Sunday, October 19, 2008

YNGWIE MALMSTEEN’S RISING FORCE - Unleash The Fury


YNGWIE MALMSTEEN’S RISING FORCE
Unleash The Fury
Spitfire Records
8/10





Few that have ever picked up an electric guitar can do the things with it that Yngwie Malmsteen can. To label the six string shredder as a virtuoso is an understatement and his penchant for creating a variety of metal sounds stands as mightily as ever on his latest opus “Unleash The Fury.” 

Followers who reveled in the shred master’s “Trilogy” and “Odyssey” records will find that a similar fluid continuity runs deeply through this album. As much as this ripping lead player can burn up a fret board, he is also wizened in the tactics of getting the utmost emotion from but a handful of notes. Malmsteen emphasizes dramatic overtones and accents urgent rhythms with captivatingly masterful shifts in scalar patterns, all the while retaining a mystical sound that displays a disciplined metal character like none other.

During “Crown Of Thorns,” the guitarist is at his finest, tearing off slashing licks and amazingly blistering runs effortlessly. Vocalist Dougie White croons in a quite similar fashion to past singer Jeff Scott Soto on the medieval natured “Winds Of War (Invasion)”, while pulling off an interestingly sleazy snarl on the at times funky “The Boogieman”, a track which brings a bass heavy thump along for the hook.  

Anyone who is a true metal guitar aficionado is going to be pleasantly surprised at Malmsteen’s ability to morph through varied metal phrasings. During the staccato plucking of Cherokee Warrior, Malmsteen offers classically inspired tones that are embedded inside a wild spirit, while “The Hunt” offers razor-edged precision accompanied by a staunchly theatrical undertone.

At times, a man’s works may justify a strong ego, and the music on this album can be considered as nothing except being masterful. Yngwie J. Malmsteen is the man who brought classical compositional theory to the fore with “Rising Force” and on “Unleash The Fury”, the adept player shows that he can create songs that are as respectfully tuneful yet astoundingly performed as well as ever, making this album yet another of the many highlights in the tenure of a player that will surely stand as legend to aspiring guitarists for decades to come


Written By: Puss Whiskey

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