Yngwie Malmsteen: Marching out

With his debut 1984 release Rising Force, Yngwie Malmsteen instantly revolutionized the electric guitar music world. An (almost) all-instrumental masterpiece of Neo-Classical/Heavy Metal, deriving influences from Bach, Paganini, Vivaldi and others, this display of compositional genius would spawn an entire cottage industry populated by would-be imitators. On his follow-up, Yngwie takes a more conventional approach to his music, the main difference between being this album is comprised of songs, while the latter was more an instrumental compositional effort.

The sound on both albums is quite similar, having a hard, heavy metal sound and well-balanced production. His guitar has a very heavy and metallic sound, with a slight "turbo" quality to it, which contributes well to the gloomy atmosphere he tries to achieve on this album. Jeff Scott Soto, the vocalist whose talent were limited to a brief cameo on the first album, is out in full force on this album. His wailing, operatic power perfectly complements the dark lyrical themes in these songs. It was interesting to note that Yngwie used a bass player for this album, since on his other albums he prefers to play the bass parts himself. The rhythm section is rock solid, and Jen Johansson provides an excellent tonal and harmonic contrast with Yngwie's fiery, classical style.

There are many excellent tracks on this album, including:

I'll See The Light Tonight - This classic is one of Yngwie's signature tunes. It opens with a racing, Bark At The Moon-ish type riff, and a piercing wail by Soto. Malmsteen's overt Bach influences show as the keyboard plays with a distinct harpsichord sound. Like most of his tracks, his solo is a dazzling display of technical virtuosity, with sweeping arpeggios and other 900 mile an hour tricks.

I Am A Viking - This is my favorite Yngwie tune of all time. It has begins with a classic lick, which leads into a slower, plodding rhythm. He pays tribute to the history of his native Scandavia, as Soto sings the tale of a warrior from the days of yore, seeking adventure on the seas and glory in battle.

Disciples Of Hell - The overtly satanic themes in this song are well matched by a extremely heavy guitar riff. It begins with a dark, rolling acoustic guitar, setting an ominous tone, as it breaks in a very classical sounding theme. As it ends, the listener is left hanging in suspense before being slammed into by the chunky, sledgehammer guitar riff that leads through the rest of the song.

Overture 1382 and Marching Out - On each of Yngwie's albums, he is always sure to include a couple of instrumentals. Overture 1382 begins with a rocking intro, which gives way to a soft, three part guitar melody. The classical guitar and an airy keyboard sound are playing softly in the background, while two electric guitar lines playing off one another in the foreground. The emotive aspects of the song reaches a fever pitch, as Malmsteen really shows that he is not always about speed. Marching Out is sort of a farewell, fading into the sunset type instrumental. He plays a very melodic guitar solo over a mellow backdrop.

Overall, this is a great album that any lover of heavy metal ought to have. Also, you cannot call yourself an Yngwie Malmsteen fan if you do not own this. After this album, Yngwie increasingly progressed more and more into the "commercially accessible" realm, which although provided some quality material, still never matched up to what he produced in these early years. If you are unfamiliar with any of Yngwie's work, I would probably encourage you to check out Rising Force first, and if you like that, then proceed on to some of his other albums.

Yngwie Malmsteen: Marching out

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