Review TEN ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’

UK-based hard rock outfit Ten has a new album in the starting box with a release date on January 20^th. ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ is the title of this ten songs featuring longplayer that presents the typical Ten sound.

The driving force behind Ten is Gary Hughes, singer and guitarist since the very beginning of the band. The newst band member is drummer who very recently joined the band while it is Marcus Kullman who provided the heartbeat of Ten’s 16^th studio album.

‘Look For the Rose’ is the title of the opener that starts with some samples as a kind of intro. What comes next is a typical Ten song, music that combines well-forged melodies and a solid level of hardness. Ten never goes wild although the guitar on ‘Brave New Lie’ provides a hard riff that is smoothened by the sound of the keyboard and vocal lines.

‘Parabellum’ is kept rather dark and shows the rocking side of the band. The title track is next and is calmer rock song that shows good songwriting skills but also misses a bit of the final punch. A little bit too gentle, that is how the song gets out of the speakers.

‘New Found Hope’ is the calm and ballade-like track on the album and is supposed to touch the soul of the listener while ‘When Darkness Comes’ brings back the rocking vibe.

As with the previous releases also ‘Something Wicked This Way Comes’ is well-produced and provides a very melodic experience for listeners. There are no edges neither there are the challenging parts. This longplayer is a smoothly rocking one that provides ear-candy. At the same time the album could handle a bit more power and dynamic. A bit of a waking-up-the-lion approach would benefit the album that builds on a strong foundation.