“Illuminati” is the fourteenth studio album from British band Ten and it was released on 9th November via Frontiers Music. I always look forward to the release of a Ten album and the epic story telling tracks that they feature (and of course the great vocals and music!). This is the fourth album that I’ve posted a recommendation for, dating back to “Albion” in 2014. I included the single “Jericho” on the Friday NI Rocks Show on 12th October, followed by “Rosetta Stone” on 16th November.
Ten was formed in 1995 by English vocalist Gary Hughes. There have been many line-up changes over the years, but Hughes remains the constant factor; alongside guitarist John Halliwell who joined the band ahead of the release of their debut album “X” in March 1996. That first album also featured guitarist Vinny Burns (from Dare), Ged Rylands on keyboards, drummer Greg Morgan (from Dare) and another former Dare member, Martin “Shelley” Shelton, on bass. A second album followed almost immediately after, in September 1996 and the third, “The Robe”, a year later. Shelton was the first original member to depart, in late 1996, followed by Rylands in 1999 and Burns in 2001.
A live album in 1998, was followed by three more studio albums between 1999 and 2001. There was then a short hiatus whilst Hughes focused on his solo work, before the release of “Return to Evermore” in 2004 and “The Twilight Chronicles” in 2006, as well as an anniversary compilation album. Another hiatus followed until 2010. Since then, the band have released six studio albums and another two compilations.
The current Ten line-up features Gary Hughes on vocals, Steve McKenna on bass, Darrel Treece-Birch on keyboards, Max Yates on drums and three guitarists in the shape of John Halliwell, Dann Rosingana and Steve Grocott. This line-up has remained constant over the last four studio albums, “Albion” in 2014, “Isla de Muerta” in 2015, “Gothica” in 2017 and the latest album “Illuminati”.
Check out the Ten website for updates - https://www.tenofficial.com/
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About “NI Rocks Recommends”
The simple idea behind “NI Rocks Recommends” is to acknowledge and promote some of the great music being submitted to Rock Radio NI. The albums that I’ll be recommending are those that you’ll hear me playing tracks from on my shows. I'll not be giving marks or ratings or analyzing the tracks in great detail; just telling you something about the artist and the album. It’s a personal recommendation to go check something out, not a traditional “review”!