Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force
Rising Force

Ladies and gentlemen, many disdain Yngwie Malmsteen criticizing his guitar playing, but many do so after a superficial listening. In my opinion, the Swedish guitarist is a genius of neoclassical metal (of which he is also the leading figure, he is considered its creator). The album in question is his first, Rising Force, created at the tender age of 21, and, in my opinion, it is wonderful.

All of his playing style expressed in 8 songs that showcase (almost) all his talent and skill. The songs are varied and all noteworthy: "Black Star" beautifully opens the album, followed by "Far Beyond The Sun," another masterpiece by the Swede, leading up to the album's first vocal track, "Now Your Ships Are Burned," where Soto also gets to shine, but the attention is always on Malmsteen's stunning guitar. "Evil Eye," another instrumental and track number 4, is one of the most beautiful instrumental songs composed by Yngwie, truly wonderful. Track number 5 is "Icarus' Dream Suite op. 4" which includes the stunning cover of Albinoni's adagio; here we are at track 6, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful that Malmsteen has written featuring vocals: "As Above, So Below." The last 2 pieces ("Little Savage" and "Farewell") are not as beautiful as the previous ones, but still match the album's quality ("Farewell" is just a 48-second piece -starting with the intro of Black Star- and to tell the truth, it could easily not have been included, but still. . . ).

In essence, the album is wonderful and truly deserves a listen. It is the Bible of neoclassical power-metal.