Ten is one of those bands that for some - is just like magic. With each new album release there's high expectations, and it's almost become like an event. These days not too many bands continue to excite and up the ante with slight tweaks on every fresh disc, but frontman and leader
Gary Hughes makes sure his band hums with the electricity of that often thought-to-be-lost, excitement.
This is the first outing without main axe slinger Vinny Burns, who departed for his own projects (perhaps it was for Burns Blue?). Most will be so enchanted with the vocals and huge harmonies to notice, but I personally noticed the change in guitarists instantly. Burns wasn't a completely unique personality behind the strings, such as the easily recognizable Yngwie Malmsteens and Ritchie Blackmores of the world, but he had a certain sizzle, subtle charms in the quality of his string strumming abilities that new kid on the block, Chris Francis doesn't have. What Francis does bring to the musical table here though is a slightly different sound altogether. Francis builds upon this muffled bubble of his and can crank out solos with ease, showing the promise of a lot of style but he tends to blend into the background more, like an electric chameleon, changing his colors to match the hues of the song, unlike Burns who burst out alone often, the spotlight all on him. This change, small as it may be to some, does alter the perception of the
Ten sound slightly.
A quick history of the band sees them starting off with a heavy rock base and giant pompous moments for a self titled disc and the similar toned "The Name of the Rose", next was "The Robe" which took itself a bit more seriously it wasn't all just about love and war anymore, then they mixed things up with a Celtic vibe in the aptly titled "Spellbound", then a turn into the sketchy world of concept albums with "Babylon" for some monsterous songs, and their last effort, "Far Beyond the World" packed in many more ballads and cushy
AOR moments than ever before. After the somber and sultry combo of "Babylon" with its Sci-Fi setting and murder mystery storyboard, "FBtW" was a much needed relaxed break, but the band are back to the roots with "Return to Evermore".
"Evermore" is an album of long, drawn out epic rockers, slamming with heaviness and the twisting complexities and
AOR sensibilities of the very first disc and "The Robe", but also features the giant pop sound of the hook friendly "Far Beyond the World". They wisely offer both incarnations to the plate to appeal to fans of both sounds, and it happens to be no surprise that my favorite of the two is of course the
AOR pop stuff with the sugary melodies and sexy satiny silk voice of
Gary Hughes, oozing his sex appeal all over the mid tempo songs that are all about love, and war, yeah, it's worth fighting for if Hughes is breaking hearts all throughout it. The heart racing urgency of the past is found here, along with the more relaxed tunes, making for a varied album that still has that
Ten individuality stamped on each cut.
" Apparition" starts the album off with a bang, soft and lush for the beginning but there's so many time changes involved throughout that it is impossible to keep up with them all as the song morphs into one excessive trip after another. The Euro heaviness is all there, as is the catchiness. A little long winded of an opener, I personally prefer tight, catchy tunes to open a disc, but this works well in context. It is almost like a joining of progressive and hard rock with a big plush
AOR like chorus thrown in for good measure.
With the assistance of a keyboard bridge,
"Dreamtide" sweeps in without the slightest change of pace. In fact, some might not even notice since the transition is so perfect from one track to the other. With all the swerves in "The Apparition" this could be just one more section from that song. This one features a gorgeous chorus that pops up quite often but is a pleasant diversion each time. Another hard n' heavy track lightened up only by the chorus like that of earliest
Ten.
"Evermore" is a key piece, continuing the band's fondness for bombast and throws a fantastical situation into the mix, all while being something of a title track. It is all very fantasy, and the music supports the imaginative illusion with a Celtic vibe that ripples throughout, much like in "Spellbound"'s war tune, "Red". This nuance loans the song a rich vibrancy that helps it pop out from the other two previous tracks that are similar in both bombast and vibe. The chorus is absolutely huge, and washes over the song like a stormy burst of nail prickling rain. Intense and epic, where can they possibly go from here?
The answer lays in the next track,
"Sail Away" which is Hughes conquering the world of the ballad for the umpteenth time. He's done so many lovely ones in his career in
Ten and out on his own solo that its impossible to keep up with them all. This one has the lengthy epic feel from the first couple of
Ten albums, keeping the keyboards down to a simple but effective piano and manages to capture the casual lapping feel of the sea, much like Axel Rudi Pell's "Oceans of Time".
"Temple of Love" has the giant sound of
AOR smashes from
Ten in the past. Opening with an acapella performance from a multiplied magnified Hughes, it bursts into a massive melodic masterpiece, that has this bubbling over feeling, its like the song could explode into something heavier at any moment, but keeps the restraints on, guitar squealing away for the bridge before the step into the swelling chorus. This is really classy sing-a-long material that could be described as a hard rock with a friendly pop edge.
