Gary is a rock… Read Full Bio ↴Gary Hughes (Born 7 July 1964 in Manchester, England)
Gary is a rock vocalist most famous for his work with the British hard rock TEN.
Gary Hughes is considered to be one of the greatest singer in the AOR/Hard Rock scene. He has been compared to such rock legends as David Coverdale and Robert Plant.
As a solo artist he released until then three albums: Big Bad Wolf (1989), Strength of Heart (1991) and Gary Hughes (1993). In 1995 Gary began to write what he thought would be two new solo albums, but in 1996 he was joined on the recordings by former Dare members Vinny Burns and Greg Morgan. The sound thus became more band-oriented and the band TEN was born. Veteran producer, Mike Stone (Queen, Journey, Kiss) was brought in to oversee and mix the first of the albums, and the band’s self-titled début album, was finished. The album was warmly acclaimed by the fans and press, especially in the UK and Japan, In Japan they were ouselling huge Rock bands reaching sales of 50.000 records.
After less than one year came The Name of the Rose, still today considered by many to be Ten’s best album to date. The title track was voted “Song Of The Year” by the readers of BURRN! in Japan.
The band was then completed with John Halliwell (guitar), Ged Rylands (keyboards) and Shelley (also from DARE on bass).
The following album, The Robe was a huge step forward in the sound of TEN, leading strongly towards epic and majestic atmospheres and influences. Songs like the title track, "Arcadia" and "Ten Fathoms Deep" are considered to be amongst the best expressions of the British hard rock of the 90's. However, their major commercial success - especially in Europe - came with their following album: Spellbound, in 1999.
The record had all the elements which decreed the vast success of TEN within the hard rock fans: melody and class, but also power and epic atmospheres, inherited by the tradition of the British bands of the 70's such as Rainbow, Thin Lizzy and UFO.
A few line-up changes (most notably Steve McKenna taking on bass duties and Don Airey and Paul Hodson later on keyboards) did not really change the musical styles and success of the band that also gathered a great exposure and acclaim with the following release Babylon, a concept album based on a futuristic story of a computer programmer and his tragic love affair.
The following two records Far Beyond the World(2001) and Return to Evermore (2004, which saw the début of the new guitar ace Chris Francis, taking the place of Vinny Burns) served only to solidify the band’s reputation for great music and exquisite arrangements in great melodic hard rock fashion.
To mark the band’s 10th anniversary, a two disc album The Essential Collection was issued in January 2006, comprising the best Rockers and Ballads re-recorded in the style of how the band currently play their music. Ten’s most recent appearance was in March this year at the Atarfe Vega Rock Festival in Spain[citation needed], where they appeared to great critical acclaim along side WASP, Twisted Sister and Stryper.
Ten’s latest album is The Twilight Chronicles. It is a mixture of rock and ballads with a strong atmospheric mood and lyrics that tell tales of love, lust, death, glory, revenge and darkness.
Once again the album has been penned by Gary Hughes, who consistently delivers songs of immense quality and who must in fact rate amongst the worlds most accomplished and consistent songwriters for the last decade. The album is considered to be quite cinematic in nature; it features mighty orchestral passages and boasts all the usual opus of hooks, riffs, haunting melodies and themes that is always expected and associated with any Ten release.
In creating this new album, Ten has risen the standard once again for all other bands of similar following[citation needed]. Ten has now entered their second decade at the top of their genre, and with albums and material of this calibre they will surely be there for a great many years to come.
The current lineup for Ten circa May 2006 are Gary Hughes – Vocals, Chris Francis – Guitars, John Halliwell – Guitars, Paul Hodson – Keyboards
Dragon Island Cathedral
Gary Hughes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rising from the ocean like a fortress
from the black,
The Pagan sacred isle "Ynys Mon"
It looms before me now there's no
turning black
As my Kingdom and my destiny come
I'm sailing on the wings of time,
The paths of fate unfold, entwine,
For I must face the warning tribes
I must embrace and unify
Kneel,
This Dragon Isle Cathedral forged
upon the anvil
and honed from the stone,
Steel
Sceptress its mountainous steeple
Land at no command but its own,
This throne,
Dragon Isle of Ynys Mon, home
Hallowed down the centuries,
through this sacrificial age,
These dark foreboding towers of stone
It is my calling I was born to this place
Where the timeless seeds of history are sewn,
I'm sailing on the wings of time,
The paths of fate unfold, entwine,
For I must face the warning tribes
I must embrace and unify
Kneel,
This Dragon Isle Cathedral forged
upon the anvil
and honed from the stone,
Steel
Sceptress its mountainous steeple
Land at no command but its own,
This throne,
Dragon Isle of Ynys Mon, home
Gary Hughes's song Dragon Island Cathedral is a poetic tribute to the Pagan sacred island Ynys Mon, also known as Anglesey. Narrated by Arthur, the song talks about the island's imposing presence rising from the ocean like a fortress from the black. Arthur sees the island as his Kingdom and his destiny as he sails on the wings of time. He believes that he must face the warning tribes and embrace and unify them. The Dragon Isle Cathedral is forged upon the anvil and honed from the stone, with its mountainous steeple of steel, and land at no command but its own. It's a throne, a place where Arthur belongs and is called to serve. The dark foreboding towers of stone hallowed down the centuries through this sacrificial age, where the timeless seeds of history are sewn.
The lyrics of the song are rich in imagery and metaphors. Gary Hughes masterfully depicts the presence of the island, its pagan history, and the sense of duty felt by Arthur towards it. The song invokes themes such as destiny, unity, and sacrifice. The Dragon Isle Cathedral serves as a symbol of paganism, showcasing the sincerity and purity of the faith. The lyrics also provide a glimpse into the history of the island, which was a center of Pagan worship before the advent of Christianity.
Line by Line Meaning
Rising from the ocean like a fortress
from the black,
The Pagan sacred isle of Ynys Mon is emerging from the dark ocean like a mighty fort.
It looms before me now there's no
turning black
As my Kingdom and my destiny come
Ynys Mon appears grand and imminent, and has become the place of royalty and fate for Arthur.
I'm sailing on the wings of time,
The paths of fate unfold, entwine,
For I must face the warning tribes
I must embrace and unify
Arthur is traveling through time, facing destiny's challenges and unifying factions for his kingdom's prosperity.
Kneel,
This Dragon Isle Cathedral forged
upon the anvil
and honed from the stone,
Bow down to the mighty structure of the Dragon Isle Cathedral, which was made from the earth and chiseled into its remarkable shape.
Steel
Sceptress its mountainous steeple
Land at no command but its own,
The Cathedral's towering steeple exhibits invincibility and power resembling a queen, standing tall and unyielding to anyone.
This throne,
Dragon Isle of Ynys Mon, home
The Dragon Isle of Ynys Mon, home of the formidable Cathedral and his own kingdom, represents Arthur's seat of power.
Hallowed down the centuries,
through this sacrificial age,
These dark foreboding towers of stone
The dark and ominous towers of Ynys Mon have been revered for centuries through age-old customs and rituals.
It is my calling I was born to this place
Where the timeless seeds of history are sewn,
Arthur believes it's his purpose to be on Ynys Mon where significant history continues to unfold.
Contributed by Aria R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.