FollowYou know the recipe for the perfect ‘Ten’ album, right? Intelligent lyrics 
powerfully sung, meaningful songs, catchy melodies, solid bass/drum performance, cool riffs, searing guitar licks, atmospheric synths, the recipe has never been tampered with.
Heresy And Creed follows the same recipe but this time chef Hughes has used the finest ingredients he could lay his hands on, all mixed together by Dennis Ward’s magical wooden spoon and the result is phenomenal.
The opus begins with the mysterious ‘The Gates Of Jerusalem’ with its haunting snake-charmer pipe melody that whisks you off into far away deserts before leading you into the crusades with the ‘Arabian Knights’. This is classic Ten. Brash, catchy singalong chorus, regaling tales of the Templars, it drops you right in the heart of battle. You’re not alone though, every instrument sounds like its had its edges sharpened To within an inch of its life, and the whole thing is like a solid shield of sound.
‘Gunrunning’ comes along next to make sure you’re properly in singalong mode, almost a ‘party’ song in its delightful construction, retaining the clever lyrics and layered harmonies you would expect with a swing like rhythm you probably wouldn’t.
My favourite (at the moment) track of the album ‘The Lights Go Down’ starts off gently with a gorgeous piano and Weeping guitar duet that soon ascends into a dark, hard rock number about essentially not giving up and standing up for yourself, and it actually does kick your arse. The hook of the chorus is so strong you will find yourself singing it in your sleep.
‘Raven’s Eye’ is the first ballad of the album and is a bit of an enigma, sounding similar (i think) to the gorgeous Bob Catley’s ‘Beautiful Mind’ it is weaved with a haunting melody, poetic lyrics, delicate acoustic strings and an emotion stirring guitar solo that gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. Personally I don’t understand the Meaning of the lyrics but I dare say they are very deep and will make perfect sense one day. I should add that this does not prevent me singing along and feeling the emotion in every line.
‘Right now’ starts with a rather odd synth melody which will make you scratch your head initially but as soon as the track kicks off properly you know where you are. The riff is pretty much the same throughout combined with another catchy chorus and a rather splendid bass & guitar break. Not a bad track but I would say not the strongest on the album.
‘Game Of Hearts’ on the other hand is a great, pounding monster of a song, Dream Theater-esque in its main riff with a hefty picked bass line. The DT theme continues with a very Petrucci style solo, full of long flowing passages, sweet bends and expressive flurries.
‘The Last Time’ brings us back Into ballad territory with some rather nice piano and acoustic guitar and a whispering, melancholy filled tale about the final days of a relationship. Sad but beautiful, Gary’s emotional voice, and subtle layered vocal harmonies make this a feast of a ballad.
‘The Priestess’ is an unexpected delight. The tune is slick and almost as sleazy as the lyrics, with a blues/rock feel to it. Really catchy melody to the chorus and a solo that Steve Vai could have crafted make this an absolute belter.
‘insatiable’ is not typical Ten by any means. The opening riff itself is mental, combining off beat drumming and a wicked guitar line that culminate into a wild beast of a song. Another one that gets your head nodding.
‘Another Rainy Day’ is a quirky little number which, despite it’s bad weather related title is actually quite a sunny song, again catchy melodies and well constructed rhythms as you would expect. Great song.
‘unbelievable’ provides us with the final rocker of the album and it’s another cracker, hard drums, throbbing bass, cool guitar riff. Hook laden chorus. Blistering guitar solo. Great lyrics.
Track 13 ‘The Riddle’ reminds me a little of ‘saltwater’ by Julian Lennon in It’s soft, uncomplicated delivery, a slight vocal effect further adds to the similarities. The bass in this is rather cool in an Omar’s ‘there’s nothing like this’ kind of vane, which fits the feel of the song well. A great finale to a great album.
All in all I’d have to say this is my favourite of TEN’s albums. Looking at this and stormwarning the gap between the two is a chasm, I think the change is so vast because this time around GH has a stable, settled band. They are road-tested and each brings something wonderful to the party; John Halliwell is, as always steady and consistent with the sweet rhythm and acoustic guitars, Steve McKenna was one of the most noticeable absences from SW and he is definately back, providing the solid chunky bass lines. Darrel Treece-Birch (keyboards) has done a fantastic job creating the atmosphere of the album, from the subtle synth melody to the gorgeous piano lines. SW’s drums duty went out to a guest drummer with no affiliation to the band and as such something may have been lost in translation, this was never going to be the case this time with Max Yates on the pots and pans, the added dimension of double kick drums and frantic fills have made a massive difference to the traditional Ten sound, this guy makes ‘Animal’ from the muppets sound like Evelyn Glennie. Lead guitar has always been so important to the overall dynamics of the Ten ‘sound’ and in Dan Mitchell, they have a perfectionist. He has carefully constructed and performed each break, solo and melody to suit the song, compliment Gary’s voice and push himself to the limits. Having witnessed his live performances I know he feels every note he plays, and he is of the rare variety of players who are not only technically brilliant but can also deliver a heartfelt emotional line. While his style is a fusion of Petrucci, Vai and his personal favourite Rusty Cooley, his sound is 100% Dan Mitchell.
The inimitable Gary Hughes is arguably the best lyricist/songwriter in the rock world and Heresy’ is a great testament to his continuing flow of creativity, the hook lines are strong, The lyrics are intelligently written and the performance is fantastic.
Combine all these elements with a great engineering and mixing job and you have the perfect album. The force is strong with this one.
Ten out of Ten
Brought to you by Paradise Rock’s Sir Craig of Aston