"Even the Ghosts Cry" is another killer
AOR-esque track, that strongly centers around keyboards this time as opposed to guitars, which of course are here too playing a nice supporting role. The keys do a little dance of joy here and there when the spotlight shines down on them, using a very pristine crystal sound that works wonderfully here. Gary sings about love, his best subject if you ask me, and always pours out the truth in that velvet voice of his.
"Love is just another word that we misuse."
"Strangers in the Night" continues the lighter bit of this mid section, which has swerved into the lands of
AOR after a rather heavy triple track opening. While the previous two songs were bubbly and uptempo, this one is in more of a sultry moody vein, Hughes crooning with a softened rumble and the music backing him, painting the musical tapestry with darkened hues. A relaxed, tranquilizing vibe that flows through the body and settles the soul.
"Evil's On Top of the World" builds with a heavy bombastic opening, Hughes settling the quick musical rush down with the commanding whisper of his rich voice, but it continues to build and simmer despite the best efforts from the acoustic to keep it hushed. The song is one that's tossed by the angry sea, finding rather smooth passage, only to be violently uplifted again by a thunderous wave that collapses into chills that shiver the spine. Very cohesive,
Ten holds the song to a mid tempo structure with those hills and valleys that spike and settle the sound.
"The One" has synth fresh out of a gothic movie, joined by guitar and then is slammed by an excess of instruments and vocal harmonies that just sweep the listener off their feet, that core opener hook lurking in the back like a shadowy apparition indeed. That delicious urgency has returned with a vengeance as this is another turning point of the CD, down those heavier paths it started out with, just minus all the time changes and almost progressive elements.
"Lost Soul" is a change of pace indeed, sounding like nothing else on the disc, and frankly a little unlike anything
Ten has ever done. Sure, that "
Ten sound" is heavily integrated, but the skipping vocal delivery seems to set the pace with its erratic nature, and there's some curious sections, such as the one near the ending that sees the acoustic just being banged into the next millennium, which is not left on its own for long, as the drums, bass and electric flow around it right before the chorus kicks in again. This slightly reminds me of Def Leppard's "Scar" or "Paper Sun", only, more melodic.
"Stay A While" comes at the perfect time. After a series of great
AOR songs and then a three pack of tunes that see the band tweaking with the sound with results that actually work, its far past time for a ballad. This one is airy but the breeze cries out like a foul wind as it twists into something darker, more unique than what is originally hinted at. It is neatly packaged and cleverly devised, its heaviness coming as a pleasant, fresh surprise.
Last and but not at all the least is another experiment, and one that works quite well, I will add,
"Tearing My Heart Out". The musical base is murky and heavy, lumbering with a sinister feel and lacking any of the high flying bombast that
Ten is known for. This is definitely a different one, with a flash in the pan melodic chorus that is like a beam of sunlight shining out of a rolling black cloud on a thunder storm scattered day. The verses are lightning, striking to the heart, but roll and rumble with the natural bass of thunder. A flash of distortion in the guitars keep it in metal mode, but the buildup from this is riveting. It is so unlike
Ten, that for now, it has become a favorite just for its uniqueness and contrast to the rest of the album.
"Return to Evermore" proves to be another gem in the
Ten catalogue and is high class all the way. The band dares to dabble in various new twists to the same old formula and end up with a few unique hits on their hands. While I would not want an entire album that sounds like
"Tearing My Heart Out", for a one-off it's an awesome deviation from the norm. The songs that have the sticking power for the initial few excursions into "Evermore" are the few in the middle, namely
"Temple of Love" and
"Even the Ghosts Cry" for their extreme catchiness, others will probably move into their place later on as time wears away at the disc.
Which also makes it hard to say where exactly this album falls in my personal rankings of
Ten discs. It often has taken up to a year for a final decision (as was the case for the last one) but right now it doesn't seem quite as good as "Spellbound", but the promise is there since a lot of these songs seem to be slow growers with a lot of complexity that can only be appreciated with time and multiple listens.
"Evermore" will appeal to all fans of
Ten, be it their more recent
AOR bent releases or the heavy rock of the initial outings in the early 90s. It is a careful mixture that has been put together here, and one that will likely find even more fans of the band crawling out of the woodwork due to the high caliber of songwriting and performances that is put into each piece of work. It is likely to be considered one of their best, and will be played and loved for years to come. "Evermore" may not be perfect, but being so varied and offering so much, it comes really close.
Written by
Alanna Wednesday, July 7, 2004
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