Published on Dec 18, 2020
I was never a huge fan of post-grunge band 10 Years. They had a massive hit in 2005 with “Wasteland” and then seemingly disappeared, confined to the mainstream rock chart only. They had a great track with “Shoot It Out” in 2010 and that was really all I cared for. Then this album dropped and I thought well, let’s give it a listen. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised.
The first single “The Shift” is extremely catchy and notable and a great way to kick things off. But it’s really “Déjà Vu” that really showcases how good this band still is after all this time. Very heavy, loud, and extreme, it shows all the band’s best sides and would be a great live number if we ever get to go to real shows again. Such a great song.
Other tracks like “Cut The Cord” and “Waiting” are a little lighter but are still really great and notable. This is a band I feel I slept on for far too long and need to do some catching up with. “Sleep In The Fire” is a great showcase for frontman Jesse Hasek and gives the listener a chance to hear quite the underrated vocalist. “Start Again,” a more melodic track, gives more of the same for Hasek who really does sound great throughout the entire record.
Leave out the two throwaway “Planets” instrumentals and you have a brief, thirty-minute record but that’s perfectly fine for a band like this. They know how to craft really great rock songs that don’t sound bland like Shinedown or Death Punch, and that’s quite a thing to accomplish in 2020. It’s nice to have a more traditional sounding band like 10 Years still going relatively strong. This is definitely an album worth checking out if you miss what rock music used to sound like before it got all aggro and overemotional.