Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force – Unleash the Fury
Spitfire Records – SPT15258-2 – July 26, 2005
By Rodrigo Escandon
The last Yngwie Malmsteen album I enjoyed was Alchemy and when you compare that album to some of his earlier works it was still not quite up to par. But then it was at least better than the two subsequent releases that really made me stop caring about Yngwie’s music. I had no intentions of purchasing or even listening to Unleash the Fury but then I started reading great things about it and after listening to a few songs I decided to bite and get it. Upon my first listen I was not disappointed at all and in fact I was floored by the quality of the music, production and performance by all the band members not just Yngwie.
The band just sounds extremely tight and in-sync. Doogie White sounds a lot more comfortable singing and the songs fit his natural range a lot better. Patrick Johansson does a fantastic job drumming and Joakim Svalberg (who replaced Derek Sherinian) is highly skilled in the keyboards. Finally, Yngwie is fine shape and he has come up with some excellent material. Unleash the Fury contains 18 songs and while that may seem like a lot it really isn’t because each song really stands apart and I have never felt like the album drags on at any moment.
“Locked and Loaded” starts off the album and its a typical heavy metal tune with some strong and heavy guitar riffs and it sounds more reminiscent of the material from Attack but better executed. “Let the Good Times Roll” has this same heavy vibe thanks to another huge guitar riff in the verses and I can only imagine how fun it would be to watch this song live and hear the crowd sing the title. It does remind one of “I’ll See the Light Tonight” from Marching Out but its still a great song. “Cracking the Whip” starts off with a huge guitar riff and then it leads to a very simple but melodic line in the verses, which makes the riff in the chorus sound even more powerful. “Crown of Thorns” is my favorite song on Unleash the Fury and its totally neo-classical in nature. The opening melody line (that is repeated during the chorus) is simply phenomenal and the solo is also my favorite of the album. “The Bogeyman” starts off with an excellent thick bass line that is carried through by the guitars. The pre-chorus is of excellent quality and I find myself easily singing along from this point to the chanting of the title in the chorus. “Cherokee Warrior” is a very enjoyable song since it is a slower bluesy song that actually has Yngwie singing lead vocals. “Revelation (Drinking with the Devil)” is definitely one of Yngwie’s more personal songs as he discusses battling his drinking addiction. Musically the song has a slow almost doom like tempo and it’s another winner. “Unleash the Fury” is the last proper song of the album and its simply fantastic with its huge harmonized chorus and excellent guitar solos.
Of the four instrumentals “Guardian Angel” is my favorite with its dreamy and atmospheric feel throughout its entire length. “Fuguetta” is a short acoustic piece based on a Bach melody as is “Paraphrase” but this one adds background orchestral parts to the acoustic guitar. “Magic and Mayhem” has a strong neo-classical feel and it flows very nicely.
Yngwie Malmsteen is definitely not reinventing the wheel with Unleash the Fury but it definitely marks his strongest album for some time and fans of his music should find plenty to like with this one. Some may find the length and the number of songs to be too long but I found it just fine. I definitely recommend Unleash the Fury.
9/10
Spitfire Records Official Website
Yngwie Malmsteen Official Website
Spitfire Records – SPT15258-2 – July 26, 2005
By Rodrigo Escandon
The last Yngwie Malmsteen album I enjoyed was Alchemy and when you compare that album to some of his earlier works it was still not quite up to par. But then it was at least better than the two subsequent releases that really made me stop caring about Yngwie’s music. I had no intentions of purchasing or even listening to Unleash the Fury but then I started reading great things about it and after listening to a few songs I decided to bite and get it. Upon my first listen I was not disappointed at all and in fact I was floored by the quality of the music, production and performance by all the band members not just Yngwie.
The band just sounds extremely tight and in-sync. Doogie White sounds a lot more comfortable singing and the songs fit his natural range a lot better. Patrick Johansson does a fantastic job drumming and Joakim Svalberg (who replaced Derek Sherinian) is highly skilled in the keyboards. Finally, Yngwie is fine shape and he has come up with some excellent material. Unleash the Fury contains 18 songs and while that may seem like a lot it really isn’t because each song really stands apart and I have never felt like the album drags on at any moment.
“Locked and Loaded” starts off the album and its a typical heavy metal tune with some strong and heavy guitar riffs and it sounds more reminiscent of the material from Attack but better executed. “Let the Good Times Roll” has this same heavy vibe thanks to another huge guitar riff in the verses and I can only imagine how fun it would be to watch this song live and hear the crowd sing the title. It does remind one of “I’ll See the Light Tonight” from Marching Out but its still a great song. “Cracking the Whip” starts off with a huge guitar riff and then it leads to a very simple but melodic line in the verses, which makes the riff in the chorus sound even more powerful. “Crown of Thorns” is my favorite song on Unleash the Fury and its totally neo-classical in nature. The opening melody line (that is repeated during the chorus) is simply phenomenal and the solo is also my favorite of the album. “The Bogeyman” starts off with an excellent thick bass line that is carried through by the guitars. The pre-chorus is of excellent quality and I find myself easily singing along from this point to the chanting of the title in the chorus. “Cherokee Warrior” is a very enjoyable song since it is a slower bluesy song that actually has Yngwie singing lead vocals. “Revelation (Drinking with the Devil)” is definitely one of Yngwie’s more personal songs as he discusses battling his drinking addiction. Musically the song has a slow almost doom like tempo and it’s another winner. “Unleash the Fury” is the last proper song of the album and its simply fantastic with its huge harmonized chorus and excellent guitar solos.
Of the four instrumentals “Guardian Angel” is my favorite with its dreamy and atmospheric feel throughout its entire length. “Fuguetta” is a short acoustic piece based on a Bach melody as is “Paraphrase” but this one adds background orchestral parts to the acoustic guitar. “Magic and Mayhem” has a strong neo-classical feel and it flows very nicely.
Yngwie Malmsteen is definitely not reinventing the wheel with Unleash the Fury but it definitely marks his strongest album for some time and fans of his music should find plenty to like with this one. Some may find the length and the number of songs to be too long but I found it just fine. I definitely recommend Unleash the Fury.
9/10
Spitfire Records Official Website
Yngwie Malmsteen Official Website
