Yngwie Malmsteen – Perpetual Flame (Release Year – 2008)
I must admit that I wasn’t very impressed with the last couple of Yngwie Malmsteen albums. Yngwie’s playing was never the problem. It just seemed like the last couple of discs lacked good enough songs to keep me interested.
When the news came out earlier this year, that Tim “Ripper” Owens (Judas Priest, Iced Earth) became Yngwie’s new singer, I knew I would not be able to resist picking up Yngwie’s new disc, Perpetual Flame.
When I first listened to Perpetual Flame, I thought Malmsteen’s playing sounded more inspired than normal. Initially I thought Ripper’s involvement may have lifted Yngwie’s spirits to a new level, which in turn, helped this album shine. After a recent interview with Yngwie at HRH, I learned that the music was completed before Ripper came on board. No matter what the reason is, Perpetual Flame is easily one of the best new albums by Yngwie in many years. Ripper Owens voice seems to complement Yngwie’s frenzied fret work better than most singers that have fronted Malmsteen’s Rising Force.
The first four songs (previews available below) on this disc are excellent slabs of metal. Ripper’s voice sounds great, and Yngwie’s guitar work is amazing as always. These are easily some of the best songs of Malmsteen’s long career.
This wouldn’t be a Malmsteen album without a couple of instrumental tracks, and on “Perpetual Flame” you get three, “Caprici Di Diablo”,”Lament” and “Heavy Heart”.
Malmsteen’s guitar licks on “Caprici Di Diablo” will certainly amaze you, and if anything will have have offering up a metal salute to this guitar god. Yngwie even steals the microphone away from Ripper, and sings the lead vocals on the song “Magic City”.
Without question, the perpetual flame still burns inside of Yngwie, and he given us one of the better metal albums of 2008. Highly recommended!
Rating: 
Out of 10
Red Devil (Live)
Track Listing:
- Death Dealer
- Damnation Game
- Live To Fight (Another Day)
- Red Devil
- Four Horsemen (Of The Apocalypse)
- Priest Of The Unholy
- Be Careful What You Wish For
- Caprici Di Diablo
- Lament
- Magic City
- Leventh Hour
- Heavy Heart
Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force is:
Yngwie Malmsteen – Lead Guitar, Keyboards, Bass,
Tim “Ripper” Owens – Vocals
Derek Sherinian – keyboards
Patrick Johansson – drums
Lost all respect for Yngwie when he said he hated the blues…give me any “lick” from any Joy Division song before any lick from Lord Malmsteen.