YNGWIE MALMSTEEN – Rising Force [Japan SHM-CD remastered MiniLP] Out Of Print

Most celebrated ’80s albums from the mighty YNGWIE MALMSTEEN have been requested here in its Japanese remastered reissue on high quality SHM-CD. All these cardboard sleeve MiniLP replica releases are out of print now.
Let’s go with “Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s Rising Force“, the cracking debut.

“Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s Rising Force” was a revelation upon its release in 1984; Eddie Van Halen had introduced dazzling speed to the realm of rock guitar technique, and the compositions of Randy Rhoads had begun to fuse heavy metal with neo-classical influences, but no one before Yngwie Malmsteen was able to combine those elements with such blinding virtuosity.

Malmsteen’s innovative guitar style made Rising Force a mandatory primer for ’80s metal guitarists, with its classical chord progressions and Malmsteen’s use of harmonic minor scales, a wide vibrato imitative of classical violinists, and impossibly clean fast picking techniques, including the sweep-picked arpeggio.
Malmsteen’s obsessions with Bach, Beethoven, and Paganini are used in the service of a dark, stately, gothic atmosphere and sent guitar students scurrying to learn their works as well as Malmsteen’s own.

This Yngwie debut is quite different from the hard rock / traditional metal albums he previously did with Alcatrazz or Steeler; it is almost instrumental and just two songs have lyrics, leaving room for purely guitargasmic songs.
The album sound is purely shred, but there are many ways to make shreddy albums. You can find a more neoclassical driven sound in MacAlpine’s music, but Joe Satriani and Steve Vai play their notes with hard rock music rather than playing heavy metal.

In the case of Malmsteen, his album has a neoclassical but dark atmosphere like if he was playing music from the barroque or something similar. Although the album respects the atmosphere and it never changes (even in ‘Little Savage’), the album does not have an specific structure.
I have no problem with that, since a lot of good albums are composed in this way, but many people who disregard the quality of guitar solos could have an issue with the lack of a defined structure. I mean, this album was made for shred lovers.

Of course the whole thing is about Malmsteen’s free-style guitar soloing, with neoclassical music played by the Johannson’s brothers as a background, which basically was medium to slow-paced with gems like ‘Far Beyond The Sun’ or ‘Black Star’.
It has intense moments in ‘Now Your Ships Are Burned’ and ‘As Above, So Below’, the two great vocals tracks that of course were the first major exposure for Jeff Scott Soto’s terrific pipes.

“Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s Rising Force” was the true inauguration of the age of the ‘guitar shredder’ genre, and still make waves today.
Part of the Yngwie Malmsteen’s Japanese SHM-CD / miniLP reissue series released four years ago – and now out of print – this remastering is awesomely crystal clear.
A Classic

Universal Japan ~ UICY-93547 【ＬＴＤ ＳＨＭ－ＣＤ】
Ｙ Ｎ Ｇ Ｗ Ｉ Ｅ  Ｍ Ａ Ｌ Ｍ Ｓ Ｔ Ｅ Ｅ Ｎ 『 ライジング・フォース 』

01 – Black Star
02 – Far Beyond The Sun
03 – Now Your Ships Are Burned
04 – Evil Eye
05 – Icarus’ Dream Suite Op.4
06 – As Above, So Below
07 – Little Savage
08 – Farewell

Yngwie Malmsteen – guitars, Moog Taurus, bass
Jeff Scott Soto – vocals
Jens Johansson – keyboards, harpsichord
Barriemore Barlow – drums

Out Of Print
www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/UICY-93547
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