TEN – The Dragon and Saint George EP (2015)
On the back of such well received last albums Abion and Isla De Muerta, UK’s highly-rated melodic hard rockers TEN are releasing their first EP in many years entitled “The Dragon and Saint George”.
The EP includes the title track which was part of Isla De Muerta’s tracklist and ‘Albion Born’ from Albion, but also 3 new songs plus the exclusive European bonus track ‘We Can Be As One’.
It’s “The Dragon And Saint George” that opens the EP, a familiar start for those whose mid-2015 playlists were built around Isla De Muerta. A part of this record’s respective story line, here it serves as a first chapter to yet another tale with its powerful drum opening and intense chorus.
“Musketeers – Soldiers Of The King” is one of the previously unreleased tracks, very close to the previous Ten full-lengths stylistically. Much in the band’s trademark Melodic Hard Rock style, this guitar-laden uptempo piece is a classy extension to Ten’s present output rather than the outtake.
Another of the new tracks is “Is There Anyone With Sense” where TEN returns to the more melodic AOR of their debut combining traditional AOR sounds with a modern, interesting guitar riff. A personal favorite.
Next we have the groovy piece number four with rich rhythm section work and a handful of classic six string licks – “The Prodigal Saviour.” It’s a classic TEN epic, with lots of atmospheres.
An anthem on its own, “Albion Born” is almost cinematic epicness of 2014 Albion brought back into new realms. This being next-to-the-last of the six tracks, the EP is finished on a ballad-ish note with “We Can Be As One.”
Similarly to its predecessor, it’s hardly a novelty for some of the listeners, at least. Particularly those coming from the Old Continent or being eager record collectors, as the piano-based, grandiose power ballad was already included in the tracklist on the European versions of Isla De Muerta album.
An EP comprising three unreleased tracks and some little bits of two previous TEN full lengths, “The Dragon And Saint George” is two-dimensional release in a way.
Firstly it’s a collector’s item with certain appetite-whetting quality to it – especially for TEN’s die-hard fans. For those who missed the release of Albion and Isla De Muerta, it can serve as a teaser for both mentioned records.
However, also the three previously unreleased tracks are hardly the outtakes that are supposed to fall behind the rest of the material. Classic, solid stuff, they certainly shouldn’t have been shelved into oblivion – a thing not only a staunch TEN aficionado would admit.
A worthy addition to the band’s catalog and to any Melodic Hard Rock / AOR collection.
01. The Dragon And Saint George
02. Musketeers: Soldiers Of The King (Non-Album Track)
03. Is There Anyone With Sense (Non-Album Track)
04. The Prodigal Saviour (Non-Album Track)
05. Albion Born
06. We Can Be As One (Non-Album Track)
Gary Hughes – Vocals
Dann Rosingana – Guitars
Steve Grocott – Guitars
John Halliwell – Guitars
Steve Mckenna – Bass
Darrel Treece-Birch – Keyboards
Max Yates – Drums
BUY IT !
www.amazon.de/Dragon-Saint-George-Ten/dp/B012VUQJD8/
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