Ten
The Twilight Chronicles

October 2006
Released: 2006, Frontiers Records/Zink Music
Rating: 4.5/5
Reviewer: Anders Sandvall

Here we have the new studio album by Ten, who released a celebration album for their decade in the business earlier this year. A few things have happend in regards to the lineup; bass player Steve McKenna left, so guitarist Chris Francis handles the bass playing on this album; and drummer Lee Morris also left and is replaced by Frank Basile.



Despite the lineup changes, Ten still delivers well-played melodic hard rock with the main focus on the talented Gary Hughes’ lead vocals. He has written all of the material featured on the album. The first track is divided in two separate parts called “The Prologue” and “Rome”, and the same goes for the last song on the album. All of the songs are really long; the first one is 12 minutes long and “Hollowed Ground” is 10 minutes long. In other words, the entire album is quite long at 73 minutes of total playing time.



Gary Hughes definitely takes Ten up to another level with his amazing material. The entire album is a show-off in how great music should be played, and the music continues on down the same path as great acts like Rainbow, Thin Lizzy, and UFO.



On albums of this length you usually find yourself losing interest in certain songs, but Ten manages to keep my interest all throughout the album. Even the ballads work for me. THE TWILIGHT CHRONICLES defines Ten’s position as one of England’s strongest melodic hard rock acts and you have no choice but to surrender to this amazing album.



http://www.zinkmusic.com