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Ten (band)

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Ten
Ten at Fleetwoodstock Festival 2011
Ten at Fleetwoodstock Festival 2011
Background information
OriginManchester,England
GenresHard rock,AOR
Years active
  • 1995–2007
  • 2011–present
Labels
Members
Past members
Websitetenofficial

Ten(also stylised asTENorten) are an English melodichard rockband which were formed in 1995. The band has released 16 studio albums, 6 compilation albums, 5 EPs, a double live album, 10 music videos and 4 lyric videos, with the latest one being "The Tidal Wave", from their 2023 studio albumSomething Wicked This Way Comes.[1]The band charted at number 30 in the United Kingdom in 2012 withHeresy and Creed,[2]butAllMusicdescribes their 1999 albumSpellboundas their most successful.[3]

History

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Formation (1994–1996)

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Following the release of his first two solo albums, British vocalist-songwriterGary Hugheswrote 28 songs, and decided to divide them into two albums – one containing the heavier material, and one that would contain the ballads. Additionally, the initial idea was to mix the album in the US, so American guitarists were considered, includingDoug Aldrich,Lanny CordolaandRalph Santolla.However, when it was decided to lay down the guitar parts in England, the name of the guitaristVinny Burns(Dare,Ultravox) was brought up. Given the fact thatMike Stonewas assigned to mix the albums, the project quickly evolved into a band situation, thus marking the first official incarnation of Ten.[4]During the first year of the band's existence, another ex-Dare member joined the band when Greg Morgan was brought in as drummer.

Early years (1996–2001)

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The band's first album (namedX) was released in May 1996. In order to support the album for the forthcoming tour, the band recruited bassist Martin "Shelley" Shelton (ex-Dare), keyboard player Ged Rylands (ex-KAGE) and guitarist John Halliwell (ex-KAGE). With the songs already written, the band returned to the studio in order to finish their second album.The Name of the Rosewas released in September of the same year (1996), gaining some enthusiastic reviews from the critics.[4]The title track was also voted "Song of the Year" by the readers ofBURRN!magazine in Japan.

The first tour was arranged for the end of 1996. Bassist Martin "Shelley" Shelton left the band and was replaced by Andrew "Drew" Webb. After a successful tour, Ten returned to the studio without Webb in order to record their next album. The mi xing duties again were appointed to Stone, andThe Robewas released in September 1997.The Robemarked a change in the overall sound of Ten, which was now melodic hard rock combined with epic atmospheres and influences.[5]With the addition of bassist Steve Mckenna, the band toured for a year, in support of their newly released album, while in 1998 the band's Japanese label ZERO Records and the European label Frontiers Records released a double live album namedNever Say Goodbye.

The band signed to major labelMercury Recordsfor the release of their fourth studio album,Spellbound.The album was released in April 1999, was produced by Rafe Mckenna and was one of the most successful Ten albums in Europe.Spellboundwas also the first Ten album for which famous fantasy artistLuis Royodesigned the cover.

In 1999, the band returned to the studio in order to begin the recordings of their next album.Babylon,which was released in August 2000 and featured keyboard playerDon Airey,was aconcept albumwhich was set in the future and was based around the story of a computer programmer and his tragic love affair.Babylonentered the German Rock Album Charts.[6]

Soon after, the band returned to the studio to record the follow-up album toBabylon,namedFar Beyond the World.The recordings took place inHannover,Germany, with Tommy Newton behind the mi xing desk and ex–Hard Rain keyboard playerPaul Hodsontaking the place of Don Airey. In December 2001, Ten releasedFar Beyond the World;but just before the promotion of the new album had begun, guitarist Vinny Burns announced his departure from the band, citing creative differences.

Return to Evermoreand hiatus (2002–2007)

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The band held auditions for the position of the lead guitarist, and in January 2002 announced Chris Francis as Vinny Burns' replacement. During 2002 and 2003, the band took a break since Gary Hughes and the rest of the band had been working on Hughes' two-part rock opera project namedOnce and Future King.

Ten releasedReturn to Evermorein 2004 initially through Gary Hughes' own record label Intensity Records, while in 2005 the band announced that they would release a double diskBest Ofcollection,The Essential Collection 1995–2005,in order to celebrate the band's tenth anniversary. The compilation featured newly recorded versions of the songs, which were divided into two disks – one containing the ballads and one the heavier material.

In addition toThe Essential Collection,the band announced the release ofThe Twilight Chroniclesin August 2006, which featured another change in the sound of the band, leaning towards a more symphonic sound. By then, the band consisted of Hughes, Chris Francis, John Halliwell, Paul Hodson and session drummer Frank Basile, since bassist Steve Mckenna had left the band in December 2005. By 2007, Ten was put on a hiatus and by May 2008, lead guitarist Chris Francis had announced his departure from the band.

Re-emergence andIsla De Muerta(2010–2015)

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Following a four-year hiatus, the band returned withStormwarningin early 2011.[7]The album featured membersGary Hughes,John Halliwell, Paul Hodson and session musicians Neil Fraser on lead guitar, Mark Sumner on bass andMark Zonder(Fates Warning) on drums and was produced by Dennis Ward. A month later, an unreleased song from the Babylon sessions named "Dawn Star" appeared, as part of the AhORa Rock podcast of the Rocktopia[8]music site. Originally, "Dawn Star" was meant to be included on the Babylon album, but was removed from it just three weeks prior to its final release. In January 2011, it was announced that the band would also be filming a video for the new album, with Devin Dehaven as the director. "Endless Symphony" was the highest budget video to date for the band and it was released just a month after.[9]Stormwarningon the other hand, was released a month later, in February 2011.

