Four years of silence and suddenly, out of the blue Ten's new album appeared. I never caught the news back in July 2010 that the band was working on new material so imagine my surprise I received this one. My first impression is of a very good album but it does not have the immediate infectious charm of Babylon nor the classic feel of The Name of The Rose. It has something entirely else.
There's a sense of niceness that makes me wish for more surprises and more bite in some of the songs. Still, I'm sure Ten fans will rejoice and since Gary Hughes' vocals is pretty much all I need, so am I. There is a back to basics feel to the album but the songs still have the Ten sound. The opener
Endless Symphony is suitably big and bombastic, surprisingly tender at its melodious core but undeniably Ten. Mark Zonder joins the band on drums and it can be heard, especially on a song like
Center of my universe. As a nice touch the main melody of
Destiny is derived from
Fly Like an Eagle.
After a dozen listens in four days the album appears strong and consistent. It's too early for a full review and it will be interesting to see how the album grows over the coming weeks. Right now it's just great to have Ten back.
Posted by
Steen - Saturday, January 8, 2011
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