OK...........the new Ten album "Albion."
I've now had 3 listens , which in itself is a good sign as I rarely go back for 2nds or 3rds immediately for a new release these days. First impression was to be very impressed - on 2nd and 3rd listens I've knocked down the ratings on a few songs but overall I'm still quite impressed.
It's early days but I think I can say that it sits comfortably in the 2nd tier of Ten albums along with stuff like The Robe , Spellbound and Far Beyond The World. The writing is strong (although I did pick up a recycled chorus melody in a song that otherwise would've been killer) , the playing is strong and the production is one of their better efforts. The sound quality certainly doesn't detract in the way it did on albums like The Robe. Speaking of The Robe it does have that same sort of epic feel as that album , if not quite to the same extent.
There's nice diversity in the songwriting and Gary Hughes has really put in one of his better efforts here - there's even some sort of operatic toon half sung in Italian which I thought would be a disaster but is actually pretty decent.
The one drawback that I'm feeling is that in the end it's a bit mid paced and missing just one ballsy rocker in the vein of The Name Of The Rose , High Tide, Fear The Force etc........which would've just topped the album off.
Favourite Track: Battlefield
Initial Rating : 89% (= 110% on mr.com
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