JUSTIN’S METAL REVIEWS W/C
20/10/08
YNGWIE MALSTEEN’S RISING FORCE / PERPETUAL
FLAME
If you like your guitar heroes’s
and enjoy some neo-classical inspired Rock in the style of Dio ear Rainbow then this new CD from Swedish fret maestro,
Yngwie J. Malmsteen will be
right up your street.
The thing I like most about Yngwie
is that although he is the focus of the band he doesn’t let the Guitar hero
dominate or get over self indulgent to the detriment of the songs and the rest
of the band, yes there are plenty of fast, complicated scales and arpeggios a
plenty but they are restrained and appropriate to the songs, he knows just when
to let rip and when to hold back.
He also has a new singer, Tim (Ripper) Owens, ex Judas Priest and Iced
Earth and with a pedigree as good as that you just know he fits in like he was
meant to be there. Form the first
strains of the opening track “Death Dealer” to the last riff of “Heavy Heart”
this is Yngwie at top form, there is nothing
groundbreaking or unexpected on here but then there doesn’t heave to be when the
quality of the songs and musicianship is so high and lets face it, who else
writes and performs like this in 2008? The only one that comes to mind is Axel
Rudi Pell.
If you liked Yngwie in the past
but have lost touch with him in recent years this is proof that he still has
what it takes to make keep the Guitar Hero persona and long may he continue to
do so. Listen out for; “The Four
Horsemen (Of The Apocalypse), “Lament”, the mighty
“
WEBSITE http://www.yngwiemalmsteen.com/
TOTAL PLAYING TIME = 69 mins + 12 TRACKS
AXEL RUDI PELL / TALES OF THE
CROWN
If you haven’t anything by Axel Rudi Pell before and you
like Classic Rock you are in for treat, musically he’s in a similar style to
Yngwie but his guitar playing is very different, more
lie that of Michael Schenker.
Axel used to be in a cult German Metal band in the mid to
late 80’s caller Steeler and his solo career took off
when the band split in 1988and he released his first album “Wild Obsession” an
year later and has not looked back since.
Songs like “Buried Alive”, “Higher” and “Riding On An Arrow” scram class
on every level, the guitar work is as you would expect flawless, at times
understated and screaming like a banshee at others, the vocalist Johnny Gioeli has a fine, strong voice and his style suits Axel’s music well, the power ballad at the end “Northern
Lights” demonstrates his vocal skills well and there is some fine, soulful lead
brakes from Axel.
If you like Yngwie Malmsteen, Scorpions or Dio era
Rainbow you will love this CD, also listen out for; “Angel Eyes”, “Crossfire”
and the haunting instrumental “Emotional Echoes”, easily album of the
week.
WEBSITE http://www.axel-rudi-pell.de/
TOTAL PLAYING TIME = 60 mins + 10
TRACKS