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░ ██ ██ Artist: Ten ██ ██
▓ █░░ ■█ Album: Gothica █■ ░░█
■ █▓▀ █ Year: 2017 █ ▀▓█ ░
█ ▓ Rel. Date: 2017-07-18 ▓ █
▒ ▒ Genre: Hard Rock ▒ ▒
█▄ ░ Label: Frontiers Records ░ ▄█
░ █▄ ░ Source: CD ░ ▄█
░ █▓ Type: Album ▓█ ░
▓ █ Quality: VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █ ░ ▓
▓ █ █ ░ ▓
▄ ■ ■ ▓ ■
░█ █░ ▀
█ Moodier, darker, and in parts even heavier than █
█ past studio albums is TenÆs latest, their 13th, █
█ Gothica, released on the Frontiers Records label. █
█ A listen shows a mesh of Hard Rock, the Melodic, █
█ and AOR, while the smooth, rich almost operatic █
█ baritone voice of Gary Hughes coupled with his █
█ talent for songwriting and lyricism evokes images █
█ of nightmares, visions of fantasy, the eerie, █
█ crusades and journeys to far away lands, erotic █
█ ladies that turn heads, and killers lurking in the █
█ darkness. The drums punch their way through the █
█ melodies, three part guitar harmonies are beyond █
█ fantastic, and the keyboards are perfectly done. █
█ All over Gothica, the melodies are so warm, so █
█ lush, so inviting, so engaging, that it becomes █
█ virtually impossible to not become part of the █
█ storylines. Completely loaded with sentiment and █
█ emotions, how wonderful it is to hear music like █
█ this that is so instantly likable but never comes █
█ across as verbose, pompous or become a forced █
█ listen. HughesÆ voice is, of course, a focal point █
█ of this collection of music but what makes this █
█ (and so many of TenÆs past releases) so noteworthy █
█ is his voice so magnificently blends with the █
█ instruments resulting in a band that sounds so █
█ incredible as a whole. It can be said with a █
█ virtual certainty that Ten as a band and Gary █
█ Hughes as a songwriter are on an imaginative █
█ crest, and have put all their talents into what █
█ very should be one of 2017Æs highlight releases. █
█ █
█ Praise must be given to the artwork done by the █
█ talented Stan W. Decker, which shows a gorgeous █
█ temptress reading from large journal while images █
█ of darkened shadowy figures seeming to be coming █
█ straight out of the book she is holding. █
█ █
█ So difficult to pick out positive highlights to █
█ Gothica, as there were so many, but certain █
█ mentions need to be made, so here goes. Listen to █
█ the vigor, the passion, and the rocking attitude █
█ to the luminous CD opening ôThe Grail.ö With an █
█ introduction that shows Hughes singing in Latin, █
█ soon coming into focus are synthesizers, riffing █
█ guitars, a loud bass guitar, and heavy-handed █
█ drums while a reach for the volume knob is made. █
█ What a killer opening track. Footsteps, the sounds █
█ of a creaking door open ôJekyll and Hydeö that █
█ shows Hughes at his vocal best. Listen to how his █
█ voice fluctuates and heaves and gives way in pitch █
█ and volume. The eerie tick tock of a clock with █
█ keyboards to die for are the highlight to █
█ ôTravellers,ö and the multifaceted ôIn My Dreams,ö █
█ features heaven sent melodies and vocal harmonies. █
█ Also worth a listen is the trancelike ôThe Wild █
█ King Of Winter,ö the piano of ôParagon,ö the █
█ beautiful, heartfelt ôMan For All Seasons,ö the █
█ sinful lyrics of ôWelcome to the Freak Show,ö █
█ (ôàshe is a hellcat in leather à sheÆs got you █
█ hypnotized as she walks on by. Everything about █
█ her is too hot to touch, sheÆs burning curves and █
█ lines of the shot glass kind.ö) The almost Metal █
█ vibe of ôLa Luna Dra-cu-la,ö was excellent and █
█ closing this beyond good CD is ôInto Darkness,ö a █
█ somber, vocal heavy song that features Gary Hughes █
█ singing alongside a piano and bass guitar █
█ accompaniment. █
█ █
█ Gothica is full of layers, larger-than-life, and █
█ praise needs to be made how the songwriting stayed █
█ focused and never allowed the music to stray of █
█ course. The mixing of the album was wonderfully █
█ done by Dennis Ward. The lyrics told so many █
█ different narratives, while Gary HughesÆ voice █
█ gave the songs dimensions and sensations and isnÆt █
█ always a part of even great albums. While it has █
█ been said so many times about other songs and █
█ their music that their ôsongs come to life,ö for █
█ different reasons, on this release that statement █
█ couldnÆt be truer. Fans of Lionville, First █
█ Signal, Harem Scarem, Fair Warning, FM, and Unruly █
█ Child will love this one, and want to hear Gothica █
█ and too be amazed at how incredible this is. Of █
█ course, ineffective, worthless, hopeless and every █
█ adjective that can be thought of as to how useless █
█ American radio is in helping give music like this █
█ much-deserved airtime, is completely spot on. But █
█ be that as it may, for radio will never change, █
█ but, please buy this, and lose yourself in all the █
█ brilliance and musicianship that is all over █
█ Gothica. █
█ █
█ http://www.tenofficial.com/ █
▓ ▓
▒ ▒
░ 1. The Grail 8:06 ░
░ 2. Jekyll and Hyde 4:41 ░
░ 3. Travellers 5:11 ░
░ 4. Man for All Seasons 7:00 ░
░ 5. In My Dreams 5:08 ░
░ 6. The Wild King of Winter 6:13 ░
░ 7. Paragon 4:50 ░
░ 8. Welcome to the Freak Show 5:35 ░
░ 9. La Luna Dra-cu-la 5:31 ░
░ 10. Into Darkness 5:42 ░
░ 57:57 ░
░ ▒ ▒
▓ █ ░ ▓ ░
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