Malmsteen once again unleashes bordom

Malmsteen has once again released the same record 23 years in succession. For some of these 5 star reviewers all I can say is 'get a life'. Malmsteen is the most boring, repetitive dullest guitar player ever and if you are too dumb to see that, then go ahead, waste your money and buy this record. For the more educated out there, avoid!

The Neo-Classical king is back to Unleash The Fury

Yngwie Malmsteen - Guitar / Bass

Dougie White - Vocals

Patrik Johansson - Drums

Joakim Svalberg- Keyboards



Yngwie Malmsteen, the Neo-Classical king is back to Unleash The Fury with another bag of alchemy fuelled compositions. Surprisingly the band line up sees only one change from 2002's Attack with keyboardist Joakim Svalberg replacing the underutilised Derek Sherinian. Having spent a couple of years out on the road has had a very positive effect on the band with them sounding very tight and in-sync - drummer Patrick Johansson is particularly killer. Also coming as mild relief is the best production Yngwie has had since 1997's Facing The Animal. With 18 tracks on offer Yngwie has certainly delivered a lot of music, but does quantity = quality? Let's take a look.



Locked & Loaded opens the proceedings with a fast attack of guitar madness and double bass drum power which has a Judas Priest feel in its delivery. Vocalist Dougie White is slightly lower in the mix throughout UTF yet the songs seem more suited for his natural range, the feel of the track itself is not a million miles away from the stuff on Attack.



Revolution quickly follows suit with a great majestic verse, check out the interplay between Patrik and Yngwie during the verse. The chorus again is simplistic but works well whilst the bridge is a great.



Big riffer Cracking The Whip is an absolute monster so crank up the stereo for this big big riff. The verse has a more melodic slant and shows how well Dougie White can work in the Malmsteen format. The verse with its simple guitar line shows a new side to Malmsteen and helps make the main riff for the Yngwie sung chorus even more potent, also look out for Yngwie's solo which is amongst the best on the album.



Winds Of War (Invasion) is arguably the highlight of the album and certainly the best track Yngwie has written in years. The track could easily have come from Fire & Ice thanks to its slow moody classical in nature intro which launches into a heavier-then-hell but mid tempo riff. The powerful production really works to the tracks full advantage here. The subtle keyboard work of Joakim Svalberg adds nice atmosphere to the piece allowing White's vocal to shine. Yngwie's solo is stunning and is the icing of the cake for this stunning track.



Crown Of Thorns is very neo-classical in nature comprising of a pedal point lick that moves across 2 octaves. The verse has a good melodic slant that leads well into the choruses.



The Bogeyman is the first song that may seem out of the Malmsteen norm, but its catchy riff will win many over. The lyrics are a little throwaway on the piece, the pre chorus however is excellent demonstrating some of the class displayed on Facing the Animal.



Beauty & A Beast is another up-tempo rocker which is a little throwaway in the lyric department which could be seen as Yngwie's paying homage to his Ferrari's. Musically the track is close to some of the material on War To End All Wars, the guitar solo does rescue the track from being anything other than normal with a great arpeggio section.



Fuguetta will be familiar to any Yngwie fan that purchased the G3 Live In Denver set as it's a short acoustic piece based on a theme by JS Bach.



Cherokee Warrior sees Yngwie sing lead vocals for this Hendrix inspired melodic bluesy track. The growth in Yngwie vocals compared to past releases is good and the track has a killer chorus which is full of emotion.



The atmospheric Guardian Angel sees a very high melodic content again, coming across at times like a stronger instrumental cousin to Like An Angel from Facing The Animal the track is as good as I have heard Malmsteen in years. Fans of his work on earlier releases will love the more relaxed approach shown here and the melodies are hauntingly beautiful. The delicate keyboard works from Joakim Svalberg also add strength and depth to the piece.



Let The Good Times Roll will be a hard hitter in the live arena with its big riffs courtesy of Yngwie. The track has a pretty ordinary verse but the pre and main chorus are sizzling with its I'll See The Light, Tonight vibe to it. The solo is also reminiscent of I'll See The Light with its classically inspired intro lines before Yngwie lets loose. The change does come with a great composed melodic segment before the main riff barrels in again.



The fact that Yngwie liked to pound a few beers was common knowledge. However, it would seem this is all in the past and the newly slimmed down appearance would suggest there is no longer a keg of beer sloshing around inside his body. The lack of booze in the Malmsteen world is paid tribute to in the personal track Revelation (Drinking With The Devil) which tells the story of Yngwie battling his demons. The track has a slow Black Sabbath feel about it which allows Dougie to deliver some dramatic vocals to good effect. The solo is another peice of Yngwie doing what he does best - neo-classical lines that lead into more improvised waters.



Magic & Mayhem explodes out the speaker initially with some solo guitar work for the third instrumental which launching into a fast riff low riff ala "Leviathan" before moving into more melodic classically inspired ground.



Exile is an interesting track starting out with great impact thanks to its staccato riffing before launching into a great open string hammer on based riff. The verses are a little "Trilogy" in feel yet the infectious riff adds a new vision.



The Hunt harks back to "I Am A Viking" from Marching Out with a similar riff and overall song progression. Yngwie throws a great solo into the mix which has all the fire and passion you could ask for - also of note is Malmsteen's bass work which is locked in with Johansson's double bass drum work.



Russian Roulette sees the home straight in sight with its strong riff and melodic verse which sees Malmsteen in restraint mode allowing Dougie White to carry the load. This does add a strong commercial flavour to the track which disappears for a more neo-classically tinted chorus - the mix of the two styles works well. Yngwie goes into Blackmore mode for the start of the solo with a moody bend before the usual fretboard antics are delivered on cue, a trick that will never get old.



The title track really does Unleash The Fury with its atmospheric intro over which Yngwie splices in some sitar lines before a simple, pulsating riff, really sees the gates of hell open with devilish delight. The track is one of the best on offer with its huge delivery and immense Queen like harmonised vocals for the chorus. Not one but two excellent solos are the icing on the cake for this superb track.



Paraphrase sees another JS Bach melody come into play for this short classical closer which has Yngwie playing some lovely nylon acoustic in tandem with orchestrated keyboard parts.



The Japanese CD also features 3 video clips of Yngwie blazing in Studio 308 which are a very nice addition - as is the excellent packaging and embossed cover.



Overall Unleash The Fury is a welcome return to form from Yngwie with him seemingly readdressed his strengths and weaknesses to deliver the goods. It doesn't quite have the perfection of say Fire & Ice but brings Yngwie into his third decade in the business in the best shape he has been in for some time. Fans both old and new will get a lot from this album and I would suggest investing in the Japanese release if you can get it for a cheap price to hear it a little sooner. Just remember one thing... PLAY LOUD!



Hot Spots : Winds Of War (Invasion), Cracking The Whip, Guardian Angel, Unleash The Fury

This is the best Malmsteen yet.

Think of ATTACK but cranked to 10. This is 72 minutes of brilliance. From great instrumentals. It rocks from the intro song Lock and Loaded. To heavy bass dropping riffs on tracks like Boogeyman to beautiful instrumental like Fufuetta. Everything about this CD screams Malmsteen's best work.
Get your hands on the Japanese import it contains 3 short videos. This see's Malmsteen going in new directions but will still appeal to older Yngwie fans.