Published on Jan 17, 2001
It takes balls for someone to name an album
Magnum Opus, even Yngwie Malmsteen. After all, with a name
like that, you’re all but inviting people to take potshots at the
album to try and prove that it’s not your best work.
And, in all fairness, I do like Malmsteen’s work in general
(though it took me a long time to appreciate it). So I won’t be one
of the people trying to find more holes in this 1995 disc
(re-released with a sizable portion of Malmsteen’s backcatalog on
Spitfire) than in Woody Woodpecker’s home forest. But while this
disc isn’t Malmsteen’s best, it does feature the Swedish guitar
legend doing what he does best in an enjoyable package.
Malmsteen and his band – vocalist Michael Vescera, keyboardist
Mats Olausson, bassist Barry Sparks and drummer Shane Gaalas – plow
through 12 songs that could easily be called what Malmsteen has
done his entire career – namely, write metal-oriented songs with
some pop sensibilities and guitar solos that could peel wallpaper.
You do have to hand it to Malmsteen, though; he knows how to keep
things interesting, even if you’re hearing this guitar god routine
for the umpteenth time.
And it’s not that there aren’t noteworthy songs on this disc.
Tracks like “Vengeance,” “VooDoo,” “Fire In The Sky” and
“Tomorrow’s Gone” all suggest that Malmsteen has lost none of the
fire that first brought his solo career to people’s attention back
in 1984. The songs themselves are well-crafted, and Malmsteen’s
guitar work still is enough to make people’s jaws fall to the floor
in amazement.
To say that songs like “No Love Lost,” “I’d Die Without You” and
“Dawn” are average doesn’t quite seem like enough – and I’m not
going for the Malmsteen ass-kiss here. The tracks are interesting
enough, but they don’t have enough of the magic to push them over
the edge and become memorable. For a cursory pass of the disc,
though, there’s plenty for the listener to like.
Interesting to note is “Overture 1622,” penned by Malmsteen but
sounding like it has deeper roots than the ones he normally calls
to people’s attention in liner notes. (Just to clarify: I’m
not
saying he plagiarized this from the classical world!) It’s a
fascinating piece – especially considering that Malmsteen was not
far away from unleashing
Concerto For Guitar And Orchestra on the world.
Malmsteen might be one of the only artists where calling an
album of his average is actually a compliment.
Magnum Opus has some very fine moments, and while some of
the tracks on the disc won’t set the world on fire like other
Malmsteen releases, there’s plenty on this disc for his fans to
revel in.