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Последний и шестой на данный момент альбом английских хардовиков. Довольно-таки долго не было ничего слышно от этих очень талантливых ребят, правда вокалист Гари Хьюз выпустил две хард рок оперы, которые к сожалению так и не получили должной успешности как Avantasia или Ayreon. Но вернёмся всё же к нашему альбому. «Far Beyond The World» выдержан в привычном стиле Ten и сможет заинтересовать всех хард рокеров, однако о том что данный диск очередной шедевр, как было с «The Name Of The Rose» и «Babylon», я не могу заявлять. Качество записи на этот раз было отдано в руки мастеру своего дела Томми Ньютону (Ark, Crystal Ball, Helloween), так что с ним проблем быть как таковых не может. Вокал Гари Хьюза вне подозрений – всё на высшем уровне. Подходя к рассматриванию мелодической стороны стоит сказать что не все песни так хороши, как некоторые из них. Всё же есть парочка совсем уж стандартных мест, однако это никак не относиться к таким сильнейшим композициям как открывающая качёвая «Glimmer Of Evil», с жутко цепким припевом, следующий номер «Strange Land» - кандидат на одно из первых мест среди самых позитивных мелодий когда-либо слышанных мною. А по своей доброте эта песня может стать в ряд только с творениями Axxis и держаться там вполне независимо. Тоже самое можно сказать и о композиции «Outlawed And Notorious» из которой сахар так и сыпется ложками! «Scarlet And Grey» – это уже более серьёзная тема. И она уже может поспорить с самыми лучшими творениями банды. В конце альбома ребята ощутимо выдохлись, очередной раз окатив нас стандартнейшим материалом, не вызывающим абсолютно никаких эмоций, однако и слушать его не совсем приятно. В общем, как бы там ни было, но Ten закончили свою карьеру не попав впросак, а заявив о себе в последнем ударе как об отличной и интересной команде, заслуживающей внимания со стороны поклонников как стиля так и самой группы. А альбом всё-таки мог бы быть получше… |
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Альбом TEN от 2001 года "Far Beyond the World" - особенный лично для меня. Во-первых, рубеж тысячелетий был определённо пиком популярности для Гэри Хьюза и его друзей, и это было следствием морального и (чего уж там) творческого подъёма, который испытывала команда. Во-вторых, именно с этого альбома состоялось моё знакомство с TEN, что также влияет на моё отношение к нему. И в-третьих, "Far Beyond the World" является тем самым альбомом, который можно охарактеризовать как один из ярчайших образцов творчества TEN.
Первое, чем запоминается альбом - нетипичной для того периода творчества Хьюза и Ко мягкостью звучания. Серьёзно, это смотрится очень контрастно, особенно по сравнению со "Spellbound" и "Babylon", где звук тяжёлый, и, я бы даже сказал - громоподобный. Здесь всё иначе: мягкие, но мелодичные риффы и клавишные, чем-то напоминающие Deep Purple. Очень многие за это критикуют рассматриваемую пластинку, но, как мне кажется, здесь Хьюз всё-таки держит баланс мелодичности и тяжести, в отличие от недавно вышедшего альбома "Isla de Muerta", в котором с клавишными, мягко говоря, перебор. Всё как надо - песни представляют собой хотя и мелодичный (и оттого - приятный на слух), но всё же хард-рок, местами - почти металл.
Вполне объяснимо, что при таком мягком звучании композиции здесь преобладают среднетемповые, как "Scarlet and the Grey", "Strange Land" и "Glimmer of Evil", а то и вообще баллады, вроде "What About Me?" и "Last of the Lovers". И, надо сказать, выполнены они отлично: красивые, с очень позитивными и яркими текстами и красивыми соло гитаристов. А вокал Гэри Хьюза создаёт неповторимые образы в воображении, которые не смог бы передать никто, кроме него самого. Впрочем, и боевички здесь тоже имеются - и какие! "Outlawed and Notorious" и "High Tide", особенно первый, вполне заслуженно стали очень популярными песнями, поскольку в них отлично сочетается свойственный хард-н-хэви задор, и мелодизм классического рока, прекрасно дополняемый звучным баритоном Хьюза.
