Ten's Heaviest and Most Powerful Album
Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 06/01/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"1998's the Robe was the third and arguably best album from England's melodic rock masters Ten. Ten established themselves as a force to be reckoned with after their self-titled debut album and the follow-up Name of the Rose, but with the Robe Gary Hughes & company took their sound to a whole new level.
The Robe takes Ten's signature sound - powerful melodic rock led by Gary Hughes's rich melodic voice and excellent songwriting skills - and adds an epic concept about...um, a robe of some sort. Actually it seems to be about an ancient civilization, warriors, a hidden city, and of course love (it is an AOR album after all). The result is an album that completely rocks. Ten is a great band when they're doing the standard love songs, but becomes truly exceptional on a concept album like the Robe. This is by far the band's heaviest and most powerful album, and remains my favorite Ten release.
Gary Hughes would continue to experiment with the concept album on the Ten album Babylon, but would perfect it with his Once and Future King albums. If you haven't already checked them out, you don't know what you're missing. Two albums based on the legend of King Arthur that feature some of the best vocalists in the genre.
NOTE: There is a 2-disc version of the Robe available. That version, entitled the Robe/Bonus Collection, comes with a bonus disc full of B-sides, live songs, and acoustic tracks. I'm of the opinion that every Ten release is worth owning, so I highly recommend going after the 2CD version. Besides, it's only a few dollars more than the standard album.
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Track Listings (10) - Disc #1