YNGWIE MALMSTEEN – Odyssey [Remaster SHM-CD] (2012)

UICY-20249

*

After the success that was the start of his solo career, Yngwie Malmsteen went through a lot of changes.
Having already mastered the art of electric guitar technique, on “Odyssey”, his fourth album, Malmsteen honed his sights on mastering the art of songwriting, rounding out his neoclassical chops with superb melodies and catchy hooks.
Highly responsible of this is the mighty Joe Lynn Turner, who not only provides an outstanding vocal work, but also has co-written the songs bringing his ability to craft memorable tunes.
But it’s Yngwie itself who has refined his songwriting on “Odyssey”; the main riffs are solid and rarely inflated, the vocal melodies demand most of the songs’ focus, and though he always throws-in a blistering solo, he confines it to a traditional bridge section rather than wanking all throughout the song.

“Odyssey” finds Malmsteen cutting synth-laden Melodic Rock tunes like “Hold On”, “Crystal Ball” and the borderline hair metal hit “Heaven Tonight”.
This is also the first record in which Yngwie did a real ballad with the excellent “Dreaming (Tell Me)”. Also of particular note is “Dreaming”, a delicate, expressive marriage of acoustic guitars and keyboards.
Balancing the disc we have powerful Melodic Hard rockers such as “Rising Force”, the catchy “Riot In The Dungeons” and the marching “Déjà Vu”.

“Odyssey” is one of the best melodic rockin’ albums of the late ’80s, and my favorite Yngwie ever.
Even if the title of a particular track slips my mind, I can always recall it just from the opening guitar line, as it usually mimics the chorus melody. Seems to me his critics need to find something to bitch about besides his arrogance: his songwriting on this album kicks ass.
Joe Lynn Turner shines on (in my humble opinion) his best recording ever, the Johansson bros. are amazingly trained beasts, and production is first rate.
Part of the Yngwie Malmsteen’s Japanese 2012 SHM-CD reissue series, this “Odyssey” remaster (UICY-20249) sounds incredible; big, crispy and perfectly balanced. It really makes the difference.
A Must Have.

01 – Rising Force
02 – Hold On
03 – Heaven Tonight
04 – Dreaming (Tell Me)
05 – Bite The Bullet
06 – Riot In The Dungeons
07 – Deja Vu
08 – Crystal Ball
09 – Now Is The Time
10 – Faster Than The Speed Of Light
11 – Krakatau
12 – Memories

Yngwie Malmsteen – Guitars, Bass
Joe Lynn Turner – Vocals
Jens Johansson – Keyboards
Anders Johansson – Drums
Bob Daisley – Bass (tracks 1, 2, 8, 9)

Remaster produced by Universal Japan

BUY IT !
www.yesasia.com/global/odyssey-japan-version/1030251338-0-0-0-en/info.html