Может быть, "Far Beyond the World" и не столь яркий и новаторский по сравнению с предшественниками, зато он вобрал в себя всё то, что уже успела к 2001 году накопить группа в творческом плане. Поэтому я могу порекомендовать этот альбом тем, кто только начинает приобщаться к творчеству TEN. В песнях этой пластинки выражены абсолютно все характерные черты, поэтому по отношению к ней нетрудно определить, "пойдёт" ли у слушателя всё остальное творчество манчестерцев. Лично мне - очень понравилось. А потому, за крепкую, красивую и яркую работу я ставлю "Far Beyond the World" девятку. |
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I've got to learn, be a winner, put my faith in the sinner
Blame this neon night, this flame
This sea of light that shines in her eyes like the glimmer of evil
Tonight, the ritual and rites that mystified
Entwine in her eyes like the glimmer of evil
Timeless wings carried high on the wind
Insight intensifies this glorious fling
Passion rings through the night till it brings
Fragmented sense derived from spurious things
Vandalized, inside
She justifies my highs and lows
Then leaves me broken hearted
Strange how remorse soon grows
But life's misfortune goes
You've got to learn from the riddle, play it safe just a little
Blame this neon night, this flame
This sea of light that shines in her eyes like the glimmer of evil
Tonight, the ritual and rites that mystified
Entwine in her eyes like the glimmer of evil
Strange Land
God laid waste
To this forsaken place
Forgotten, disgraced
Lovers loose and win
On the battlegrounds we sin
Face to face
A different time and space
I cut to the chase
Another chance is slim
Only I will not give in
What my words failed to say
Was "I wanted to stay.
Let me in your arms again.
Take this changed man"
But you don't feel the same
So my heart takes the blame (living without you)
And my broken dreams remain
In this strange land far away
The rain is like knives
Falling from the skies
Spawning enzymes
Passing through my skin
To the tired heart within
Shapes and sights
Raw and infinite
Soothe me inside
Battered, bruised of limb,
As the fight for life begins
What my words failed to say
Was "I wanted to stay.
Let me in your arms again.
Take this changed man"
But you don't feel the same
So my heart takes the blame (living without you)
And my broken dreams remain
In this strange land far away
High Tide
It's getting hotter tonight,
We're riding high on wishing well time,
All in all we know the way it goes
When the fire comes alive.
But sailing into the night
I hear the waves below me cry
To look out below for most of those
Who have sailed The Channel die
Throw back the staves we started,
Go back, the waves are calling me
To break myself free,
Roll back the maze we charted,
Hold back, the waves are warning me
It's high tide; this charade is over,
Too many lovers have been crossed in your wake,
No fine line stopped you stepping over,
Now any words I had to say
Are lost to the waves
For every light in the sky
There is a diamond set in your eyes,
As they shine, they glow, beguile me so
That they cannot be denied,
But you're a dangerous game,
I'm reaching out to touch the flame,
Though my fingers burnt, I never learnt,
I just could not turn away
Throw back the staves we started,
Go back, the waves are calling me
To break myself free,
Roll back the maze we charted,
Hold back, the waves are warning me
It's high tide; this charade is over,
Too many lovers have been crossed in your wake,
No fine line stopped you stepping over,
Now any words I had to say
Are lost to the waves
What About Me?
Baby, your eyes are like the ocean,
Maybe they're mirrors of your soul's honesty
Blue as the shimmering deep
You say, I keep it all inside me,
You wait for warning signs of love in retreat
This is the secret I keep
You are amazing
You're something unbelievable
Something that I can't describe
You must be crazy
To ask me how I really feel inside
What about me?
Well I want you even more,
I couldn't sleep tonight
I couldn't cheat the light burning' from within,
What about me?
