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CD reviews

Trilogy

Yngwie J. Malmsteen - Trilogy Audio CD

A fair review of the Yngwie J. Malmsteen "Trilogy" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Yngwie J. Malmsteen reviews here, or go back to the Yngwie J. Malmsteen tabs.

Band: Yngwie J. Malmsteen
Title: Trilogy
Rating:

Release Date: 1990-10-25
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: You Don't Remember, I'll Never Forget 2: Liar 3: Queen in Love 4: Crying 5: Fury 6: Fire 7: Magic Mirror 8: Dark Ages 9: Trilogy Suite Op: 5

Album 3 of Yngwie's real Trilogy

There are several things that changed in his life after this, among them the pressure to reach a larger worldwide audience that resulted in a more commercial sound on the next 2 studio albums (Odyssey and Eclipse) and the knowledge that he was for a time one of the most admired and copied guitarists in the world, which was by then full of imitators, which did nothing to shrink his considerable ego. Although this album is named for the masterpiece instrumental that ends it, I think of it as the 3rd album of Yngwie's Trilogy of Master Albums that started with Rising Force, was followed by Marching Out and finally this one. Yngwie was also hurt in a major race car accident after making this but before Odyssey, although that sure as hell didn't slow him down for long, he came out playing faster than ever! But on the first 3 albums, there is no question his licks and compositions were fresher and seemed to have limitless potential. They became much more repetitive after he made Trilogy.

I even love the over-the-top cover art, he must have thought of himself as nothing short of heroic (never been known for modesty) and undoubtedly came up with that idea himself! Very bold lol. . . . . . .

If you have any Yngwie albums, you should absolutely have the first 3. .

Wow!!!!!
Receiving it on CD really made my day. I've owned this on cassette since the mid 1980's. Thanks Kindly. : )

Kenn.

From Little Viking to Dwarf

The music just becomes more formulaic in terms of technique and the lyrics are just cheesy. Yngwie's third album is just abysmal in comparison to what he had produced before and just isn't worth buying in my opinion. 'Queen is in Love'? The song makes even Journey sound heavy. 'The Fury' is ok and so are the instrumentals but none measure up to what he had produced on his two previous albums. 'Magic Mirror' sounds like a song from a Disney cartoon. Malmsteen just leaves no space for talent other than his own and he doesn't show much of it on this album. DeSoto never wanted to be a metal singer and was looking for a gig as a power rock singer to the likes of Survivor: it sounds like it. I had the unique opportunity of seeing Malmsteen perform while touring for this album. Great soloist without question but having a band is just that: being a band and not just a soloist. That's why Satriani, McAlpine, etc. , never made it anywhere either. I also saw Malmsteen perform as a stand in with Dio in Irvine and he sounded great. He would have been a perfect replacement for Vivian Campbell. It would have made for an interesting collaboration but I don't think the egos of either performer would have gotten along: too bad.

Ultimately, the main impediment to Yngwie's success was his overwhelming ego at wanting to be the whole band and trying to turn metal into classical. And so, true to his Swedish pseudonym of 'Yngwie', he ended up remaining just that: just a 'little viking. ' In this album he's acutally a dwarf Viking.

Great set of solos, and it ROCKS! A true gem!
No! Instead, I will give five stars to this album because it contains a subset of the greatest solos Yngwie ever spitted in the middle of his songs. I won't give to this album five stars just because this was the first album I heard from Yngwie and I was completely blown away by his guitar fireworks. From the expressive-but-flashy ones on "You don't remember I never forget" and "Queen in Love", the furious guitar-keyboard lines in "Liar" and "Fury", the beautifully dark solo in "Dark Ages", to the meaningful and tastefully neoclassic solo on "Fire"; Yngwie showcases here why he was one of the greatest gunslingers (if not the greatest!) in the middle eighties.

And if good, impeccably played solos weren't enough to earn five stars, then I'll add that the opener "You don't remember I never forget", as cheesy as it gets, is one of Yngwie's catchiest songs ever. Also, listen to "Queen in love". Isn't that one a memorable song too? Ok, Mark Boals perhaps doesn't sound like Jeff Scott Soto (matter of taste!), but he still does know how to sing. And he sings GREATLY here. Mark Boals is a top metal vocalist for sure! And what about the Johansson brothers on the keys and the drums respectively? These guys add a lot to this very tight incarnation of Rising Force, just to deliver the goods with high energy and professionalism. Five stars to the band as to the album!

