.E.T. do the basics but they do it in a great way and show that melodic rock is a simple thing when you have the right ingredients.
“Retransmission” will make the time pass without even realizing it and after forty minutes you will want to listen to it again. Personally, without being the most expert in this particular sound, it reminded me of the American scene rather than the Swedish one (although some Eclipse moments are evident). Fans of this genre check it without hesitating.
