I have never been a big fan of the melodic act Ten, I find their sound way too sterilized for my taste, but they are great musicians and there have always been some moments of their albums that got my attention. Far Beyond The World is their seventh album and it's the only one that fails altogether to do that.
The production is handled once again by vocalist Gary Hughes and of course it is crystal clear. Guitarist Vinny Burns (which left the band recently) is as always impeccable in delivering great riffs and amazing solos. So, where is the problem? Sorry but I fail to see any feeling in these songs. I have tried hard, I listened to the CD plenty of times but it always seemed to play in the background of my head, nothing sticks out.
Glimmer Of Evil, Last Of The Lovers and Heart Like A Lion are the most interesting moments of the album. Who Do You Want To Love? has a really pop sound and as always the ballads, What About Me? and Far Beyond The World, are cheesy (I've never managed to like one of their ballads, anyway).
In overall, I don't suggest that Far Beyond The World is a bad album, but I insist that it is the weakest album of Ten so if you want to get aquatinted with their sound get any other (preferably The Name Of The Rose and Spellbound).