WTEAW Reviews

WTEAW Reviews

Miami New Times Chooses War to End All Wars Album As Local Best for 2001

IN BEST OF MIAMI : DIVERSIONS, CITY LIFE, FINEST FOODS, BARS & CLUBS, MUSIC, RESTAURANTS, SHOPS & WARES, RECREATION. Check other Best Ofs Year... 2001 / 2000. Click HERE to access website.

Best Local Heavy-Metal Album - War to End All Wars by Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force.
Miami's own heavy-metal warrior by way of Sweden and Los Angeles, Yngwie Malmsteen has settled on a novel solution to the ol' "Hope I Die Before I Get Old" quandary that plagues so many aging rock singers. Sure he still pens the same Dungeons and Dragons-esque tales of teen angst, marauding goblins, and demonic armies as he did nearly two decades ago. He just lets someone else sing them. And should that hired vocalist begin to lose his heavy-metal mettle, or (shudder) begin to mellow, Malmsteen simply fires his leather-jacketed ass and hires a new microphone slinger. It's a modus operandi that leaves him free to concentrate on his guitar playing -- the main reason, after all, his fans keep coming back, album after album. War to End All Wars certainly doesn't disappoint on that count. It's chock full of Malmsteen's squealing solo work and gloriously over-the-top allusions to his classical composer heroes. Bonus feature: The CD booklet reprints the lyrics so you can sing along. All together now: "In there dwells the wizard/His breath like a blizzard/Ancient incantations/Evil revelations."

More Reviews from the Internet

From Al Paiz: Regarding the many mixed reviews all over the Internet, ranging from mild to ignorant and despicable: In the 1st place, why do they expect polished production on an album called WAR TO END ALL WARS?! War itself is not pretty and perfect, but is rough, dirty and mean.See the correlation?

Secondly, I've read past-album reviews which complained of too polished a production, this seeming to be his "legacy" in the eyes of many historians: "...he suffers from poor songwriting and too-slick production..." So when he gives us something like WAR, what're they going to say now? You guessed it: "THE PRODUCTION SUCKS!" Makes you wonder if these people could ever see their OWN faults. WHO thinks they're GOD?? ( A note for you music journalist/critics: YOU DON'T WRITE OR PERFORM THE MUSIC, DO YOU?! You must be insanely jealous and **ssing green envy just at the mere mention of his name, to slag someone who, even on his worst day, could out-inspire and out-perform you in any and every way. "This and that could've been done better...": well, if it could, YOU'd be doing it! There certainly are a multitude of things he can do BETTER THAN YOU.)

Thirdly, many complain about the "sameness" and "rehashing, " so when he goes for a different studio-sound on a new album, why do you attack relentlessly? Shouldn't he maintain his playing style? Why is going for a different studio sound or vibe too much to stomach? For too many, if he "sucks" in one aspect then there seems to be nothing good at all for them to get from it, so they **it-can it, and him altogether. Has anyone heard of experimentation?! There's always something "wrong." Is that reason enough to abandon the guy completely?

At least he hasn't turned his back on his most loyal fans and done an album strictly of blues, or jazz/fusion, to the total disappointment of those in love with any one of the other, heavier, sides of his music. Why does writing blues or jazz/fusion/funk or world music have to signify musical maturity, sophistication, and knowledge? Where's the rule?---heh, maybe for the AVERAGE player. Yngwie had already leap-frogged many great players by the time he was only 19. Why don't more blues and jazz/fusion players make the jump to classical music? Do blues and jazz players make the conscious decision to PROGESS to classical? Not nearly enough. Say what you will, as far as Yngwie not being greater than these other music forms, but he certainly doesn't deserve to be slagged mercilessly the way he's been, for such petty misgivings. He has inspired absolutely countless numbers to play, improve their playing, and to persist in a positive way in their daily lives, musician and non-musician alike. That seems like such a soft, melodramatic statement to make, but it's the truth, and the way people keep harping negatively on the "ego" issue, it sure doesn't hurt.

