British Melodic Rock dudes Ten has been one creative unit since they came back from a five year hiatus in 2011. Lead singer and main song writer Gary Hughes and his cohorts has released no less than eight albums since then – 16 all in all since the start in 1996 – including the new one which is quite impressive. However, since Isla De Muerta in 2015, a good album, there seems to have been a quantity over quality vibe as the records has been only decent and uneven and where Hughes’ solo album Waterside was a real dive. A bit sad when you know that Hughes can be an ace song-writer on his best days. This album was released only a year after their last effort Here Be Monsters which leaves a worrying feeling that the quantity over quality thing will remain.
“Look For The Rose” opens the album and it tells me that the quality is back. It’s an anthemic, uptempo yet bombastic Melodic Rock track, lively and direct that has a big keyboard line working over the main riff. It’s somewhat pomp-laden with AOR-ish vocal melodies on top. The softer pre-chorus help bring the chorus up a notch – and it’s a damn catchy one. Very good. “Brave New Lie” has a darker feel to it much because of the brooding vibe of the main-riff. It’s a rockier tune with a crunchy vibe yet with the slicker melodies that are Ten’s trademark. It holds a distinct chorus that sticks and the twin-guitar solos are magnificent. Good one.
The single “The Tidal Wave” starts out soft with a beautiful piano piece and an orchestrated keyboard only for it to turn into a smooth Melodic Rock tune on a stompy beat with straight-forward melodies. The song holds more low-key parts with vocals sung over a piano and some more rocking, upbeat structures. The chorus here is magnificent and I get why it was chosen as a single. “Parabellum” is darker and heavier with edgy and rough riffage but still holds memorable melodies all over the track. There’s a pomp insert as well as influences from prog-metal. It’s a 6-minute long Melodic Rock tune that takes some cool left turns – and again, the chorus is splendid.
The epic 7-minute long title-track starts slow, dark and fragile with only a piano and vocals but when the band comes in it takes on a bouncier rhythm and a heavier foundation and even darker, still in a slow pace. The song dwells inside a large soundscape with captivating harmonics, pompy keyboards, a 70’s electric piano and a beefy riff that’s on the bluesy side with affable melody-hooks and multi-layered vocals in the grandiose refrain. This is brilliant. The upbeat, busy and straight forward Melodic Track “The Fire And The Rain” is the title-track’s contrast. Hints of Magnum’s 80’s more AOR-laden days shows up with smooth melodies and a slick, hooky chorus. Good one.
“New Found Hope” is the album’s big ballad, quite dramatic and theatrical, bombastic as hell with touch of musical-theatre vibes involved. There’s a melancholic and mellow vein running through the song but the smooth piano gives it an AOR touch with some slick melodies that bears resemblance to Journey and everything is layered inside a grand musical landscape with a bullet-proof chorus on top. It’s not a power ballad as such, more a powerful ballad – and it’s a damn fine one. “The Only Way Out” starts out with an extended keyboard intro but turns directly into a crispy, straight forward pop-rocker with slick AOR melodies with the crunchy guitar building tasty guitar-lines. The chorus is colossal with some very infectious hooks. Very good.
Built on a foundation of Hard Rock, “When The Darkness Comes” opens with a piano/keyboard intro but right of the bat brings on some edgy and powerful, driving riffage over a solid, punchy rhythm. However, the big melodies and smooth vocal-lines takes on a jump into 80’s Melodic Rock. It’s quite in-your-face with a direct main-melody and the solo part contains some very memorable, fine-tuned twin-guitars. The big chorus has the vocal-lines and the keyboards accompanying each other to great effect and the catchiness is prominent. Another good tune.
Closing track “The Greatest Show On Earth” is a pomp-laden AOR-rocker with a Hard Rock vibe. It’s a grandiose tune, dramatic and cinematic, quite atmospheric inside a big soundscape. It’s in mid tempo yet it holds a stompy groove. The dynamics changes during the song – from the sparse opening verse to the big vocals to the longer guitar-solo parts to smooth and delicate piano ending to the direct melodies to the mastodon-hook chorus. The song is only five-and-a-half minute long but they manage to squeeze lots of juicy stuff in those minutes. It’s a great song, maybe the finest piece on the album and a brilliant closer.
After a few uneven records it feels like Ten is back on the right track with this record. Soundwise it’s clear from go what band this is so it’s not like they’ve made a revolutionary record or something it’s just that the songs are better this time, simple as that. There are still issues with production which is a bit muddy and Hughes’ limited vocal-range but as a whole Ten has released a stellar album this time. Ten have their formula and they’re sticking to what they know and do best so no surprises involved. But we do get a selection of damn fine tunes and that counts for something. It actually counts for lots.
7/10
More Ten reviews:
Isla De Muerta
Gothica
Illuminati
Here Be Monsters
Tracklist:
1. Look For The Rose
2. Brave New Lie
3. The Tidal Wave
4. Parabellum
5. Something Wicked This Way Comes
6. The Fire And The Rain
7. New Found Hope
8. The Only Way Out
9. When The Darkness Comes
10. The Greatest Show On Earth
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