jettojet

You express very questionable judgments; the guitarists you mention are absolutely insignificant from a compositional standpoint and could only dream, in a midsummer night's dream, of composing a Rising Force or Concerto Suite for orchestra. I'm sorry, but clones have no artistic value, they don’t create anything, they desperately copy because they lack personality, and to get to G3 one needs personality, especially to be remembered in the history of guitar. These guys are only appreciated by you and a few enthusiasts of the genre, but they leave a big nothing to anyone else, there’s no competition, nor comparison. As for Steve Vai, it’s true that he played with Zappa, but it’s also true that he had to replace Malmsteen when he was already famous; this is history, either you know it or you know it.

For me, it's simply an atypical job, but not one to be dismissed; songs like "Fortunteller" and "Love Conquers All" are very beautiful and it's unfair to censor them. Of course, it's more in line with Rainbow than with Deep Purple, but compared to the latest works with Steve Morse, Slaves and Masters is still a happy oasis. The review, in my opinion, is too dogmatic and personal; the album as a whole is good, but far from Perfect Stranger.

I'm surprised that there are still people who don't know that shredding was born in the mid-80s after the arrival of Malmsteen. I mean, have you forgotten the guitarists from the Varney stable?? It seems so, but that's history, and I recommend someone take a nice Bignami and go study; otherwise, they end up shooting off nonsense. I also have to remind you that Mr. Steve Vai, whom I happen to have boundless admiration for, is one of the very few virtuosos who hasn’t followed Malmsteen’s lead (not by chance he's in G3 with him precisely because he has a strong and unique personality). However, at the beginning of his career, he had to replace Malmsteen in Alcatrazz (the band where Malmsteen played before Rising Force), and this is also history; Malmsteen was already a celebrity when Steve Vai was just starting artistically. Finally, to say that Yngwie's clones are more technical than him (I'm referring to Angelo, but the list is endless starting from Impellitteri onwards) is another nonsense; I repeat, in technique there's no comparison. It’s true that in 1987 he had a serious accident that affected his hand, so he might not have the perfection of Trilogy or Rising Force anymore, this is true, but for clarity and speed, he remains infinitely superior to any poorly made copy. Lastly, I understand that in the G3 cover of Hendrix's "Little Wing," he performed a stratospheric solo (just look at Satriani's face while he plays it; he turned pale).

It should be the Rising Force of maturity, but it lacks the magic of his first work. It is certainly a demanding and complex piece, perhaps even more ambitious than the first, but it fails to convey that same emotion, at least not to me. A good review and still a great work, the best in terms of content from his last production in the past 15 years and beyond.

Don't hesitate to buy this album Zaratustra; here lies the expression of an enormous talent. It's a shame I can't say the same about the Swedish artist's current works.

You’re right, “No more tears” is a beautiful album, and the guitar is definitely striking. One only needs to mention the title track or “Road to Nowhere” to understand its inspiration, and Wylde plays with charisma. Perhaps the higher quality of the songs has favored his guitar contribution, which, I must admit, is more crucial than ever in this context. For me, personality means being able to give a recognizable mark to the pieces, putting your soul into them, beyond mere technique, which, of course, always holds its importance. But perhaps, to achieve this, the songs also need to be inspired and noteworthy.

I don't quite agree with your thoughts, Dreamwarrior. I think the first two albums are the result of a magical alchemy between an Ozzy certainly at the peak of his creative powers and a musician like Rhoads, who did much more than just being a good guitarist; he gave a musical line, a stamp to the entire context, he was somewhat the beacon of the group. It's no coincidence that after his death, Ozzy's albums have never been the same, they have never had that magic again, nor (if I may add, but this is just my opinion) such a majestic guitar sound. I'm not just talking about solos, but also about arrangements and musical architectures; Diary of a Madman is the most brilliant example of this. I don't believe all of this is just a coincidence, nor do I think that a guitarist, no matter how technically skilled, could do what Randy did with Ozzy. That duo was unique, producing extraordinary music in terms of feeling, technique, and personality. Ozzy himself has always stated that he owes everything to Rhoads because he gifted him the most beautiful albums of his career. After him, he had great guitar professionals, but I don’t think they had the opportunity to express themselves fully. An artist, if they truly are one, emerges regardless of everything, just like in soccer with Maradona (or Pelé); there has only been one like him, while there are many excellent players who simply don’t leave a mark because they lack that talent and personality.

Absolutely repetitive album devoid of energy or creative ideas, except for Majestic Blue, which is a good instrumental track, but in the past, he has composed definitely better ones. Can you buy a CD for just one good track?

Even today, no one has technically surpassed Malmsteen; thousands from all over the world have tried, but they are simply worthless clones, and they are all far from him in terms of cleanliness and speed. His limit is that he hasn’t managed to renew himself; with his talent, he could have done many other things. After all, he expressed his best self with Rising Force and Trilogy. He should have explored new musical paths; instead, he repeated the same things to exhaustion, no longer possessing that creative spark and the perfection in execution that characterized his early work.

I would say that Trilogy can be considered a true masterpiece of the group; aside from Rising Force, which is 90 percent solo, it is certainly the absolute pinnacle of the Swedish axe man. His solos are perfect, never verbose or self-indulgent, simply glorious. I'm sorry, but there’s really no competition here!