Awesome!

Yngwie Malmsteen goes to areas where other guitarists fear to go.



He is soooo intense.



this is great music.

Malmsteen's not much of a "Greatest Hits" artist.

This CD has some great music, but it's hard to compile "Greatest Hits" for Malmsteen because he's not really a "hits" composer. The first two tracks, from his first album are incredible, but then The Collection launches into an overview of his more pop oriented compositions with vocals. All the songs are platforms for his exceptional solos, of course. Without the incredible soloing, however, most of the compositions with vocals are merely adequate.

I think a new fan would be better off buying the first album and then proceeding more or less chronologically or buying the EXCELLENT "Double Live" album. The later is a better overview of the Malmsteen experience.

I'd like to add a note in response to reviewers who bring up Malmsteens infamous "ego" issues. Yeah, Malmsteen is an over the top personality who is known to be hard to work with. So what? I can't see how that really affects the listener. He still gives a thrilling live performance. There is very little subtlety with Malmsteen. Every album is completely full on shred. That's what he does best and that's the music he chooses to perform. To dismiss this as "mindless wanking" is also to miss some of the subtle humor in his work. Malmsteen does not take himself quite as seriously as many think he does. He may not be the most well rounded guitar player there is, but he cannot be so easily written off either.

My First Yngwie Album

I purchased this album after hearing Yngwie was supposed to be pretty good. And he is. Him and his band mix classical sounds with pure metal fury. Sometimes keyboards are used, but they do not take away and of the metalness. Yngwie had pioneered the short-lived style of metal known as 'shred metal'. I mainly consisted of a bedecked guitarist playing faster than anyone could really hear. While many consider the genre silly, I rather like it. Best tracks are You Dont Remember, I'll Never Forget, Judas, and Heaven Tonight.