“Four Horsemen” has Yngwie riding his Fender at characteristically breakneck speed. “Priest Of The Unholy” and “Be Careful What You Wish For” keep the pace and momentum going.
During that same interview I asked him if there was anything technically more difficult on the album. The answer was the instrumental pieces. Sure enough, “Caprici Di Diablo”, loaded with classical overtones, sounds physically impossible to play. It goes without saying that Yngwie somehow pulls it off with all his usual lightning speed. “Lament” has that richness of sound and remarkable precision that is so familiar to fans of him. It too is an instrumental in the classical tradition and with the same complexity as its predecessor. It follows on superbly with the pair marking an album highlight.
“Eleventh Hour” has The Ripper, back on vocals with a lusciously eastern vibe. It has you dreaming of minarets, sand, heat, and mystery. “Heavy Heart” takes us back into the instrumental as only, and I mean only, Yngwie can play them. The atmospheric “Magic City” ends the album magnificently.
The second half of Perpetual Flame is particularly strong and contains many classic, please excuse the pun, examples of Yngwie’s undeniable mastery. The instrumental tracks will underline just how on fire the man is.
He seemed pleased when I mentioned the significance of Perpetual Flame’s title. Having heard it, I can see why. It confirms in no uncertain terms that Yngwie Malmsteen still has the passion, energy, drive, and incredible technical ability to produce some utterly sublime treasures.
Despite his endearing modesty, when he is inducted onto that Rock Walk it is no more than he deserves. He is without doubt one of the all time guitar legends and this album adds further weight to his already huge reputation. Thanks Yngwie.
Click here for the link to the Yngwie Malmsteen Interview and visit his Official Website for those tour dates and the album release.
Article comments
1 - Bryan
Nice review. I will definitely be checking this out. Been a fan of Yngwie since the late 80's. His albums aren't always at the top of my playlist, but this one sounds smokin! Ripper is a great singer, whom I was lucky enough to see live long ago in a variety of cover bands at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz(He was the vocalist for the cover bands of Prest, Maiden and Ozzy/Sabbath all in one night!). It would be nice to see these fantastic musicians have some success together.
2 - js
this is a decent cd....in the Malmsteen world. Best track is Red Devil. I suggest listening to the entire album before buying as most of the songs are redundant and some have a deja-vu (deja-entendu?) feel (Damnation Game is I'll see the lights tonight, but weaker).