Yngwie J. Malmsteen ‎– Trilogy

By 1986, Yngwie had definently deserved the acclaim he was receiving from the guitar community. With 2 classics firmly under his belt and a growing reputation as the premier rock guitarist, Yngwie had truly re-invented the wheel! TRILOGY follows mostly the same pattern as the previous MARCHING OUT with the glaring exception being the overall “pop-ness” of the disc, possibly to widen his audience. And, to his benefit, he did with the now standard “You Don’t Remember, I’ll Never Forget” featuring quite a fine solo and the great vocal stylings of Mr. Mark Boals. Quite befitting Yngwie’s ever present Dungeons And Dragons vibe, Boals’ thin, high, shrill seems right at home with the minor key madness of such uptempo shredders as “Liar”, “Fury”, and “Magic Mirror”. Anders and Jens Johannson return while Yngwie grabs the bass on this one. We are treated to the emotionally charged instrumental “Crying” as well as the vocal tinged mid-tempo “Queen In Love” and “Fire”. The trudging “Dark Ages” is also quite a gem on an album that really saw Yngwie lean with the glam moving times of the mid to late 1980’s (possibly the only time Yngwie leaned with the times in his whole career! He truly stands by his invented neo-classical style, but it is obvious that this record was a slight departure from the raw satan-esque vintage metal of his earlier recordings). The true classic on this record, and what really sends it home with a four star rating instead of a 3 or 3 1/2 is the epic majesty of the title track, “Trilogy Suite Opus 5”. A true high point in Yngwie’s career, this instrumental reminds us of why we listen to this guy in the first place and totally is on par with “Black Star” or “Far Beyond The Sun” from his first record. Yngwie had truly solidified himself as the master of his art and with TRILOGY, he reached a broader audience while still staying true to his artistic muse. Quite a feat! A true guitar classic as well as being a metal masterpiece.