Looks like the seven albums Gary Hughes recorded with the British melodic hard rock band Ten, the three discs he wrote for Magnum singer Bob Catley and his own two solo albums were all just warm-up sessions for Once and Future King, an ambitious and over-the-top project based on the myths and legends of King Arthur. Over the course of two CDs – each sold separately but with elaborate packaging that suits the story and makes it worth doling out the extra cash for two individual discs – singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Hughes gives listeners the royal treatment, using 11 other singers and seven other musicians to tell a twisted and treacherous tale set to some of the most appealing hard rock and metal of the year.
Borrowing singers for rock-opera-style concept albums is nothing new – Ayreon, anyone? But Hughes nabs such distinct vocalists as Lana Lane, D.C. Cooper (ex-Royal Hunt, Silent Force), Irene Jansen (After Forever), Danny Vaughn (ex-Tyketto), Damian Wilson (ex-Threshold), Harry Hess (Harem Scarem), Doogie White (Cornerstone, ex-Malmsteen), Sabine Edelsbacher (Edenbridge) and Catley, making each song stand on its own without requiring listeners to follow the convoluted story line. Highlights include the progressive-metal mysticism of Hughes' own "Dragon Island Cathedral," the AOR tendencies of Vaughn's "The Reason Why" and "Avalon," the power-metal stomp of Jansen's "Rise From the Shadows" and the symphonic flourishes of Cooper's "Kill the King." Then there's "At the End of Day," a duet between Hughes and Lane that will make your insides tingle. Of the two discs, Part I is more memorable, while Part II is more complex.
That said, it's easy to be skeptical of a project like this. After all, Hughes' writing in the past tended to wear thin by the end of an album. So how could it hold up over the course of two albums? But he pulls off an amazing feat of musical mastery here. Once and Future King is bombastic while being neither bloated nor pretentious.
Over the past few years, Italy's Frontiers Records has emerged as one of the best melodic rock and metal labels in the world. Once and Future King solidifies that reputation. This is sheer class.
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