Search - Yngwie Malmsteen :: The Seventh Sign

Hail The Maestro!!!

I. MUNOZ | 06/19/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yngwie is back! And better than ever! The power and vibrance of this CD are awesome! It is in-your-face metal with Yngwie playing at the speed of light! Yet it still manages to be heart-felt and melodic. This CD has definitely become one of my favorites. While I like pretty much all of the songs on the CD, I think that "Forever One" and "I Don't Know" are 2 of my favorites. "Forever One" is a great ballad with a lot of heart and has got to be one of the prettiest songs I've ever heard. I love the combination of the softer, more melodic acoustic guitar parts with the more intense sound of the electric guitar in other parts of the song. On the other end of the spectrum, "I Don't Know" is one that really gets you movin' and puts a smile on your face. While it has a totally different feel to it, I really love the guitar work in that one as well! "Bad Blood" is another one that really shines! The only song that I really didn't like all that much was "Pyramid of Cheops". I don't hate it, but it just didn't appeal to me as much as the other songs on the CD. I generally find myself skipping past that tune. But the rest of the CD is on fire! It was a great comeback after the disappointing previous release "Fire And Ice". Yngwie truly shines on this CD! I've heard it said over and over again that Yngwie plays without heart or emotion and while I have never been able to understand how that could be said about him, I think that this CD depicts more accurately than any other how Yngwie very competently combines his passion for playing with his phenominal talent. This is definitely a collection of songs that everyone could enjoy, whether your an avid fan of the Maestro or not."

Varied and enjoyable, and SUPERBLY sung!

I. MUNOZ | Montreal, PQ, Canada | 10/06/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Instead of starting the review by talking about the guitar hero who plays here and we all know that shreds like no other, I'll talk first about Michael Vescera, the vocalist. Why? Well, because his superbly melodic and powerful voice makes all the difference on this record. I think Malmsteen at this point doesn't have anything special or revolutionary to say - without taking any merit out from the maestro, of course. But I do welcome Vescera as a true treat to my ears and a great complement to Malmsteen skills, because it is Vescera what makes me really enjoy this release.



However, a great singer and a virtuoso guitar player don't make by themselves a five star record "just by default". There are also songs, and that's what I think is the strongest point of this release. I was waiting something like this from Yngwie since Odyssey, and well, here it is - finally! All the songs in this album are great ones, very pleasant to the ears and at the same time played with perfect musicianship and attitude.



For instance, the opener "Never Die" is a greatly melodic, purely neoclassic song that sounds superbly well - nothing new, yes, but so well done! It's an instant hook. But things get even more interesting while you move forward to the next tracks. "I don't know" is a very old school hard rock piece which shows a totally different side of Yngwie. What a great surprise hearing him exploring other sonic avenues! For once the man attacks with all his Hendrix influences more than explicitly. The tone, the wah, the way of riffing, all quote Hendrix so amazingly well! Then it comes the next track: the entry solo of "Meant to be" is a little masterpiece. I love it! And later on you get "Forever One", a power ballad to kill, as good as it gets from Yngwie - though I won't dare to say it matches "Dreaming", no I won't. :-)



But a very special mention goes to the title track: "Seventh Sign". This song is neoclassic power metal at its best, period. Vescera again does it sooooo well! And Yngwie? Well, he invented the genre as we know it today, so what can I say about him you don't know already? :-)



Another great (and also different!) song is "Bad Blood", kind of power blues / hard rock that reminds me Lynch Mob or Badlands at their best. Another surprise from Yngwie, who successfully moves away from his "normal" musical constructions. Again, I love the vocals. The guitar sounds amazing too. The pre-chorus even reminds me the good ol' Alcatrazz, with some Whitesnake thrown in for good measure. It is so cool! Thanks, Yngwie, for daring to change your style at least once in a lifetime!



And there is also the ballad "Prisioner of your love". Kind of cheesy power ballad again, but still fertile land to let Vescera shine at his best. And the chorus, well, that's "copy & paste" from Bach, I know; but I dig it anyways. Malmsteen always was keen at vulgarizing the old masters, and with this song he does it again - and does it well.



As you can see, I've been mentioning songs and songs and songs, and praising about them one by one. I always listen to this album without skipping a single track, and that says a lot. To conclude, if Odyssey was your cup of tea, this one will be too. And if good music and good rock is your stuff, this album is a no brainer. If not the best (as it would be a matter of taste), "Seventh Sign" is one of the best albums Malmsteen has ever released so far. Five singing and "songwritten" stars! :-)"