Ten: Here Be Monsters

Ten, it seems have been around since time immemorial, when in fact it’s only?.. been since 1995 and in that time they’ve managed to release, if my calculations are correct some fifteen albums which is some going by today’s standards.

Gary Hughes is still in charge with a seemingly revolving door of back up players, here Hughes is ably assisted by Dann Rosingana, Steve Grocott and John Halliwell on guitars, bass player Steve McKenna, Darrel Treece-Birch on keyboards and Markus Kullman on the drums.

Although not fully conversant with all of Ten`s albums, I`d like to think I’ve got enough of them to make an informed judgement on this new album.

Considering the musicians involved are vying for centre stage its more power to Hughes that he’s allowed all involved to have their time in the limelight. `Fearless` is dominated by guitars, and is a song that grows in stature the longer it goes on. The eight minute plus `Chapter and Psalm` is suitably grandiose with a powerful vocal performance at its heart.

Elsewhere, the likes of `Hurricane` takes on the mantle of the obligatory power ballad, and `The Miracle of Life` has a real urgency to it, with guitars and keyboards playing off each other. `Follow Me into the Fire` with its driving dual guitars lifting it to new heights, and the closer `The Longest Time` is a perfect exercise in pomp and circumstance, even with its dramatic sense of restraint.

There`s plenty here to get one`s teeth into, occasionally I found my attention drifting somewhat, these days I`m more of a fan of albums that come in at around the forty minute mark but I’m splitting hairs really.

If you are already a fan of Ten`s particular brand of Melodic Rock, then you will know what to expect, but if you are new to the band, it’s certainly not a bad way to get intimate with the bands music.

Track Listing
1. Fearless
2.Chapter and Psalm
3.Hurricane
4.Strangers On A Distant Shore
5.The Dream That Fell To Earth
6.The Miracle Of Life
7.Immaculate Friends
8.Anything You Want
9.Follow Me Into The Fire
10.The Longest Time

Added: March 29th 2022
Reviewer: Malcolm Smith
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 606
Language: english

[ Printer Friendly Page ]
[ Send to a Friend ]