Ten
Albion

Ten are back with a highly anticipated album and in line with the band’s tradition it has a striking cover artwork. And a sexy one at that. But it is the insides that matter when it comes to an album even though the strictly limited vinyl edition of this album would look exciting even if the album would be daft. It is actually the first time they do release an album on vinyl but it is strictly limited so you have to be quick if you want it. It is their tenth album and it is called Albion. Now then, what is that Gary Hughes and his band of merry men has cooked up for us this time. Being a fan of this band I could not help being a bit excited about this release, but in my years reviewing albums I have learnt that it is no point anticipating anything because that helps avoiding disappointments.

Albion is kind of the same as its predecessor and similar to most albums by Ten. There aren’t really any surprises coming on this album, it is what you expect just from looking at it and the band name. The music is excellently produced, Gary Hughes sings well and the melodies are very strong and striking. A typical Ten album I would describe it as, a melodic rock/hardrock album at the higher end of the scale coming to production and sound. Fifty six minutes of playing time, decent variation over those minutes giving us ten tracks. All tracks are five minutes or longer. I would describe this as something that will be very recognisable for the Ten fans out in the world.

I think it is a good album, one would be strange not to recognise that. But one would also be strange not to recognise that Ten seems to have stagnated in their development and seems happy to release stuff that sounds exactly like the things they did before, have Mr Hughes run out of ideas? That would be a legitimate question as this sounds more or less exactly like Heresy and Creed but without the highlights, had I been anticipating anything I would have been very disappointed as this is a good album but it lacks the focal point of a really strong album. I am a tad unimpressed actually, this album feels a bit lazy, tired, maybe the band is getting old. Sure it is good, you get what you expect but I don’t want what I expect, I want something that surprise me, something that excites and something I can’t just glance over like I have done with this album as it has nothing that really grabs me.

Excellent production, not so excellent songs. No song stand out and the album feels as it lacks focus and hit songs. I think this is a step backwards but I am equally sure that the fans of this band will like it, the always uncritical internet reviewers seems to back that claim. Decent album, kind of a disappointment in a way a decent listen for a while but not something that leaves a lasting impression. I would pick any of the albums released prior to this over this one as they are all better. This all means that Albion is no Ten point album.

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