Ten - Illuminati

[Stefan]

 

From Frontiers:

TEN/Gary Hughes. “Illuminati”. November 9, 2018 on CD/LP/Digital. More details and the first track from the album will be released in the coming weeks!

Tracklisting:

1. Be As You Are Forever
2. Shield Wall
3. The Esoteric Ocean
4. Jericho
5. Rosetta Stone 
6. Illuminati
7. Heaven And The Holier-Than-Thou
8. Exile
9. Mephistopheles
10. Of Battles Lost And Won

[Geoff]

I assume this will be dreadful. I don't even know if it's worth listening to new albums from this band anymore... 

[gener8tr]

Hard to believe NAME OF THE ROSE is now more than 20 years old.  That CD was so awesome and received so much play at my house back then.  Different time / different place, I suppose.

[Geoff]

27 minutes ago, gener8tr said:

Hard to believe NAME OF THE ROSE is now more than 20 years old.  That CD was so awesome and received so much play at my house back then.  Different time / different place, I suppose.

Yep, very, very sad what became of this band.

[Stefan]

I'm digging the new song.

From Frontiers:

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.

 

 

[Stefan]

New video.

 

 

 

 

[kourosofsteel3]

Thus far, every time I try to spin this I end spinning Babylon. 

[Geoff]

Thus far, the sole time I spun and will ever spin this repulsed me. 

It's just really, really hard to listen to. Dreadful lyrics, dreary old melodies, lacklustre musicianship... sadly, just nothing at all works about this. Which is sad. Very sad to see where Ten have gone in recent years, and I don't think there's any going back whatsoever.

[Stefan]

 

 

 

[Geoff]

Out of curiosity, Stefan, you like this one? 

[Glen]

no its hideous. 

[Geoff]

17 hours ago, Glen said:

no its hideous. 

That, it is. 

[Stefan]

On 11/25/2018 at 1:01 PM, Geoff said:

Out of curiosity, Stefan, you like this one? 

 

No. Not that good. I suppose Dan likes it

[Geoff]

12 minutes ago, Stefan said:

 

No. Not that good. I suppose Dan likes it

Curious to know if he does... Dan? Can you forgive them for this? 

[Stefan]

1 hour ago, Geoff said:

Curious to know if he does... Dan? Can you forgive them for this? 

'Gothica' was #3 in his Top 5 list last year.

[heavyharmonies]

This one won't be. Maybe it's the album, maybe it's the new year and my preferences have shifted, but this one bores me to tears.

[Geoff]

If I could use one word to describe Ten's sound, it would be 'Tired.' Everything about it just sounds exhausted of all enthusiasm and purpose.  

In my honest opinion, I do think Hughes needs to put an end to Ten and do something completely different. Whether that's something I like or not, doesn't really matter to me. The way Ten has been going for a long time is surely not healthy for anyone involved. 

I can't help but think about the sheer volume of music and lyrics that is always written for these albums. It'd blow me away if he was completely enthused and inspired about doing this, because it couldn't translate less on CD if that is so.

[crazynights]

Gotica and Albion were very good.

This new one, in my opinion ,don't see so bad like you say.

I still appreciate their epic style.