When Eleven Goes To Ten

It has already been said that Michael Sweet's latest album, Ten, goes to eleven, which of course is a reference to the 1984 metal mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap.  In that film, guitarist Nigel Tufnel (played by Christopher Guest) explains that his custom amplifiers go to eleven when he needs "that extra push over the cliff."  The question, however, is where to go after eleven, and Michael Sweet has answered that.  You go to Ten.  This album is a monster of creative exploration and pure metal madness.

It kicks off with "Better Part of Me," the first video to be released before the album came out.

It has the feel of Stryper until the 2:30 mark when the solo by Jeff Loomis kicks in.  Suddenly you realize this is not Stryper at all, and by the time your head has stopped spinning, the song screeches to a stop.  So, what's going on here?  First of all, Sweet brought in a different guitar soloist for each song but the ballad, and this speaks to his continuing love for musical experimentation.  We hear it on the two Sweet & Lynch albums, on his last solo album, and on the last three Stryper albums, and this is part of what keeps fans coming back for more.

My eyes flew open at the intro to "Lay It Down," the second track.  It's hard, dark, and chugging, which is what a good metal fan wants.  The chorus could have come from the Stryper album Fallen, but that is it.  This song is well outside what we've heard from Sweet before, and while there is fine, melodic noodling on the six-string later in the song thanks to Marzi Montazeri, that heavy chugging and pounding drums prove that Sweet wasn't making things up in the pre-release interviews when he said this would be a true metal album.

What would happen if Jimi Hendrix brought his "Foxey Lady" to a Michael Sweet concert?  You would get the song "Forgive, Forget."  While the opening riff is Hendrixesque, it moves into a Stryper-flavored thing with a hint of Sweet & Lynch thrown in, and you ask for the first of many times, "Who IS this beast of an artist named Michael Sweet?"  Howie Simon's solo makes it abundantly clear that while Ten may have been influenced by other of Sweet's works, it cuts its own metal path.

"Now or Never" is up next, and opens with a big, epic, almost orchestral metal sound with a touch of metal opera in the middle.  The guitar solo by Gus G is simply thrilling, and you just want to replay this song again, only louder.  As I said in my review of Sweet's prior solo album, One Sided War, he can bring a Dio-esque quality to his vocals, something he did on that album's song "I Am."  He continues to show himself the true successor of Ronnie James Dio on this dark and dramatic track.

The title track comes in with a swagger befitting its lyrical content.  Written from the perspective of God as

He gave the Ten Commandments, this could easily have been on a Stryper album and was the third video from the album.  The Duke of Metal, Rich Ward, brings his royal touch to the solo, making this a solid rocker.

The second video for this album was for the next song, "Shine," which again opens heavy and showcases Sweet's signature lyrical theme.  Michael Sweet writes positive songs.  Period.

Then again, what would you expect from a guy who claims Jesus as his Lord?  Ethan Brosh, who worked on Sweet's One Sided War, is back, and it's a complete toss up whether to focus more on the music or the lyrics.

In addition to soaring high note vocals and virtuoso guitar playing, Michael Sweet is known for his ballads.  Obligatory on a metal album, perhaps, but "Let It Be Love" goes beyond the typical boyfriend/girlfriend scenario.  It is not just a song, but a salve for a bruised and wounded world.  This is one to hold hands with your neighbor and sway to or hold up a light in the arena when it is played.  Sweet handles the solo, and it is straight from the '80s, perfectly matching the melodic, powerful lyrics.

Okay.  Ballad time is over.  Track 8, "Never Alone," is back into hard, dark, and heavy, chugging, metal, and again comes the question, "Who IS this beast of an artist?"  There is simply nothing not to like about this song.  It and the next one were co-written with Joel Hoekstra of Whitesnake and Trans-Siberian Orchestra, who takes on the solos.  Hoekstra had worked with Sweet on One Sided War, and this is truly a musical partnership from which the world needs to hear more and more.

"When Love Is Hated" opens with a '70s hard and heavy metal sound and expands into soaring vocals reminiscent of the '80s.  The solo is something the must make David Coverdale jealous that it was not on the last Whitesnake album.  This is the second Sweet-Hoekstra collaboration on this album, and for my money, I could take an entire album of songs like this.  It's pure, classic metal.

"Ricochet" bounces up next with more of that '70s/'80s feel coursing through the blood-pumping veins of this tune.  None other than Tracii Guns sets the six-string on fire, and you start thinking how great this collaborative project really is.  Sweet has brought in musicians from throughout the decades and across the spectrum of metal and has given the world a taste of what amazing music they can make.

"With You Till the End" takes us back to classic Michael Sweet territory as the familiar-yet-fresh sounds assault the ears.  Ian Raposa accompanies Sweet on vocals, making you think of great sounding, different-but-complementary vocal pairs like David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes in the Mark III lineup of Deep Purple.  Mike Kerr handles the guitar solo and lends a drive and passion to this song that make it one of the true standouts.

The album concludes with a full frontal sonic assault in "Son of Man," with no less than Todd LaTorre on shared vocals and Andy James on guitar.  The video for this has killer graphics to match

the brutal, heavy attack of this song that, like the opening number races right to the edge of a cliff and then stops.

Bottom line:  This is quite simply the best solo album Michael Sweet has released and one of the best of his career.  If you love metal, get it now!