But wait, there's even more to "Trilogy". For example, do you still think that Yngwie is just about a flurry of notes? Well, I'm afraid you are WRONG! Yngwie has a lot of feeling too, as well as a great control of dynamics, a great lead tone and a great finger vibrato. You could still listen to any solo from this album to see what I mean, but I'll instead make a special mention to the masterpiece "Crying". You listen to that instrumental song, and only a deaf would come back to talk again about "emotionless playing" and "Yngwie" on the same sentence. "Crying" says it all, as the guy goes from a gentle weeping to a total anguished crying at the end. Yngwie Malmsten was the real deal back then, believe me!

Thus, no matter how egocentric Yngwie might look (or really be), I give credit to him for redefining what metal lead guitar is about. For the dessert, just have a listen to "Trilogy Suite Op. 5" to taste how the scariest guitar chops a human being can play are put to work for a true musical opus. Nowadays Yngwie might have ruled out of ideas, but in the eighties he was the man, no doubt about it. Just listen to the "Trilogy" album on its entirety to confirm that fact. Five shiny shredding stars!.

Shallow, but fun all the same.

2: He was a major influence on Dragonforce, one of my favourite bands. I picked up a copy of Yngwie Mamsteen's album "Trilogy" recently for two reasons:

1: It was cheap.

Even so, I was duely pessimistic when I saw the cover. Anyone would be when they see a man duelling with a three-headed dragon armed only with a guitar. However, when I got home and stuck it on, I discovered that "Trilogy," while far from being a masterful composition, wasn't quite the masturbatory shred-fest I had been expecting.

The majority of the guitar work on this album, while admittedly quite shallow and one-dimensional, is at least catchy and uplifting. The solos (which, let's face it, were inevitable) are in fact surprisingly well integrated into the song structures. The drumming is utterly unremarkable - your standard issue snare/bass/crash cymbal kind of deal. The keyboards, on the other hand, genuinely add something to the songs, providing a backbone of harmonious melody and giving the songs a touch of theatrical flair. Yes, they are utterly cheesy and poppy, but at the end of the day, they're fun.

Mark Boals' vocal performance is something of a mixed bag. On one hand, you have his melodious oparetic calls on songs like "Liar," providing a genuinely uplifting feeling. On the other, you have the likes of "Magic Mirror," where he descends into weak, banal, pop metal diahrhea. My estimation would be that while he is a competent vocalist, he can't hope to compare with the likes of Bruce Dickinson and Rob Halford.

One of this album's main problems is the repetitive and predictable songwriting. The standard verse/chorus song structure is adhered to rigidly, every song providing the same up-tempo guitaring, cheesy, theatrical keyboards and 16th note drumming. While this formula isn't inherantly poor, it does get old quickly.

A more important problem comes in the form of the lack of power. The ultra-clean production on this record has resukted in a very smooth, clear guitar sound. This is no doubt included for the benefit of the guitar vituosos this album is aimed at. However, for those of us looking simply for enjoyable music, the weak sounding production can become annoying.

Two exceptions to the rules can be found in the instrumental tracks "Trilogy" has to offer. The first of these comes in the form of the fourth track, "Crying. " This was, for me, undoubtedly the highlight of the album. Genuinely touching, emotive melodies butress Yngwies phenomenal guitar work, an opportunity for him showcase his skill in a musical, expressive manner.

The second instrumental is "Trilogy Suite Op: 5," the album's closing track and is virtually the antithesis of "Crying," Sterile, meaningless shredding is the name of the game here, just what I was afraid of when I bought this album. Anything on this seven minute monstrosity remotely resembling musicality is quite quickly lost among more directionless, self-indulgent wankery.

I think I should probably point out that this album only just made three stars in my eyes. As technical as it is, I can't help but feel that Yngwie Malmsteen is really little more than a mediocre songwriter, and at the end of the day songwriting is what counts. Guitar vituosos will love this for what it is, but for everyone else, the musical value of this album is limited. If you can get "Trilogy" cheap and you can't find anything better, then by all means pick it up for a quick hit of fun, catchy music, but don't expect it to be any more than that. And don't bother with the last track; the last time I listened to it, I couldn't listen to another guitar solo for days without shuddering.

You can see a complete list of all Yngwie J. Malmsteen discography, or go back to the Yngwie J. Malmsteen tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.