Well I'm a prisoner to your flame,
My love will never die
Even if I tried I couldn't break away
What about me my love?
What about me.
I race to feel your arms around me
I wait to hang on every word that you speak
You're more than a woman to me
I know that I could never leave you
I glow when every glance from you makes me weak
Baby in you I believe
The world is changing,
But some things last forever babe,
Nothing' tames a turning tide,
This love's not ageing
It multiplies as every day goes by
What about me?
Well I want you even more,
I couldn't sleep tonight
I couldn't cheat the light burning' from within,
What about me?
Well I'm a prisoner to your flame,
My love will never die
Even if I tried I couldn't break away
What about me my love?
What about me.
Last Of The Lovers
Lonely is the night for the lost ones,
Heavy is the cross to bear,
Love is the shrine, die upon it
Falling from the skies like a love bomb
Telling' you do not despair
Hope is alive if you want it,
I'll bring you love in the colours of autumn
I'll keep you warm, till winter has gone,
I will be there through the springtime that follows,
I will love you all summer long
We're looking' down the barrel of a gun
We're the last of the lovers
Now we stand to testify, this crime is done
Undercover of the night
I don't wanna face the time to come
Live and die like the others
I don't wanna taste the spineless lies to come
Tonight,
We're the last of the lovers
Shattered by the sound of the thunder
Echoed in the dark despair
Fight for the rights cast asunder
But something in the light makes you wonder,
Cuttin through the dress she wears,
Unchains the might of the hunger
I'll bring you love in the colours of autumn
I'll keep you warm, till winter has gone,
I will be there through the springtime that follows,
I will love you all summer long
We're lookin down the barrel of a gun
We're the last of the lovers
Now we stand to testify, this crime is done
Undercover of the night
I don't wanna face the time to come
Live and die like the others
I don't wanna taste the spineless lies to come
Tonight,
We're the last of the lovers
Outlawed And Notorious
It can be fatal or leave your life in tatters,
For you can howl like the wind
But it doesn't move that mountain,
Plead, but what is brittle shatters,
Unto the gun smoke give in
Bury the soul returning,
Into the night I'm burning,
There can be no mistake
So run 'till daybreak
Outlawed and notorious,
The wild-eyed and the glorious,
We are creatures of light, haunted men of extremes
Outlawed and notorious,
Hell rides with the furious,
We are those who decide history
Here at the table
I see the people scatter,
But to the stone faced within
You could hear a pin drop,
Someone screamed
As I drew back the hammer
To let the carnage begin
Bury the soul returning
Into the night I'm burning
There can be no mistake
So run 'till daybreak
Outlawed and notorious
The wild-eyed and the glorious
We are creatures of light, haunted men of extremes
Outlawed and notorious
Hell rides with the furious
We are those who decide history
Scarlet And The Grey
She waits alone amidst her fears
And time moves on a thousand years,
Far, far, far away,
The man-child is raised; she calls "The One"
He does not know she is his queen,
This nameless face within his dreams
But far, far, far away
He's drawn by the name she whispers
Scarlet and the grey
Immortal stone,
She bathed in flames, the ageless one,
Inside a comet of purest starlight,
Scarlet and the grey,
The flesh and bone
Remains unchanged, the past is gone
Until the vision returns this way
Scarlet and the grey
He knows he's been this way before,
Not in this life but one for sure
And far, far, far away
He traces each step toward her
Scarlet and the grey
Immortal stone,
She bathed in flames, the ageless one,
Inside a comet of purest starlight,
Scarlet and the grey,
The flesh and bone
Remains unchanged, the past is gone
Until the vision returns this way
Scarlet and the grey
His face confirms her greatest fears
The flames replace the thousand years
Far, far, far away,
The stars burn as fate destroys her
Scarlet and the grey
Immortal stone,
She bathed in flames, the ageless one,
Inside a comet of purest starlight,
Scarlet and the grey,
The flesh and bone
Remains unchanged, the past is gone
Until the vision returns this way
Scarlet and the grey
Heart Like A Lion
As a midnight breeze from a silent cove
Flickers candles through the night
You look to the ocean in the depths of your soul for a torch to light
Through the restless eaves of your Cliffside home
Comes a voice you can't describe
Its whispers in echoes from the beach to the coast as you close your eyes
Where do you run to now?
