| Disclaimer- If
you're a guitarist, an aspiring guitarist, familiar with the names MacAlipine
or Impelleritti, related to the Malmsteens, or just plain Swedish- you
will definitely enjoy this brilliant and talented classically-inspired
Swedish musician, who recorded this when he was only 19. An impressive
work. There is no need to continue reading. If not...
Cover: 5
Serious Guitar Students Who Work At Strawberries out of 10.
There's no denying that this a classic album cover. If you're between
the ages of 30 and 40 and liked hard rock, you've either seen this,
owned this or knew someone who did. A lot was made of this young Swede
(who made his bones with Ron Keel, then Alcatrazz); and his name which
everybody made fun of ("Why the 'J' ?), and mispronounced (I would say,
"Wang-E", and the fat rock-guy in my freshmen class would shout, "It's
ING-VAY!" and then toss his hair over his shoulder like Cher). Anyway,
it's a picture of a woman's arm holding a cream-yellow Fender Strat
above some flames. The title is written in that Germanic, New York Times
font.
Booklet: 2
Serious Guitar Students Who Work At Strawberries out of 10.
Everything is written in this damn New York Times font, making it nearly
impossible to read - (white letters, black background). There's lyrics
to the two songs that have lyrics. Yngwie is credited with all bass
and guitar parts, lyrics, as well as production, and "cover concept".
Among others, he "thanx" the following: Aria guitars (but not Fender),
Paganini, J.S. Bach, H.P. Lovecraft and Rod Serling. Hmm...that last
one worries me.
Songs: 0
Serious Guitar Students Who Work At Strawberries out of 10.
He should have thanked Jeff Goldblum and whoever wrote the line, "Be
afraid, be very afraid!" This is excruciating in its dullness. The supreme
bloated majesty of extensive solo-ing, or "Metal For Boys Who Love Boys
Who Love Music". I am in hell. I picked this up on disc just to review
what I had long ago thrown away on vinyl. This is my Twilight Zone undoing.
I was playing this in the car on the way home and worried that if I
got killed in an accident listening to it, the local papers wouldn't
read, "Man Killed In Fiery Wreck, Listening To Heavy Metal Music", they
would read, "Man Killed In Fiery Wreck, About To Come Out Of The Closet".
I can't tell you how bad this is. This is a new level of "suck". Leads
and solos. He goes up the scales and he goes down the scales, again
and again. Boring. The titles say it all: "Icarus Dream Suite, Opus
1"; "As Above, So Below". The singer, Jeff Scott Soto, is a low-rent
Dio. Neither opera nor rock, and certainly not a "Force" of anything.
This is the non-alcoholic beer of rock. I wish I was English, so I could
say, "Bloody wanker!" with some authority. File under "Shit".
Comments: If
you want to listen to fat noodlers, hang out in the prep kitchen of
The Olive Garden.
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