British Hard Rockers MASSIVE WAGONS are releasing today a new Mix of their third studio album titled “Welcome To The World”, a hot 10-track rocker plenty of energy. ”Welcome To The World [Remixed +5]” features the original album tracks re-worked & remixed, together for the first time with all the associated bonus tracks and b-sides : 5 in total, plus refreshed artwork.
This is a group of lads who have managed to develop their sound to a whole new level over the past few years, and managed to grow into one serious Rock ‘n’ Roll band who are a true testament to the old school Hard Rock acts they’ve been influenced by.
According to the band; “We wrote this album fast, back in the non-stop club show days of 2015! In our opinion that is what gave the songs that energy. Welcome To The World found our ‘sound’. If we have one, it started there and then. As with the writing, recording was done quickly due to the financial situation at the time, money was tight and therefore so was studio time. 10 days was all we had to record and mix. Though unlike the writing where the lack of time was beneficial, we always felt like this restriction let us down while mixing, and just a couple more days focussing on the mix would have truly given the album justice.” said guitarist Adam.
“In 2023, we decided to give ourselves those days”. Baz, Matt Elliss (producer) and myself reconvened at Axis Studio armed with the benefit of hindsight, we set about improving everything we could in just a couple of days. We focussed on the guitar tones, which we thought were a little harsh and brought out some elements of the mix we felt were lost in the rush of the original.
Limiting ourselves to only two days was deliberate, it was important to us to maintain the energy of the original so limiting our time forced us to be decisive and impulsive, just as we would have been back in the winter of 2015.”
Barry “Baz” Mills elaborates: “We wanted to re-release it with a purpose, and absolutely did not want to just ‘re-master’ it – we wanted to pay it the proper attention it was due. The album was originally recorded from start to finish in about 12 days due to work and money constraints.
At the time, we were happy with the finished product, but over the years we have always said we wished we could have spent more time on certain songs. That’s why we re-visited Matt Elliss at Axis Studios, to look at everything we recorded at the time and just spend time listening to all the takes, parts, and sessions we put down to see what really was best for the songs. It was a lot of fun and I truly believe these songs are now much more where we wanted them to be back in 2016. I’m so proud of this album, and I can’t wait to hear what you think of the re-worked, re-mixed songs!
We’re even more proud of what we came out with, and think fans of the original plus new recruits to the Wagons army will the album that set the blueprint for our future.
You don’t have to be a huge Massive Wagons fan to appreciate this re-issue and its re-worked tracks, but it probably helps. It is, after all, an example of fan service, which means that your feelings towards the band and the album already will dictate how you feel about this release.
Massive Wagons are one hell of an anthemic rock band, capable of getting just about everyone up and moving, and causing singalongs galore. Tracks like Nails, Shit Sweat Dead, Fighting Jack, and Fee Fi Fo Fum have never sounded this groovy, energised, and exciting. This re-working has allowed the band to really showcase their growth in the years since it was originally released, and it just sounds so much smoother to the ears.
Of course, it’s not just about body-shaking rock and roll, Massive Wagons know a thing or two about melody as well. Both Tokyo and Ratio are such singalongs, and they just sound grander here. Then there is the likes of Jodie and Aeroplane that offer plenty of melodrama, giving this album a really layered and varied feel overall.
Among the bonus you can enjoy the sweet acoustic ringing of Sixteen and the high-powered rocker that is Everybody Dies. Both are strong tracks and fit the original album vibe nicely.
Then, if you do get this CD version, you’ll get to enjoy an ‘Unplugged’ version of Aeroplane, which is very cool. You’ll also get to enjoy Fighting Jack again, but with an alternative solo, and the 2016 ‘pledge only’ track, Mr Crowley. Yes, this is a cover of the Ozzy hit, and Massive Wagons sure do it well. Talk about bang for your buck.
What makes Massive Wagons stand out from the crowd is the fact that they don’t take themselves too seriously – they take the music for what it is, which is an awesome list of tracks to rock out too, and it’s about enjoying what you do and having a good time while you do it.
“Welcome To The World”, based on all the nostalgic elements it manages to incorporate with such ease, it’s clear that this is the music brought forward by a group of ’80s kids who have been heavily influenced by the Classic Hard Rock / Hair Metal generation, and I’m glad they have.
Two thumbs up!
01 - Nails (2023).mp3
02 - Tokyo (2023).mp3
03 - Welcome To The World (2023).mp3
04 - Ratio (2023).mp3
05 - Shit Sweat Death (2023).mp3
06 - The Day We Fell (2023).mp3
07 - Fighting Jack (2023).mp3
08 - Jodie (2023).mp3
09 - Aeroplane (2023).mp3
10 - Fee Fi Fo Fum (2023).mp3
11 - Sixteen (2023).mp3
12 - Everybody Dies (2023).mp3
13 - Aeroplane (Unplugged - 2023 Bonus Track).mp3
14 - Fighting Jack (Alt. Solo - 2023 Bonus Track).mp3
15 - Mr Crowley (Pledge Only 2016 Bonus Track).mp3
Massive Wagons – Welcome To The World (2023) 2024
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