I recommend this is you're into shred fest guitars...

...which I am, of course, into! The good news about this CD has some cool song-crafting, not following trends, being 100% Yngwie as we know and love him! The bad news is that (although) this CD has some cool song-crafting, it is not following trends, remaining 100% Yngwie as we knew and loved him.... In other words, not much has changed from this CD than the last several. Some Yngwie purists will rejoice with this, others who like musicians who progress (not necessarily follow trends, but evolve as musicians) might see this CD as the same ol' tricks. Making this CD interesting, though, is former LOUDNESS vocalist Mike Vescera, adding an operatic 80s feel. Not as bluesly and soulful as the mighty Joe Lynn Turner or as "spandex" sounding as Mark Bowles, but Vescera adds his flavor to Malmsteen's work here... a good combo. The rhythm section could have been any decent drummer and bassist in Miami. My fav tracks are title track and "Forever One". Enjoy!

Hail The Maestro!!

Yngwie is back! And better than ever! The power and vibrance of this CD are awesome! It is in-your-face metal with Yngwie playing at the speed of light! Yet it still manages to be heart-felt and melodic. This CD has definitely become one of my favorites. While I like pretty much all of the songs on the CD, I think that "Forever One" and "I Don't Know" are 2 of my favorites. "Forever One" is a great ballad with a lot of heart and has got to be one of the prettiest songs I've ever heard. I love the combination of the softer, more melodic acoustic guitar parts with the more intense sound of the electric guitar in other parts of the song. On the other end of the spectrum, "I Don't Know" is one that really gets you movin' and puts a smile on your face. While it has a totally different feel to it, I really love the guitar work in that one as well! "Bad Blood" is another one that really shines! The only song that I really didn't like all that much was "Pyramid of Cheops". I don't hate it, but it just didn't appeal to me as much as the other songs on the CD. I generally find myself skipping past that tune. But the rest of the CD is on fire! It was a great comeback after the disappointing previous release "Fire And Ice". Yngwie truly shines on this CD! I've heard it said over and over again that Yngwie plays without heart or emotion and while I have never been able to understand how that could be said about him, I think that this CD depicts more accurately than any other how Yngwie very competently combines his passion for playing with his phenominal talent. This is definitely a collection of songs that everyone could enjoy, whether your an avid fan of the Maestro or not.

Heavy...

Besides being his heaviest album ever-also he plays faster than the speed of light on this one-this album has very strong blues leanings adding more warmth to the overall effect on the listener.Vescera is a powerful vocalist(also check out his work with the Japanese band Loudness,and his recent solo outing plus his stellar appearance on Grapow's new solo album).This is a very hard hitting Yngwie album,essential for any dedicated Malmsteen or Vescera fan.Top notch.