WWE: Walk With Elias EP is Exactly What You’d Expect it to Be

The debut album from Elias was officially released this morning. How does it stack up to other WWE albums?

Since joining the WWE main roster in April 2017, Elias has slowly become one of the most interesting characters on WWE Raw. Considering how near universally despised he was while performing on NXT, it’s quite amazing just how much he’s grown. And while his in-ring work is truly impressive, it’s his persona in general that is appealing to the WWE Universe.

As “The Drifter,” Elias Samson was a character without definition. What exactly made him a drifter? Was he a nomad, wandering from town to town? He had a guitar, but never played it — wouldn’t it make more sense to carry a bindle instead, so his “drifter” image made more sense?

But losing a “loser leaves town” match to Kassius Ohno turned Elias into a true drifter, as he just began wandering in the background on Raw for a few weeks. But more importantly, Elias learned to play his guitar, and began working that into his act. Before nearly every one of his matches, Elias serenades the crowd, usually in a disparaging manner.

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So you’d have to wonder just when WWE would jump on this and have the man record an album. Well, wait no longer. “Walk With Elias” officially dropped on July 23, and it’s pretty much just what you’d expect from a pro wrestling album.

As a musician, I try to look behind the curtain for aspects of production, or clues as to what the intention of the music might have been. But I also have this weird affinity for objectively terrible music that’s meant to be humorous. Have you ever heard of “Well, I Should Have…*” by Jon Benjamin, Jazz Daredevil? The infamous voice actor recorded a jazz piano album despite never having played piano before. And I love it.

All this, of course, means that the first thing I did when Elias’s album was released was wake up, download the album on iTunes, and listen to the magic. To be fair, it’s not going to win any awards. But looking at it for what it is, it gets the job done.

Clocking in at 15 minutes, the album is really an EP. There’s only four tracks, which makes sense when you think about it. Elias is too busy trying to perform at a high level, both as a musician and a WWE superstar. Taking too much time to sit in one place — a recording studio — doesn’t jive with his persona. Four tracks is plenty. (Plus, he’s probably got more in the can ready to go, it’s just a matter of finding the time to record them.)

The opening track is titled “The Ballad of Every Town I’ve Ever Been To….” It starts off like every live performance — a strummed chord on the guitar, and the phrase, “Hello, I am Elias.” Already, off to a great start, since continuity is important. The lyrics begin properly with “I was born a drifter” and I was hooked. Seriously, it doesn’t take much, just a little nod to a dropped nickname.

The rest of the track (and album) is completely within character. “Ballad” is all about the places Elias has traveled to, and hated. Track two, “Elias’ Words,” is a nice little up-tempo blues shuffle that showcases Elias’s ability to craft a story as he dismisses every person he comes across without listening to their stories.

It’s the third track on the album, “Nothing I Can’t Do,” where things pick up, as Elias puts down his guitar and sits behind the keys of a piano. Personally, it’s the one that highlights his actual singing ability, even if it was only written as a way to show off. It touches on the brief feud between Elias and John Cena, too — “The Franchise said I was gold, he could see it in my eyes.”

The final track, “Walk With Me,” is the weakest on the album, to me. It’s there to focus on his catchphrase more than anything else, and you can really feel that in the recording. There’s not as much natural flow as in the other tunes, and it sounds like the production tried to do too much. Generally, less is more, especially on a singer-songwriter album. Like, it probably seemed like a good idea at the time, but an electric guitar solo? That doesn’t match the Elias aura — he’s a loner, wandering from town to town. Who’s he got to join him in the studio?

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Overall, the album is a nice way to add to the character of Elias. Personally, I thought it was more than worth the $3 it cost on iTunes. Your mileage may vary, but if you like bluesy tunes and something you could have on in the background, “Walk With Elias” is a good option. If you have Apple Music or Spotify, you can stream it without spending extra cash. It’s worth a listen, especially if you like schlock and kayfabe.