Only a few months since the release of “Albion”, Gary Hughes returns with yet another studio album under the flashy title of “Isla De Muerta” (this is cued of the Island Of The Dead fame from “The Pirates of The Caribbean” series of movies). The truth is that the old school fans of Ten do prefer the more straightforward hard rock approach of the first couple of records but on the other hand Gary Hughes has a unique way of blending wonderfully the epic element into the melodic rock genre. “Isla De Muerta” is yet another proof and one of the finest moments in Ten’s career.

Despite the fact that all the songs come from the same sessions with “Albion” (as Gary himself revealed to us in an exclusive interview that we published a while ago), this time around Ten delivers a bunch of tracks that have a distinctive cinematic feeling. One cannot help but getting drifted away towards the open sea where the Pirates were the undeniable rulers of the oceans. “Isla De Muerta” is a sonic journey to another time and that I reckon is the most striking element of the new album. Upon putting on the opening instrumental cut “Buccaneers” you get an instant feeling that this is a call to arms and most specifically a call to swords, knives and…pirate flags! My personal favorite moments on the album are definitely “Dead Men Tell No Tales”, “The Dragon And Saint George” and “Tell Me What To Do”.

I believe that Ten has succeeded in offering one more remarkable album that not only will satisfy the new fans but I am sure that many old school devotees of Gary Hughes and Co. will find many positive elements in there.

Highlight: It would be even better if Gary Hughes would elaborate further on the Pirate saga throughout the record…needless, to say that this doesn’t dilute or affect the overall positive final result.