Hot on the heels of last year's "Gothica", UK hard rock stalwarts are returning with a new album, "Illuminati" in 2018! The album promises to be one of the hallmarks of their 22+ years career, where fans will easily spot all the trademark textures and flavours they have come to expect from TEN, with a consistent and solid spark of creativity throughout. "Illuminati" continues to build upon the rich legacy that the great British rockers have established in their 20+ year career."Illuminati" is said to be an elite, secret organization of world leaders, business authorities, innovators, artists, and other influential members of the global society. A coalition that unites influencers of all political, religious, and geographical backgrounds to further the prosperity of the human species as a whole. The album "Illuminati" brings the band's atmospheres and sounds and weaves them into a reel of mysteries, esoteric tales, and elaborate spells, evoking embers that spark the imagination courtesy of the classic songwriting of vocalist Gary Hughes.Following the success of the recent string of albums, from "Albion" to "Gothica", Hughes is joined once again by guitarists Dann Rosingana, Steve Grocott and John Halliwell along with bass player Steve McKenna, keyboard maestro Darrel Treece-Birch, and drummer Max Yates. On their fourth outing as a collective unit, the musicians in TEN have raised the bar even higher than they had previously. The album is full of stunning guitar work over a rich keyboard, bass, and drum tapestry with Hughes' rich vocals once again bringing the nuances of the intricate lyrics to life."Illuminatii" was produced by Gary Hughes and mixed and mastered by Dennis Ward. TEN's longstanding professional association with Dennis has been ongoing since he mixed their 2011 album, "Stormwarning" and has always guaranteed albums with stunning sound and production.FOR FANS OF: Rainbow, Whitesnake, Thunder, Royal Hunt, Giant, UFO
P**N
Classic Ten, stories told via melodic rock
As usual Gary Hughes has put together a masterpiece of tales with layers of guitars, keyboards and melodies.Opening track “be as you are forever” sets the scene. Whilst “shield wall” and “the esoteric ocean” offer 2 new classic Ten tracks. “Rosetta Stone” is a highlight.
M**S
Grows on you with every listen!
Grows on you with every listen. Not heard of Ten before, but a good, solid rock band!
S**S
Soft harmonic mostly uninspiring rock
Frankly, I thought that this lacked zest compared to ‘Sign of the Times’ by ‘Axel Rudi Pell’ that I had just been listening to. While there is undoubtably some fine playing here, the singer’s voice and delivery does not seem to match the rest of the music. He sounds like a crooner who has stepped in front of a rock band. What they needed was someone like ‘Johhny Gioeli’, or ‘RJD’ or even ‘Robin McAuley’ to lift the feel of this album.While this will appeal to diehard fans of the band, it is unlikely to inspire the casual listener to rush out and buy more of their back catalogueIf you want to hear what this band could do, try listening to ‘Gothica’, which will inspire you to try other records from this band.Track time is just over 58 ¼ mins.
M**C
brilliant
what a brilliant album this band just gets better and better as the years roll by
M**D
A perfect ten
Just a brilliant album
M**S
TEN, brilliant as always!
TEN delivered once again with the glorious "Illuminati"! An excellent album indeed, full of highlights!
M**D
Great album
Another superb album from this group . Always great music from them consistently .
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