Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force - Odyssey
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Free Music Notes for Odyssey
Free Music Review: One of the BEST Melodic Metal albums
Hit: 5 Stars
Sure this is much more commercial than Marching Out, but several other reviewers fail to note that 'Trilogy' was very keyboard oriented and bridged the gap between 'Marching Out' and 'Odyssey'. Yngwie was changing his sound to fit the times and cranked out one serious masterpiece!
Joe Lynn Turner sounds absolutely amazing and Yngwie's playing is flawless. These are some excellent, hook-laden melodic rock tunes that need to be heard. I should also mention that the production on this album was heads and shoulders above the previous 3 albums!
Free Music Review: 3.5 stars - the first shakes of the Malsteen mission
Hit: 3 Stars
Odyssey is a strange twist of an album. It always felt to me that this album had tracks that suited the excellent Trilogy (Rising Force, Riot in the Dungeons, Crystal Ball) and others that seemed totally out of place such as the excremental Heaven Tonight.
Had Malmsteens next album been comprised of rock of the likes of Hold On and Dreaming (Tell Me) this album could of been viewed as a transition, yet the studio LP that followed was Eclipse which was a very mainstream rock album, not at all like the weird time signatures of Hold On or the overly keyboard heavy Deja Vu and Crystal Ball. Which makes this album sort of stand out as out of synch with what followed and what came after.
This album - featuring the much maligned Joe Lynn Turner on vox - is NOT the place for the newcomer to start on their Yngwie collection. It is for those who tried and liked Trilogy and Marching Out and Eclipse and want to explore further. For fans there are some gems here, such as the aforementioned Riot in the Dungeons and the great album.gig opener Rising Force and the often overlooked Faster than the Speed of Light. The latter track flying pell-mell to it's conclusion, full of firey vocals and great guitar work. There are also a couple of worthwhile instrumentals hera nd the production by Malmsteen and Jeff Glixman is bright and sparkly - no return to the slightly broody production of Marching Out. A flawed album not without it's high points.
Free Music Review: Beautiful metal
Hit: 5 Stars
Odyssey and Marching Out tie for the best Malmsteen albums. I like Odyssey for the catchy, melodic songs that just keep begging to be played over and over. Marching Out was a metal slaughter-fest that just plain rocked.
Although a little cheesy in places, Odyssey is just fun to listen to. So many memorable lyrics and great riffs, I just wish the lyrics could have been a little stronger. And the sound quality is superb. Only two other CDs seem as crisp and clear to me: Metallica's "Garage, Inc." and Candlemass's self-titled album. Every note comes through perfectly and the music sounds "full" and complete. This CD wraps you in sound. Very nice.
Every song on Odyssey is a masterpiece. Even the slow, thoughtful songs still sound "heavy" enough, but the music is emotionally moving at the same time. And Joe Lynn Turner is at his best on this album.
Free Music Review: Commercial, yes, but a masterpiece anyways.
Hit: 5 Stars
This album arguably showcases Yngwie at the peak of his songwriting skills. Having shared the pen here with the gifted singer Joe Lynn Turner, the final result is a perfect mix of neoclassic-flavored shredding and soaring-but-radio-friendly melodic vocal lines. These are all great songs, whether you play them with a full backing band (like in the album) or just with a poor acoustic guitar. I guess that's what makes this album so transcendent to my ears: the songs in there stand on their own, no matter how they're played, and that certainly is a big plus.
In fact, what I like the most from this album is what many hardcore fans seem to hate. First of all, the change in style is a total success from a musical point of view, even if it's true that there's an explicit commercial intention. Secondly, Joe Lynn Turner does sound mellow, but he adds a lot of value to Malmsteen's music. Turner's perfect intonation and well-controlled voice is a present to anyone's ears. In addition, his huge range, expressiveness and beautiful tone are top notch. I list him in my top five vocalists of all times, really. Take for example the power ballad "Dreaming". Yeah, that's a love song and everything but... do you want a better example of "baroque & roll with tears"? Both Turner and Malmsteen gave the best from them on that song! Also listen carefully to "Hold On" - admittedly a very AOR theme. Do you want a better performance than *that*? Or take a look to the big arena rock airs on both "Heaven Tonight" and "Now is the Time". Ok, they sound tamed as hell, I agree... but you can't deny those also are two perfectly crafted pieces of music, aren't they? And all that is in big part possible thanks to the wonderful pipes of Joe Lynn Turner!
Anyway, if you liked "Marching Out" and "Trilogy" I don't think you should complain neither. There's also some material here for fans of the "more traditional" Yngwie - it's a commercial release, so it targets every taste, right? ;-) Thus, the opening "Rising Force" with its syncopated riffing, its power-metal-influenced melody and its frantic soloing is perhaps the perfect example of good old Malmsteen. Also "Riot in the Dungeons" sounds like the original Malmsteen we all love, as well as "Faster than the Speed of Light" and "Deja Vu" - though at a lesser degree in the later.
One thing is certainly missing in this album: a good instrumental. "Bite the Bullet" does show Malmsteen amazing tone and technique, but it's too short; and "Krakatau" lacks of melodic hooks, it's too thrashy, too rhythmic; and the solos sound like pure jam - amazing solos, yes, but they sound like completely self-complacent jamming. However, overall this is a masterfully interpreted and conceived release. It is the first time (in my records) that Yngwie dared to show us a slightly different side of his musical geniality. It was the first time he demonstrated he could evolve, perhaps thanks to the teamwork with Turner. That reason instantly takes a bow from me. It sincerely think "Odyssey" is the most refined and mature release from Yngwie Malmsteen, and that's why I give five stars to it. So, go for the most criminally underrated of all Malmsteen albums and give it a good try with wide open ears. I'm sure you won't regret it!
Free Music Review: Legends arn't born every day
Hit: 5 Stars
Yngwie Malmsteen had suffered an injury to his picking hand when he crashed his farrari, and also found out some record executives had swindled him bigtime. Fans wern't sure if his next album would hold up in the guitar god technique department... but the rest is history. This album blows flames out of the sides when you open it. The singer is the best ever, the keyboardist and drummer are twin brothers and Malmsteens chops and tone are holding the metal scene hostage with lethal weapons. He slaughters naysayers and burys them with taste. This is a five star neo classical extraviganza!!!