Rating: 9/10

Track amount: 11

Running time: 45 minutes and 28 seconds

Genre: Metal, Classical Metal, Shred

Band personnel: Yngwie Malmsteen, Jeff Scott Soto, Jens Johansson, Anders Johansson, Marcel Jacob.

Producer: Yngwie Malmsteen

Record label: Polydor Records

Recorded at: Cherokee Studios, Los Angeles. Skyline Studios, Topanga.

Art direction: N/A

Best tracks: I’ll See The Light Tonight, Soldier Without Faith, Marching Out.

Quick verdict: An essential listen of Neo-Classical Metal.

Without a doubt, Yngwie Malmsteen is one of the greatest Metal guitarists of all time. From his initial Swedish background, he moved to the USA to begin a successful music career as a guitarist. Notably inspired by guitar greats such as Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple) and Eddie Van Halen (Van Halen), he particularly developed a love for the Fender Stratocaster after seeing Jimi Hendrix playing one, and developed with Fender his own Fender Custom Shop Stratocaster with scalloped frets in the late 1980s, which Yngwie Malmsteen felt was better for note bending in particular. He was also deeply inspired by Classical Music, and notably has a neoclassical approach to his music. His debut album release, Rising Force (1984), was a critically acclaimed and moderately commercially successful leap to fame for the guitarist. It showed that years of hard work in various bands and as a solo artist were paying off. Without wasting any time, he released this album the year after. This second album is not seen as important and groundbreaking as the debut album, but it still has a solid reputation today. Still, let’s take a listen to this album, and we shall hear where it is at.

1. Prelude begins with a very slow fade-in of low-frequency sound. This one-minute-long piece sets the scene for the album and sounds very dark and spacey. It gradually increases in volume, and Yngwie Malmsteen plays some delayed licks. This segues into the next tune.

2. I’ll See The Light Tonight begins with some absolutely awesome guitar playing, and sounds terrific. The singing is fantastic on this song, and this tune sounds like a real beast of Heavy Metal. Yngwie Malmsteen plays in a direct and awesome way. Think of a shred-like Ronnie James Dio Black Sabbath band, and you are very much there. Nonetheless, this is also very much Neo-Classical Metal that strikes a difference when heard. This is just as sincerely good as Yngwie Malmsteen’s debut album. It has a really interesting music approach that sounds sweet, uplifting and has a gloriously frenetic guitar solo section by Yngwie himself. It showcases his ability to play original shred guitar to impress and blow your mind into smithereens. It returns to the main song riff section at hand, and has a fantastic and powerful section of music at hand. Mixing Classical Music themes with a touch of Metal and shred-based playing, this sounds truly awesome and amazing throughout. A really sensational tune to listen to. Just awesome and fantastic from start to finish. The ending is absolutely chaotic-sounding and very cool to hear.

3. Don’t Let It End begins with dual-tracked acoustic guitars and vocal harmonies over the top. Soon enough, this launches into a moody and heavy-sounding tune that sounds really anthemic. A moody and moving tune about broken love, and doing one’s best to avoid it, in a certain way. The instrumentation and playing are insanely good throughout, as is the singing. The music and performance are sensationally fantastic. The moodiness on this song is dark and unsettling, but even so, this is a powerful and driven song that kicks the proverbial. The guitar solo section proves again that, in a shred-like fashion, even Eddie Van Halen was jealous of Yngwie Malmsteen’s pure ability to play. That is how good this tune is. This is a magically upbeat and powerful song about fearing the worst, in the most upbeat way. A symphonic piece of mastery from the 1980s. Absolutely awesome.

4. Disciples of Hell is an acoustic guitar-led shred piece. Nonetheless, it sounds very lovely and sweet. The acoustic guitars played sound very interesting, dark and wonderful. This progresses and sounds absolutely sweet throughout. This continues for about a minute before loud electric guitars and the rest of the band kick in. A sensationally enjoyable and powerful tune emerges with some lyrics about demonic forces. This isn’t necessarily satanic like Slayer, but it does describe a particular story that sounds epic and unique, dealing with evil in this world. Nonetheless, this does sound dark, musically awesome and fantastic. Yngwie Malmsteen can also play like an absolute beast, and this music is very unique in its own way. Of course, if you are a follower of Jesus, this is not for you. Still, this music is exceptionally wonderful, and the guitar solo sections are blisteringly hot and amazing to hear. The use of shredding, tapping and harmonics proves how awesome Yngwie Malmsteen was at the time, and still is today on the guitar. Towards the end is a flanger-heavy mixed section, followed by growled and demonic vocals. A top listen, and something that is very valuable to listen to. This song gradually concludes with a great section of music. This makes much more sense at the time of writing than it ever did back in the mid-1980s. Great tune with style and flair.

5. I Am A Viking begins with a loud gong hit and quickly launches into another superb tune with shredtastic guitar playing. Fantastic singing emerges, and this tune gets nicely underway. This launches into the family history of Yngwie Malmsteen and his Swedish bloodline. Even so, this is absolutely powerful and terrific to hear. This is like Metal Music for those of you who like a darker, more calculated and professional way than what Van Halen or Hair Metal could ever achieve. This song is absolutely awesome to listen to, and it sounds powerfully glorious and interesting to listen to. This music is very cinematic for the ears, and it paints an artistic picture of being a Viking that rapes, loots and pillages, although this behaviour is not recommended in any way. Even so, Yngwie Malmsteen shreds some fantastic leads in the guitar solo section throughout. A really fun, fine and fantastically wonderful listen. This album is a real gem to listen to, and its performances and arrangements are truly top to listen to. Nonetheless, this tune is a real winner to listen to. The music and singing are unbelievably monumental. This is also very interesting for a six-minute-long song. Absolutely mindblowing to listen to. It wraps up with some synths, followed by some sweet dual-tracked electric guitars by Yngwie Malmsteen. Top.