In September 2011, Paul Hodson announced his departure from the band on a Ten group on Facebook. In 5 November 2011, on their Fleetwoodstock charity gig, their very first live appearance since the band's reemergence, the band featured for the first time in a live setting, the new (at the time) lead guitarist Dan Mitchell and keyboard playerDarrel Treece-Birch,alongside bassist Steve Mckenna, who, since August of the same year, had returned to the band. In May 2012, the band did a UK tour, supported by the bands Serpentine and White Widdow. The band also appeared for the first time, on Firefest on 19 October of the same year alongside bands Tyketto, Dante Fox and Lionville.[10]

The band's tenth studio album entitledHeresy and Creed,was released on 26 September 2012 in Japan, 19 October in Europe and 22 October in North America.[11][12]The leading single off the album was the track "Gunrunning", the video clip of which was again directed by Devin Dehaven. The album's success culminated into its entry to the UK rock album charts on the 30th position for October 2012.[2]Some months later, in March 2013, the band performed in Athens, Greece, for the first time, while in August of the same year, a day after the band's appearance on Vasby Rock Festival (on which Serpentine lead guitarist Chris Gould filled in for him), the band announced that lead guitarist Dan Mitchell left the band due to health problems related to his wrist and arm.

A few weeks before the release of their eleventh studio albumAlbion,[13]the band unveiled their new line-up on Firefest 2014 – The Final Fling, featuring the band's current two lead guitarists, Dann Rosingana and Steve Grocott. The band appeared for the second time in their history in Athens, Greece on 9 May 2015, before they released their 12th studio album, entitledIsla De Muertaon 20 May via Rocktopia Records.[14]About a month later, the band headlined the second night at Wildfire Festival in Scotland.[15]

In September of the same year, the band also released their first EP in 16 years entitledThe Dragon and Saint George,which included three brand new tracks, alongside "Albion Born" and the European exclusive track "We Can Be As One", the last two originally present on the band's latest two studio albums,AlbionandIsla De Muerta.[16]

Return to Frontiers Records (2016–present)

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In March 2016, the band announced their return to Frontiers Records, for a multi-album deal, starting with the release of their thirteenth studio albumGothicain July 2017 and the re-issue of their entire back catalogue in both physical (box set) and digital format under the titleOpera Omnia.As with the band's last four releases, the band's thirteenth album Gothica, was mixed and mastered byDennis Ward.[17] In November 2018, the band released their fourteenth studio album entitledIlluminati,[18]while in April 2019, the band released their long-awaited compilation box-set entitledOpera Omnia.The box-set included every album released by the band since its inception back in 1995, up untilIlluminati.In December 2021, the band announced that they're working on two new studio albums, with the first one entitledHere Be Monsters,to be released on 18 February 2022.[19]The band released their sixteenth studio album entitledSomething Wicked This Way Comes,on 20 January 2023.[1]In spring 2024, the band embarked on their "Wicked" UK Tour while currently working on their 17th studio release, due for release in early 2025.

Current members

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Graphical history of Ten's line-up changes
  • Gary Hughes– lead and backing vocals, programming, guitars
  • Dann Rosingana – lead guitar
  • Steve Grocott – lead guitar
  • Darrel Treece-Birch– keyboards
  • Steve Mckenna – bass
  • Craig Walker – drums

Discography

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Studio albums

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Live albums

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Compilation albums

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EPs

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References

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  1. ^ab"TEN to Release Something Wicked This Way Comes Album in January;" The Tidal Wave "Single and Music Video Available Now".
  2. ^ab"BBC – Radio 1 – Charts – UK Top 40 Rock Albums".BBC.Archived fromthe originalon 3 November 2012.Retrieved22 January2023.
  3. ^"Ten Biography, Songs, & Albums".AllMusic.
  4. ^abTez Durrant."TEN Of The Best Site".Tenofthebest.Archived fromthe originalon 16 March 2012.Retrieved29 February2012.
  5. ^"Ten – Frontiers Records Showcase. Highlighting the best new melodic releases available".Melodicrock.Retrieved23 September2014.
  6. ^"Die ganze Musik im Internet".Musicline.de.Retrieved23 September2014.
  7. ^"The Official Announcement from Frontiers Records for the Stormwarning album".Frontiers.it.Retrieved29 February2012.
  8. ^James Gaden (2 August 2010)."Rocktopia".Rocktopia.co.uk.Retrieved29 February2012.
  9. ^"The Official TEN Myspace page".Myspace.23 January 2011.Retrieved29 February2012.
  10. ^"The Official TEN Myspace page".Myspace.25 March 2011.Retrieved25 February2012.
  11. ^"Featured Content on Myspace".Myspace.Retrieved10 April2015.
  12. ^"Frontiers".Frontiers.it.Retrieved23 September2014.
  13. ^"Rock Overdose – News – TEN: Προχωρούν οι ηχογραφήσεις για το νέο album".Rockoverdose.gr.Retrieved23 September2014.
  14. ^"Records announce the release of the new TEN album 'Isla De Muerta'".Rocktopia.co.uk.27 March 2015.Retrieved10 April2015.
  15. ^"TEN To Headline Wildfire Festival".Rockngrowl.26 January 2015.Retrieved19 July2015.
  16. ^"TEN To Release New EP".Rocktopia.co.uk.22 July 2015.Retrieved22 July2015.
  17. ^"New TEN Album Coming In 2017;" The Dragon And Saint George "Lyric Video Posted".BraveWords.Retrieved29 May2020.
  18. ^"TEN: Announce New Studio Album. (News)".Metal-Temple.Retrieved29 May2020.
  19. ^[1][dead link‍]
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