So, my thoughts on WTEAW are that it kicks ass, is entertaining, heavy, and worthy of being labled a heavy metal classic. I think that he went after a certain sound-- this is the perceived "poor production"-- it's a sound, a vibe he was going for, possibly a medieval mood. The sound/production/engineering give the image in my mind of traveling back and through time itself, the same impression I feel from Alchemy's "Quantum Leap." I think the "live sound" that many are saying he went for is better expressed as less or no effects, like you were sitting there with the band, before any post-production that might take place on a "normal" occasion. The sound is purposefully more raw and basic, as he says in such a way sometimes: 'ok, now you pissed me off; you say I'm this and you say I'm that, I'm gonna show you people and make a recording as raw in production as possible. I'm going to show-off my fantastic drummer and other musicians, and give the critics a kick-ass-as-can-be band that doesn't have to hide behind a slick production and effects, and, dammit, we're going to sound 10x better, meaner, heavier, tighter, more progressive and honest than any of your best bands with slick, multi-million dollar production.' And by this, I think he succeeded, hugely.

From BobFather59: OK, the production is not up to par as far as sounding like every other group's glossy production of their music. But if you were trying to produce a CD that had a live quality to it, then I would have to say Yngwie has hit the mark. Dead center. I had to listen to the CD a few times before it started growing on me, as all of Yngwie's CD's do. The closest CD that Yngwie has produced that sounds like WTEAW and that took me a few listens before I got it, was Seventh Sign. It sounded different and a bit muddy. After a few listens it all became clear that that was what was intended. WTEAW has had the same effect and then some. I haven't heard a more powerful, diverse, heavy, CD then WTEAW. It has some of the greatest compostitions any modern rocker has ever produced. Listen to the music and try to understand what the artist was trying to do, not what you would have done. If you can do better, I'd love to hear it. Thanks for listening, Bob.

From Andy Rizzio Bensalem, PA.: I'd like to say that the whole CD SUCKS! It's terrible and I'm deeply saddened by the apparent lack of creativity on display from YM himself. This is the greatest guitar player to ever live, bar none, and this is what he comes up with? Are you fucking kidding me????? Half the songs start off the same friggin way, every song lacks melody and feeling. This is not the Yngwie we've all come to love and admire. I wonder if Yngwie is so puffed up with his abilities that he figures it really doesn't matter what he puts together, as long as he fly's through the fret's it will be good enough. I don't know the maestro obviously, I never will, but, if his ego is as big as I think it is He'd better learn to put that shit aside and take some direction, advice, constructive criticism from people around him. This is of course going under the presumption that it's his way or the highway. My advice, go back to your roots and make peace with Jenns and Anders. When they were together the music was perfect, so much feeling and harmony. The music was dripping with creativity and feeling, now it's all gone. In any event, something had better change because soon the very core base of his support will be leaving him...including me! Sorry for being a prick, I just wanted to emphasize my strong displeasure with this cd, along with the last 2 as well. Thanx!

