Just 11 months on from their fifteenth studio album and the band were back with their sixteenth, which was recorded at the same time as their fifteenth, although according to the press release this only had two guitarists with the departure of John Halliwell, who had played on the previous one. The album commences with a witch casting the spell from ‘Macbeth’, and then we are into “Look For The Rose”, a driving number with some great guitar. Ten are very much based around leader and singer Gary Hughes, who has the ability to be at home no matter what is going on beneath him, and here we have plenty of riffs and Darrel being more in the background and providing nuances over the top of a powering melodic rock band.
This album has more diversity than the previous one, allowing each of the band to shine and to provide listeners with a more balanced look at what these guys are capable of. The title cut commences with just Darrel and Gary, but gradually the rest of the band comes in and we have some nicely struck guitar solos and riffs which lift the song to a new level as it is in direct contrast to the earlier sections while maintaining and building on the melody. In some ways Ten have never really fitted into the UK scene as they are often more melodic than many of their counterparts, with a thoughtfulness and structure which makes them stand out. But those of use who know these guys are the lucky ones as they keep delivering great albums time after time, and if you have yet to hear what they are about then start with this one and then get the rest.
