{"id":46511,"date":"2014-10-26T09:27:07","date_gmt":"2014-10-26T14:27:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=46511"},"modified":"2014-10-26T09:27:07","modified_gmt":"2014-10-26T14:27:07","slug":"ten-albion-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2014\/ten-albion-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"TEN | Albion<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"TenAlbionCover\"It has to be clearly stated that there\u2019s one slight hitch in exploring the musical spheres of what the reviewers usually dub Melodic Hard Rock. As there\u2019s been many before those who carry the torch within this genre now, and perhaps twice as many yet to come \u2013 it gets awfully easy to go bland, dull or repetitive and keep on re-introducing the well-known patterns from the past (talking to you, the newbies!). Or even worse, keep on re-recording your 1985 minor radio hit over and over again up to 2014, as it often happens with the classic bands of the genre \u2026 still, if you think all things have been already said and done within the realms of melodic rock, you couldn\u2019t have possibly heard about the singer\/songwriter named Gary Hughes. From his AOR-ish beginnings to the Rock Opera centered around the myths on King Arthur, Hughes keeps on moving forward, adding one chapter after another to what is one of the most diverse catalogs in rock music these days. One of his most engaging activities is the band Ten he formed in 1996 \u2013 and now, eighteen years later, another release under the moniker of Ten is to see the light of day. While the band couldn\u2019t have avoided neither longer hiatuses nor personal line-up changes, the quality of their music doesn\u2019t ever change and Albion<\/em>, the new effort of theirs, is a clear proof of this fact.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlone In The Dark Tonight\u201d opens the album in the best post-\u201880s melodic rock tradition, a well-crafted melodic rock mid-tempo enriched with the twin guitar attack that is perhaps less popular among the AOR acts than it is in classic heavy\/power metal sphere. Hence, the wall-of-sound kind of impression, with the renewed band being at the clear peak of their powers. \u201cBattlefield\u201d continues in an equally moderate tempo before a handful of wicked synthesizer\/computer-based sound effects are to be heard, opening the third track \u201cIt\u2019s Alive\u201d. This synthesizer-versus-guitars duel precedes \u201cAlbion Born\u201d that \u2013 strangely enough for the Melodic Rock genre, but not for the versatile mind of Ten\u2019s mastermind Hughes \u2013 has some folk-ish, \u2018medieval\u2019 flavors to it, both in the aspects of majestic background choirs and the track\u2019s overall structure. If it could have been possible for the medieval armies to warm up before the crucial battles with some rock-ish tunes, the fourth track on Albion<\/em> would be perhaps one of their finest choices.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes Love Takes The Long Way Home\u201d develops into a slow, monumental tune of ballad-esque nature, with epic, wailing guitar solo against Hughes\u2019 majestic vocals. Next is a groovy track \u201cA Smugglers\u2019 Tale\u201d with what is perhaps the best chorus on the entire album, and \u201cDie For Me,\u201d a track which could have easily ended up on Whitesnake\u2019s Slip Of A Tongue<\/em> \u2013 even Hughes\u2019 sensual vocal manner here is somewhat Coverdale-ish. \u201cIt Ends That Day\u201d gravitates towards more meaty, guitar-laden contemporary rock sound, heavily contrasted with its follow-up on the album that is the piano-based, grandiose power ballad \u201cGioco D\u2019Amore.\u201d Albion<\/em> finishes with \u201cWild Horses\u201d, again a nod and a wink towards what one could call the contemporary incarnation of melodic rock \u2013 and a well-crafted track on its own.<\/p>\n

Another musical chapter in Ten\u2019s rich history, the one entitled Albion, turns out to be a worthy follow-up to what is now considered \u201cclassic\u201d in their catalog, albums such as 1996\u2019s X<\/em> or 2000\u2019s Babylon<\/em>. It portrays the band\u2019s frontman Hughes in the ever-impressive form and introduces the listeners to the multitude of different ideas and choices the band goes for music-wise. While not abandoning their melodic rock roots, Ten still doesn\u2019t get predictable or banal and that is perhaps the biggest asset to Albion<\/em>. The others are, of course, the first-league production and brilliant performance, both a trademark of Ten since the band\u2019s formation. If you\u2019re a band\u2019s staunch fan, you certainly won\u2019t be disappointed, but if not \u2013 give it a try and find out why Gary Hughes remains one of the most important names in the British melodic rock. Recommended.<\/p>\n

Genre: Melodic Hard Rock<\/p>\n

Band:
\nGary Hughes\u2013 vocals, backing vocals, programming
\nDann Rosingana – guitars
\nSteve Grocott – guitars
\nJohn Halliwell \u2013 guitars
\nSteve Mckenna – bass guitar
\nDarrel Treece-Birch – keyboards
\nMax Yates \u2013 drums and percussion<\/p>\n

Track List:
\n1.\tAlone In The Dark Tonight
\n2.\tBattlefield
\n3.\tIt\u2019s Alive
\n4.\tAlbion Born
\n5.\tSometimes Love Takes A Long Way Home
\n6.\tA Smugglers\u2019 Tale
\n7.\tDie For Me
\n8.\tIt Ends That Day
\n9.\tGioco D\u2019Amore
\n10.\tWild Horses<\/p>\n

Label: Rocktopia, Cargo Records<\/p>\n

Website: http:\/\/www.tenofficial.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 8\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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