Detritus Online Review

By Tim Wadzinski, Editor, Detritus.
YNGWIE MALMSTEEN - WAR TO END ALL WARS (B) Spitfire, 2000 14 tracks, RT: 65:47
Man, this thing's been taking a beating in some circles, due to the muddy production. I think a lot of the blame needs to be placed on the opening track, "Prophet Of Doom," because right off the bat it's just *not* crisp sounding at all. (One e-mail buddy of mine went so far as to say it sounds like "a 20-year-old demo tape.") Truth is, neither this nor Yngwie's last album, 1999's ALCHEMY, had the greatest production. But you just gotta make do when it comes to Yngwie. You know the drill by now: this is powerful, over-the-top neoclassical heavy metal with the token ballad thrown in to vary things up. Some songs are too long ("Prophet Of Doom," "Crucify," "Tarot," the ballad "Miracle Of Life") but again, that's part of the Yngwie package. Why does a song go on for an extra minute? Because Mr. Malmsteen isn't done speaking to you with his guitar yet, that's why. Deal with it. WAR TO END ALL WARS again features vocalist Mark Boals, who debuted on the 1986 masterpiece TRILOGY, returned as a guest on the covers album INSPIRATION, and then returned for good on ALCHEMY...and now he's gone again already. There was something magical about TRILOGY but in my opinion Malmsteen and Boals weren't able to fully recapture it on either ALCHEMY or WAR. However, a couple of these new songs do have a decidely TRILOGYesque vibe, namely the excellent "Catch 22" (dig those unnecessary-yet-cool backing vocals in the verses!) and the partially- symphonic instrumental "Molto Arpeggiosa." (A Savatage-like symphonic vibe permeates another instrumental, "Preludium," but the influence can more likely be traced back to Malmsteen's recent orchestral album, not the 'tage.) The rocking title track, "Masquerade," "The Wizard," and "Wild One"--not the Dio song, but you can almost kinda hear Ronnie belting this one out--all should satisfy Yngwie diehards. Extra props must go out to "Wild One's" lyrics, as they niftily refer back to old song titles in telling the story of Yngwie's '80s rock star excesses. (Yes I know other bands like Manowar and Megadeth have done this before, but it's still cool.) The only real clunker is the boring "Tarot," which plods and plods and is completely unexciting. (Much like the awful "Dark Ages" on TRILOGY...) WAR TO END ALL WARS isn't really commercial at all--no "Heaven Tonight" or "Teaser" here!--but it should still do the trick. - Tim ===== Detritus Rock/Metal e-zine "Rock Hard With A Purpose" http://detritusweb.com

U.K. Guitarist Magazine Review

Review By Nicky Baldrian. Rating:- 9 out of 10
YNGWIE MALMSTEEN'S RISING FORCE - WAR TO END ALL WARS, from DREAM CATCHER.

Yngwie Johan Malmsteen was born on June 30th, 1963; his family was very musically motivated and from as early as the age of seven, Malmsteen became influenced by the likes of Jimi Hendrix and by the time he was twelve Yngwie was already into taking classical guitar lessons. At fourteen Malmsteen discovers Deep Purple's Fireball album and starts writing his own material and in 1983 he joins Steeler of which he recorded an album. Later that year he teamed up with Graham Bonnet in Alcatrazz and recorded two albums, No Parole From Rock And Roll and Live Sentence, before venturing out on his own with his debut self-titled Rising Force album of which the vocals were handled by the then unknown Jeff Scott Soto. Next came Marching Out, followed swiftly the following year by the classic Trilogy opus. This was the first album to mark the debut of singer Mark Boals.

Then came Yngwie's big break with the album Odyssey with Joe Lynn Turner; this was the album that made the public aware of Malmsteen's capabilities. Odyssey was a more streamlined album that sold well right across the globe.

Eclipse then followed with ex-Madison singer Goran Edman on the mic, whilst his next release Fire And Ice was a very classical and commerical sounding record, which was then followed by The Seventh Sign which saw Mike Vescera joining the team. Magnum Opus, Inspiration, Facing The Animal and Alchemy followed with various videos and compilations CD's also being released over the years.

A dream was fulfilled in 1998 with perhaps Malmsteen's ultimate album Concerto Suite which saw him really explore his classical influences with the backing of a full orchestra and is an album I still play to this day.

So Malmsteen seems to be on a bit of roll these days, expressing his musical abilities as far as they will stretch to a somewhat satisfying effect. His latest suite, War To End All Wars, is a particularly engaging album featuring the wonderful vocal talents of Mark Boals, as well as technically complex structures blended in with symphonic neo-classical passages taken right out of Beethoven and Mozart's book, such as on the first song 'Prophet Of Doom' which is a mindblowing neo-classical shred fest, But it's not just about how fast Malmsteen shreds, the song and its lyrical content compliment Malmsteen's expert wizardry.

The next song goes back to the style heard on Fire And Ice, 'Crucify' epically pounds along in typical Malmsteen style, Yngwie makes use of the sitar throughout this song whilst Boals really puts in some heavy performances, the whole song sounds really massive and interesting and is destined to become one of Yngwie's many classic songs in years to come.

'Catch 22' opens up with insane thrashy drum pounding from John Macaluso, 'Catch 22' is a heavier sounding track that shows bands like Rhapsody, etc., how it's really done.

