It is almost guaranteed that every time Ten hits the studio the final result is nothing less than stellar. Personally, in all these years, I was only disappointed once and this was in 2006 with “The Twilight Chronicles”; an album that it seemed –at least from my perspective- unfocused and uninspired. But I guess that in a recording career that spans more than 20 years and 13 full studio albums that’s only natural. In the last few years, Ten seems to be quite productive but most importantly absolutely qualitative and luckily for every single fan out there “Gothica” is yet another brilliant offering.
“Gothica’ marks the return of the band to Frontiers Records and it wouldn’t be an overstatement if we say that this must be the band’s heavier and more sinister record of its entire career! Gary Hughes pens some of his most introspective lyrics while on a pure musical level Ten once again blends the epic element with the melodic rock genre with the guitars being on the forefront thus adding an overall heavy tone on the album. Probably, some old school Ten fans would have expected a more AOR/radio friendly album but the truth is that Gary Hughes is quite content with the side of Ten that prominently displays the epic yet melodic aura of the band. After all, bands like Magnum were always among the main inspirational points to Gary Hughes.
Having said that, tracks like “Travellers” and “In My Dreams” will surely satisfy all the AOR fans out there and I am pretty certain that the vast majority of all the fans of Gary Hughes and Ten will be wholeheartedly satisfied with what the band has come up with “Gothica”. This is definitely one of the best albums of 2017.
Highlight: Among the future plans of the band is the re-release of its back catalogue; most likely, in the form of a special box set. We will keep you posted.
