Jethro Tull
Rising Force is the first solo album by Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, released in 1984 through Polydor Records. After it's release Yngwie used the name for his band on subsequent albums. Guitar World Magazine ranked this debut as first in the all-time list of shred albums. I rank this as Yngwie Malmsteen's Best Album.
There are many guitarists who fall into the Neo-Classical style, but few do it as well as Yngwie. Heavily influenced by Ritchie Blackmore and Jimi Hendrix, Malmsteen combines classical music with hard rock/metal. Most of the songs are instrumental and they showcase Malmsteen's incredible chops. The album also includes the keyboard work of Jens Johannsen, the drums of Barrie Barlow from Jethro Tull and Jeff Scott Soto singing on two tracks. Yngwie handled the bass guitar for the album.
Here's my take on each song:
TRACK BY TRACK:
1. BLACK STAR: He opens the tune up with a nice classical guitar piece followed by grooving drums and bass. A little bit of spacey guitar work before the main melody starts and then bam! You get your first introduction to Yngwie's signature style and sound.
2. FAR BEYOND THE SUN: This is probably my all time favorite Yngwie song. Great pace and nice melodies mixed in with intricate guitar work. Can almost hear a Symphony playing this song!
3. NOW YOUR SHIPS ARE BURNED: One of two songs with vocals. The lyrics are a bit silly, could be that something was lost in translation since he is Swedish after all! Fortunately the vocals don't last in this song and Yngwie proceeds to tear things up on the guitar once again. Of note is the starting riff which really stands out in this song.
4. EVIL EYE: He starts this tune out on the classical guitar again, this time with a kind of Bach/Baroque feel to it. Then kicks in with the rest of the band but still has a very classical feel. It has a nice sounding acoustic guitar playing along underneath for most of the song. Toward the end of the song Yngwie has a nice duel with the Keyboardist.
5. ICARUS DREAM SUITE: Another song that I could easily hear performed by a symphony and probably my second fave on the album. It has some cool atmospheric sounds going on and very nice melodies coming from Yngwie's guitar. I especially like how he switches between Acoustic and Electric guitar on this one.
6. AS ABOVE, SO BELOW: This is the other track with vocals off the album and the keyboardist gets to start the song off with a spooky organ sound. Again, the lyrics leave a little to be desired, but who listens to these songs for the singing anyways? After the vocals finish the first half of the tune the arpeggio melody that Yngwie plays here is awesome!
7. LITTLE SAVAGE: Drums get this tune started with a nice roll then the heavy riffing begins. This is probably the heaviest and progressive sounding song on the album and a nice change of pace from the Neo Classical style the rest of the album has.
8. FAREWELL: This is the classical guitar from the intro to Black Star revisited and Modified. He used this as an outro track.
This is one of the best albums I own of this genre and I have a high respect for him as a guitarist. Flawless playing and beautiful melodies. That's why Yngwie Malmsteen's best album is Rising Force!
If you're as big a fan of Yngwie Malmsteen as I am, you might want to check out Billy Connally. His style of Instrumental Rock strives to balance musicianship and songwriting with his own signature sound.
Click Here to get a download of his song "Stalker" for free.
Whats On My YouTube Today?
Jethro Tull - My God (Live)
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