Another strong and effective number is the quite glorious 'Bad Reputation'. Boals' soaring vocals are reminiscant of Joe Lynn Turner; this song grows into a killer hard rock song that is easy to sing-along to and also features classical interpretations.

'Masquerade' like 'Bad Reputation' leans towards a more commercial style; the whole song is brilliant with the whole band firing on all cylinders. 'Masquerade' is another of my favourite tracks.

'Molto Arpeggiosa' is next and as you have guessed this is an impressive instrumental; this is one of those songs that makes you realise why Yngwie has been a major innovator for so many players; his use of classical elements against the context of the rock book is pretty admirable, and his playing on this song is quite exciting. A beautiful ballad called 'Miracle Of Life' soars with passionate vocals from Boals and is a profoundly touching experience with its heartfelt melodies. Also impressive is 'The Wizard', a typical Malmsteen stomper highlighted by the aggressive guitar tone, whilst the slightly calmer 'Tarot' is another perfectly attractive song, as is the title track, and 'Black Sheep Of The Family' which experiments with funky reggae parts a'la Bob Marley and Sting!!!

Malmsteen may suffer from an egotastic reputation, but when you turn out instrumental parts like 'Instrumental Institution' and 'Preludium' that greet listeners with violins and orchestral-like passages and fast arpeggio sections that break into a hard hitting progressive composition called 'Wild One', you realise that Yngwie pilots a unique quality that is untouchable. Yngwie deserves more recognition than what he gets; because of his diversity he is perhaps an easy target for the press to attack as his music is tough to write about, even so, regardless of what critics may say, Malmsteen will continue as always to pour out the music he himself loves. You can't argue at that, and you can't argue with War To End All Wars which will hopefully rise his ever-ensuing popularity even higher. Roll on the tour!!

More Reviews from Around the Internet

From ShredSymph: First I'd like to say that "Black Sheep Of The Family" was brilliantly done in my opinion. It's a bit different than what Malmsteen's done before but personally I think it's one of the best reggae sounding songs I've ever heard. It's got style and class to it. I like the wah solo at the end especially. People complain about production of this and that, and personally I could care less. It sounds great! Malmsteen probably did it the way he wanted to do it. I'm still waiting for him to do another album like Marching Out. I love that album to death. War To End All Wars has many great qualities and I feel it's his best in a very long time.

Anonymous fan from Japan: I bought WAR TO END ALL WARS and have listened it . It's very good . Thank you MR.YNGWIE!

Metal-Rules.com Rates new album 4 out of 5

Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force - War To End All Wars Released: 2000, Spitfire Records | Rating: 4/5 | Reviewer: EvilG

In one sentence - another amazing CD from THE guitar god, but a very small step down from Yngwie's 1999's Alchemy CD. It's still way better than the luke-warm received Facing The Animal (1998). This album proves to me that Yngwie is back playing what we all love him for. When I first heard the CD I thought the production was a bit weird. The rhythm guitar sound is muddier than usual and the drums sound is very raw. The vocals are not as up in the mix as they should have been in places. After I got used to it I kinda forgot about the production (which was done by Yngwie apparently).

After the recording of War To End All Wars, vocalist Mark Boals left the "band." That's unfortunate, because I consider him to be the best vocalist that Yngwie has recorded with so far. For those who lost count, this is the THIRD time that Mark has left the band. The first was in 1986 after Trilogy, the second in 1996 after the recording and tour for Inspiration... and now after re-joining in 1999 and putting out Alchemy and this CD, he's gone again. Pretty messed up huh? Anyway, on to the music on the CD.

Take a deep breath, cause I'm gonna rant on most of the songs here because as you may know I am guilty of worshiping Yngwie haha!!! "Prophet of Doom" begins this 14 track CD. The interesting thing about this is that it contains a cool Paganini section near the 3:00 mark (I'm almost positive that melody is Paganini) then in comes the solo...holy shit, Yngwie is amazing. I still get blown away by his playing even though I've been listening to him since the early 80's. To anyone who thinks that Yngwie is about guitar masturbation or all technique and no feel...FUCK YOU. Those people have no clue about music at all. The reason why I still love his playing all these years later is not just because he shreds, but because it's done with passion and feeling.