6. Overture 1383 is quite a reference to Classical Music. It launches straight into the band playing a seriously good instrument with thunderous drum playing and awesome guitar work. This concludes, followed by more multitracked electric guitars and leads into a sweet section of acoustic guitar-based music. This instrumental is absolutely worth listening to. This music is certainly unique and is a sweet reference to the history of music itself. Few musicians ever touch on this, preferring to reference the obvious artists of music history. Yngwie Malmsteen does not, and puts musical history into its deserved recognition. A wonderful instrumental indeed. Absolutely top-notch. The guitar playing towards the end is fantastic.

7. Anguish and Fear begins with some rapid-fire guitars and harpsichord parts. It quickly launches into action with snappy drumming and a fast-paced tune. Guitar and drum soloing is here. Soon enough, glorious Metal singing emerges, and this tune comes very much alive. An absolutely monumental and worthwhile listen. This music is seriously cool. Yes, many will see this as retro music that is not up to current trends. These accusations are wrong. This is sensationally excellent music that is fast, furious and interesting. The guitar and keyboard solos in this one are also really fantastic to listen to. An absolute winner of a tune that will surprise you and take you on a music mission that few can follow. This music is quite an interesting listen, and it has a fast, aggressive and interesting set of playing within. A great song, once again. This is amazing and truly fantastic. Well worth hearing.

8. On The Run Again begins with some nice chugging palm muted riffing, and the band enters with a slower, but more menacing music feel to it all. A winner of a song that has some fantastic singing throughout. This music continues its excellence and consistency on this album, and it sounds like some of the best Alternative Metal from 1985. Fantastic and emotional listening is present in this song. A top-notch and absolutely fantastic winner throughout of a tune. Yngwie Malmsteen shreds nicely on this tune, and he delivers a sensational and epic listen as a great guitarist. This music is a fantastic listen, with many sections of overdubs that are beautifully mixed through. All in all, this music sounds really cool and epic to listen to. A very sweet track.

9. Soldier Without Faith is over six minutes in length. It begins with a sustained keyboard patch melodic progression, which sounds dark and interesting. This music is a different listen, sounding very much Ambient and like a blast from the future in that respect. Could Yngwie Malmsteen see musically into the future? Who knows. Soon enough, the band kicks back into action with some Metallica-style riffing and enters into another fantastic song to listen to. This, no doubt, is music that started a musical shredolution. The singing and playing are absolutely phenomenally awesome, and it sounds paranoid and glorious simultaneously. This music is some of the best from 1985, when mullets and keyboards were the fashion musically. Think about that for a moment. This song is another masterclass in performance and playing. The musicianship is definitely world-class on this album. Nonetheless, the extended solo section on guitar is absolutely mindblowing and amazing to listen to and enjoy. This music is truly wonderful to listen to. It will make you listen carefully for every single note being played. A real delicious music treat is here. Towards the end, the singing resumes, and this song reaches its fantastic conclusion. A great slice of extended music that has fantastic themes and glorious music to behold. A really awesome song to listen to. Top, once again.

10. Caught in the Middle begins with some fast and awesome guitar riffing that quickly leads into a shorter tune that is certainly impressive. The singing that emerges on this song is fantastic, and Yngwie Malmsteen and company play like there is no tomorrow for humanity. This music is definitely impressive. Continuing the themes of paranoia and despair throughout, this music is powerful and sensational to listen to. A glorious chunk of Heavy Metal music that sounds awesomely dramatic, this is definitely an album to listen to that you can have on repeat. This music is powerfully driven and intelligent as well. If Metal can liberate the human race, this is one album that can do so. A super-fast keyboard solo is present on this track as well. All in all, a really thoroughly fantastic and listenable tune that has effort and finesse. All in all, another absolute winner of a song. Thoroughly great to listen to. This music is supercharged and powerful, like drinking 16 Red Bull drinks in 24-48 hours. A really wonderful and fantastic listen, in its own way. It ends nicely.

11. Marching Out is the final track and the title track of the album. It begins with a strange vocal, expert drumming and guitars to match it all. This sounds thunderous. Yngwie Malmsteen does some slight tapping before acoustic guitar playing enters, and this leads into an instrumental ballad that sounds really fantastic. This music is a fine listening experience at hand. Yngwie Malmsteen may not be everyone’s cup of tea, both musically and personally, but he shines bright on this album. A fantastic listen with shred guitar playing and emotionally charged listening. Absolutely awesome to listen to and enjoy. This tops off a classic album that deserves more attention. It fades out sweetly.

This album is a real winner. Yes, it may be the sequel to the Rising Force (1984) debut album, but it is just as fantastic and essential listening. If anything, Yngwie Malmsteen proves to the music world that nobody can come close to him in terms of his guitar playing and understanding of Neo-Classical Metal Music. Definitely give this album a try, unless you are a Christian. It is mind-blowingly fantastic.