Track Listing

1. Locked & Loaded
2. Revolution
3. Cracking the Whip
4. Winds of War (Invasion)
5. Crown of Thorns
6. Bogeyman
7. Beauty and a Beast
8. Fuguetta [Instrumental]
9. Cherokee Warrior
10. Guardian Angel [Instrumental]
11. Let the Good Times Roll
12. Revelation (Drinking with the Devil)
13. Magic and Mayhem [Instrumental]
14. Exile
15. Hunt
16. Russian Roulette
17. Unleash the Fury
18. Paraphrase [Instrumental]
19. Special Lesson Insight #1 (Bonus Video Clip) [CD-ROM Track]

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #375885 in Music
• Released on: 2005-10-04
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Dimensions: .29 pounds

Customer Reviews

Getting better
I'll assume everyone reading this knows who Yngwie is.

Two releases ago, Yngwie put out an album that although it contained a few decent songs, sounded garbage due to terrible production and mixing.

Then he released "Attack!!", with Doogie White on vocals, Tom Fletcher mixing, and the result was SO much better on the ears. However, the album was written before a vocalist was hired.

This time he's managed to keep the improvement in production - and the same vocalist! So there's a sense of continuity which has been perhaps lacking for several years, and this time the singer's style and range has been taken into account.

The songs; well, no ballads, 4 instrumentals (no "Trilogy", but still pretty good), and a nice variety of tempos, rhythms and feels. Neoclassical leanings go without saying, but Yngwie seems to have re-discovered the chord-based "riff", which helps the songs develop their own character, and be more memorable, as opposed to a flurry of notes through the whole song.
Locked and Loaded is a good example, with a very aggressive vocal, and a solid riff, which starts things off with a bang. Cracking the Whip has an excellent chorus, and another straightforward riff.
Winds of War is a slow rocker, really good vocals (you can feel the anguish as he cries "invasion...").
Bogeyman (dumb title, I know) has a riff that hints of Marilyn Manson! But in a good way. And no fills, just a great solo.
Let the Good Times Roll reminds me of an old favourite: "I see the light tonight", in a good way.
And the title track closes things with a nasty chorus that build to a great climax.

Not so keen on a couple of songs (Beauty And A Beast, for example), but at 74+ minutes there's a lot on this CD, and the Japanese version also has some video clips (you need Quicktime6 to play them).

Should keep fans happy, might just win him a few new ones.

Sustained improvement
I'll assume everyone reading this knows who Yngwie is.

Two releases ago, Yngwie put out an album that although it contained a few decent songs, sounded garbage due to terrible production and mixing.

Then he released "Attack!!", with Doogie White on vocals, Tom Fletcher mixing, and the result was SO much better.

This time he's managed to keep the improvement in production - and the same vocalist! So there's a sense of continuity which has been perhaps lacking for several years.

The songs; well, no ballads, 4 instrumentals (no "Trilogy", but still pretty good), and a nice variety of tempos, rhythms and feels. Neoclassical leanings go without saying, but Yngwie seems to have re-discovered the "riff", which helps the songs develop their own character. Locked and Loaded is a good example, with a very aggressive vocal, and a solid riff.
And Bogeyman (dumb title, I know) has a riff that hints of Marilyn Manson! And no fills, just a great solo.

Not so keen on a couple of songs (Beauty And A Beast, for example), but at 74+ minutes there's a lot on this CD, and the Japanese version also has some video clips (you need Quicktime6 to play them).

Should keep fans happy, might just win him a few new ones.

Yngwie's best album in years
A marked return to form for the neoclassical speed wizard. At over 70 minutes, one might be forgiven for worrying that some of the tracks might feel like ones that should have been left out. Fortunately this is not the case; however much of the strength of this album only becomes apparent upon repeated listening.

I have been a fan of Yngwie's output for 20 years now, but not an uncritical one. Despite singlemindedly following his own musical direction since day one, there have been Malmsteen releases in recent years which have been far less rewarding than Unleash The Fury.

Personally, I'd recommend this as a great starting point for anyone unfamiliar with his work.