Double double toil and trouble
English rock band Ten is back and better than ever, and Something Wicked This Way Comes delivers the melodic, hard rock sound fans know and love. Since X debuted in 1996, Ten has proved time and time again that it’s a hard rock force to reckon with, and Something Wicked This Way Comes is a fierce reminder of its tenacious hold over the music industry. Ten’s latest album is part of a highly impressive lineup, serving as the band’s 16th studio release and just as intense as their previous albums.
As Something Wicked This Way Comes unfurls, the listener is greeted with images of Michael Jackson’s Thriller meets the Crypt Keeper as Macbeth’s most haunting lines command attention. “Double double toil and trouble fire burn and cauldron bubble…Something Wicked This Way Comes”. The listener is immediately transported into an all-encompassing rock opera, Ten’s sound as infectious as its music is haunting. Gary Hughes, lead singer and songwriter extraordinaire, delivers one powerful vibrato after the next, his voice a series of poignant notes effortlessly melding together for an all-encompassing experience. Lead guitarists Dann Rosingana and Steve Grocott are nothing short of bewitching, enrapturing listeners and refusing to release their hold with powerful, rapid-fire riffs, their command over the fretboard a fearless one.
As the album expands, each song reveals another piece of the puzzle, coming together like a series of seamless transitions from one track to the next. Hughes’ passionate voice holds a firm grip on each track, while Darrel Treece-Birch dominates on keys and Steve McKenna drives one unstoppable performance after the next on bass.
Even as Something Wicked This Way Comes ebbs and flows, the music refuses to quit, delivering an immersive experience that can only be described as otherworldly. It’s a rarity for an entire album to be flawlessly executed, from a wicked inception to an ending rife with soul-stirring guitar licks and evocative keys that remind fans that Ten has done it again. It’s impossible to wonder what their next studio album will offer, but it undoubtedly will be another high-octane yet eloquent performance.
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