You're all alone at night
Who can you turn to now?
Until the dawn arrives
Until now, this heart like a lion
Has faced the storm when broken dreams have scarred its endless flight
For until now, this heart like a lion
Has chased the dawn across the sea of love's relentless tides
The fire still burns so bright
This heart like a lion
As the hour chimes out to an empty room
You are barefoot in the fields
You run from the shadows by the light of the moon as your senses reel
To your sacred cliffs looking out to sea, this the lovers rendezvous
Touched by the ocean with the wind in your hair in the light of truth
I know where you run to now?
You're not alone at night
I know who you turn to now?
Until the dawn arrives
Until now, this heart like a lion
Has faced the storm when broken dreams have scarred its endless flight
For until now, this heart like a lion
Has chased the dawn across the sea of love's relentless tides
The fire still burns so bright
This heart like a lion
Black Shadows
So you cry yourself to sleep
In places no one sees you weep,
Who can wipe those tears away?
To the silent stars you pray,
Painful secrets underneath,
Ones you fight so hard to keep,
When your senses feel betrayed
Your shell lies open once again,
Love is blind today
But innocence will find a way
To turn the darkness of this plight
Into light,
Until the black shadows die
Upon the cross of broken love,
Until the black shadows blind
These indifferent eyes,
Black shadows hide
Until the rose has opened up,
Then one by one with each sunrise
The black shadows die
You could be miles away from me,
It's your private fantasy,
So much harder to pretend
When this nightmare never ends,
Trust in me, I'll light the way,
Turn this twilight into day,
Don't look back, look straight ahead,
I will guide your every step,
The lover's fire remains
But pretty soon it dies away,
So I'll do all I can to fight,
From tonight...
Until the black shadows die
Upon the cross of broken love,
Until the black shadows blind
These indifferent eyes,
Black shadows hide
Until the rose has opened up,
Then one by one with each sunrise
The black shadows die
Who Do You Want To Love?
I told you when we started
I'm yours 'till the end of time.
This life or death departed,
There's no finality line"
I know these things are charted
By stars under heavens eyes
Their secrets are safely guarded
Till revealed when the fates decide
Who do you want to love?
Who will it be?
Will it be him or me baby?
Who do you want to love again?
Who do you want to love?
The first time that I saw you
I knew deep within my heart
That I'd been waiting for you
That we should never be apart
I've found my patient calling
True love takes a while to grow
But time waits for no one darling
Tell me now for I need to know
The lights go down
On this vaudeville clown
So he screams
"Now what will it be.
Rejection is such.
I would be crushed.
I want to know now.
Who do you want to love..."
Far Beyond The World
I will love you 'till the mountains in this land have turned to dust
Till the wheels of time have ceased to move and rust
For I will tame the mighty oceans if you tell me that I must
I am proud to be the one in which you trust
Won't you please believe me darling
When you caught me I was falling
And you helped me find the way to your heart
Now it seems that for a lifetime I have worshipped from afar
But my heart is yours for no matter where you are
You are my soul
You are the endless light,
And I will love you 'til the stars fall from the sky
And when I'm gone
Lady you will still hear my words
For this love will go on
Far beyond the world
It was hell before I met you
Cold and sombre was the night
In the darkness was blind to see the light
On a cold and fateful misty morning
Turned my face towards the sky
And I realised the sun rose in your eyes
Wont you please believe me darling
When you caught me I was crawling
Through the baron wastes that tore me apart
But I see the light is dawning
And my world is where you are
It's a second chance, and a brand new way to start
You are my soul
You are the endless light,
And I will love you 'til the stars fall from the sky
And when I'm gone
Lady you will still hear my words
For this love will go on
Far beyond the world