"Crucify" is an excellent song with a classic sounding Malmsteen riff. This is the one where you can hear the sitars - pretty cool and something you wouldn't normally expect from Yngwie. Thankfully the sitar is not overpowering but adds to the song's feel. "Catch 22" begins with another excellent opening riff, this song could have been on Trilogy. There's another solo section in this song that is breathtaking. Some cool double kicking drums are also to be found in this one. "Masquerade" has a memorable chorus, very melodic. The beginning of the solo on this one sounds like something he's done before. I realize that Yngwie has a few of his favorite runs that you can hear him use in different places (as do ALL guitarists). However, the intro to this solo sounds like it's note for note something I've heard him do elsewhere...oh well, it's still god-like.

No one plays arpeggios quite like this guy, and that is again shown on the track "Arpeggios From Hell." This is the type of shred-fest that leaves a puddle of drool on your chest. It's one of the better instrumentals that he's done. This song also has some cool bass in it - not something you normally think much about when listening to Yngwie. In fact, the bass on this one stands out so that I'm wondering if it's Yngwie playing it himself...oh wait, it is Yngwie. He does all lead, rhythm, bass, acoustic, sitar and some vocals on this CD! Next up is "Dreaming", oops wrong album...but it's very close in feel and style. The song here is "Miracle of Life" which is apparently about Yngwie's feelings about growing older, having a son, raising a family...etc. So no, not all songs are "fantasy" based. In fact, the only fantasy song on here is "Wizard."

"Prelude" is an intro, as the title might suggest. This one is a classical piece - all Yngwie and the orchestration parts - more in line with his Concerto Suite work. This makes way for "Wild One" with a chorus that sounds more like hard rock and then the typical thundering verses in the song. "Tarot" is another very classic sounding Yngwie song that starts out slow and plodding (not hard to see where Memory Garden got some of their influence is it??? Big Time!!!!!). "Instrumental Institution" is the second full instrumental piece on the CD. This one has some keyboard solos with the guitar. this is something that hasn't been done this cool by Yngwie since keyboardist Jens Johansson departed from the band. "War To End All Wars", the album's title track, has an excellent chorus featuring some great vocal work by Mark Boals. Again you can tell that it's Yngwie on bass. I prefer him playing all the bass lines because no one plays it like that or with as many killer bass runs. The last track on the CD is an abomination. It's aptly called "Black Sheep of the Family." It's a reggae tune that was meant as a joke. Yngwie playing reggae?!?! I see the humor in the idea, but I couldn't even listen to the song it sucked so bad.

Yngwie composed ALL these songs himself along with all the lyrics. He also produced this CD. According to the bio, all the solos on this CD are improvised. Yngwie says "I would say roll tape, and I'd just go crazy, and that's how the solo's were done." I wonder if he's able to remember what he did when he plays live? Or does he just go for live as well? Either way, there is an undeniable force running through this guy....a talent that only a few can come close to but in my opinion no one matches!

Yet More Reviews from the Internet

From Hector G: Greetings from Barcelona. I just want to let you know how much I love the new album. For a lot of people (I suppose) the greatest surprise's been listening to Yngwie playing reggae, what a song!!! You've got to be brave to dare playing reggae with such respect and savoir faire. I hope Yngwie's coming to Barcelona to play (I've been waiting since 1998!!) ;-)

From sueZ: Well. I've not even heard it all. I've got to say, that this may become my favorite! A very strong album. Very into neo-classical roots, which is why I like it so much. Production? Voice mixing. Yeah, those are good criticisms. Whether it was done on purpose or not to give it a raw feel, I'd be interested to know. But it's a small criticism in view of the quality of the music. For instance, the only Yngwie ballad that I really like is "Dreaming". He tends to get too sickly sweet and simplistic in his ballads. But I really like "Miracle of Life" and I think it's a good inspiration to have included his son. Ah, I have to finish listening. And glad I made my local music store get it. The kid who waited on me looked at it closely while their store system was rebooting, and I'm betting he listened to one of the other copies they got. :-) Good packaging too. Very nice photos.

