The Cassette Chronicles #221 - Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force - Odyssey

The new Cassette Chronicles article this week looks at the Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force album Odyssey. You can check it out via this Limelight Magazine.com link.

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Permalink Reply by Yngve J. Chapleen on June 15, 2023 at 1:21pm

It's not my favorite Malmsteen album but I do like it quite a bit. Perhaps even more these days than when it was released. I did follow his career from the beginning. I noticed his work on both Steeler and Alcatrazz, yet it hit me with a surprise (a good one) when I learned about his first solo work. My uncle in Sweden had the vinyl and when he played it for me that started my appreciation for guitar instrumentals. From there going forward his solo works were more of a band effort with the majority of tunes having vocals rather than being instrumentals and Odyssey was the album, in my book, that neglected the instrumentals most. Back then, even though I liked the album, I felt that he was going in a direction I'm less interested in. That's why I can say I like it more today than when it came out. Personally, I think with less ego he should be more popular than he is, but I don't see the problem in putting emphasis on the guitar or changing musicians, rather the fact that his newer albums have subpar mix and production values. This is where I feel Malmsteen should let better-equipped people do the job.

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Permalink Reply by TageRyche on June 15, 2023 at 9:42pm

I agree, if Malmsteen had the right people in the right spots, he could focus on what he does best and his stuff might be that much better. The last couple of albums I haven't even bothered to pick up after hearing previews.

Personally, I wish he'd made more albums like Odyssey and less like "Look at me, I really can play the guitar."