RISING FORCE

"Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force" first album reveals to the world the talent of the great Swedish guitarist (which was already noted with his previous band named "Alcatrazz"). Although the album is credited to Rising Force, the project is solely owned by Malmsteen, who writes all the songs, also played the bass guitar, and relegates the other musicians, which are very good technically, to the role of supporting actors.

The best songs are the instrumental ones where Malmsteen can show his prodigious guitar technique as, for example, in the classic Far Beyond The Sun, the summa of his virtuosity. Black Star and Evil Eye are great song too. Despite some nice passages, As Above, So Below and Now Your Ships Are Burned are ranked one step below because of anything but memorable voice of the singer Jeff Scott Soto and questionable "viking" lyrics. Icarus Dream Suite Op.4 is my favorite song, and one of the absolute top of Malmsteen's career, with a prodigious performance of the famous Albinoni's "Adagio".

Many people know Yngwie's style and not at all like it: a furious guitar technique with an extensive use of scales played at stratospheric speeds, and a strange mixture of heavy metal and classical baroque. Not always the music that Malmsteen has produced turned out to be at the height of his virtuosity, but at least on this album (and also in the surprising "Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar And Orchestra") the results are gratifying. Although intended only for lovers of heavy metal and guitar, in its genre "Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force" is a successful album. Too bad that in the future almost never the Swedish guitarist will make music of this quality. No doubt, this is not a prog album. My final rating is 7/10 and 3,5 stars. Well, I'll give at the end four stars because it is a very innovative album in the heavy metal genre.

Final rating: 7/10.

Best song: Icarus Dream Suite Op.4

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