From Dave Reinlieb: I think we can all agree on several things about this album: The production is not so good and Yngwie could certainly use a co-producer. Somehow I have a feeling that Spitfire will take care of that for the NEXT record. We can also agree that the lyrics are as usual no so great. I think that Jorne Lande will also fix this problem. I also hope that the producer will convince Yngwie to write better solos. But aside from that we can all agree on this album being very consistent. ALL the songs are good this time around. Only one ballad, and a good one at that!! Personally, I have liked only about 3/4 of the songs on every album since Eclipse. I also expect that the label will assure that on the next album Yngwie's talents will be drawn from him and he will be guided into making an album that we can all be proud of. But for now, this album does kick ass, doesn't it?

From Arni Z.: I got WAR a couple of days ago, and after listening to it 10-15 times I totally dig it! At the first listen I was kinda critical, especially after reading those bad reviews and the complaints about the production. But the album really grew on me, and now I really like it. Unlike most Yngwie discs I have I love all the songs on this one. I even like "Black Sheep..." :) I also love the production. It's very raw, dirty and interesting. I really like it.

From Valeria Guarnieri: I bought War yesterday and I only listened to it 3 times. Like Arni, at first I was disappointed but now I think it's a good album. My fav songs from it are "Prophet Of Doom", "Tarot", "Crucify" and "The Wizard". The istrumentals are good too. Cover and booklet are ok; I especially like "Prophet" image with Thor's hammer. The only thing I don't like of this album is the european bonus track, "Black Sheep...", I think it's simply awful ! See ya & play loud !!

From Dave Berry: Hey guys, I agree with you guys that Mark Boals singing is a detractor in my opinion on both alchemy and wteaw. I think I like Alchemy a bit better then WTEAW. I do though like the new album a lot. yes the mix sounds raw...but it's also very heavy too...if only the vocals were better. I picked up alchemy and Wteaw on the same day, so I had not heard much off these two albums at all. I thought Mark's vocals on trilogy were great...he oversings yes...but his voice sounded very powerful then. Now his voice sounds very one dimentional...and weak even though he can hit the high notes no problem.

From Chad Armstrong: Now that I've listened to WTEAW, here's a rough critique over the album. All and all, I like it a bit more than Alchemy. The songs are a bit more dynamic. One of the problems I had with Alchemy was too many of the songs in the middle of the album were just too similar. But I really have enjoyed the covers from the last two albums, much more interesting than yet another album cover with Yngwie on it. "Tarot" is easily my favorite song off of the album, I like the way he has the starting decending riff repeat in the background of the song. Some other songs I'm picked up on are "Crucify", "Bad Reputation", "The Wizard" and "War to end all Wars". Even the reggae song isn't that bad, with that Yngwie touch to it. The lows are, in a few parts the vocals are a bit too low, but I do like the increased bass sound (almost makes me want to pull my bass out of the closet and give that a spin again), and "Catch 22" sounded like a bunch of riffs taken from the Alchemy album, and "Masquerade" ended off with a riff that also sounded like something from Alchemy. All and all, I am really enjoying the album. I wouldn't say it is his best album, but I like it a whole lot more than albums like The Seventh Sign and Magnum Opus.

From Josh: I picked up the new WTEAW cd recently and thought it was excellent. I watch your web site everyday and the people that give album reviews have no idea what they are talking about. Everybody dislikes the production, I don't get it. I LOVE IT!! I am in a recording school right now so I know quite a bit about production and music and I love it. First off, Johnny MAC Rocks. The double bass drum thing is phenomenal. J. MAC. really knows how to pound on the skins and he is quite aggressive, it's fabulous. I hope YNGWIE. and J. Mac. work together for many albums to come. I love M. Boals, especially when he sings in an aggressive manner, for example, crucify. A lot of the songs from the new cd Mark sings in this manner, I dig it. It's too bad Mark left, He will be missed. And as always Yng. Rocks. His playing is brilliant and unparallel to any other player, ever!! I like the trading fours with Mats on insrumental institution, like old times, and nice melody line too, very cool. I also saw Yng in concert in minneapolis, MN. He put on a very cool show. However, J. Lande has a lack of vibrato and does not have the dynamic range like past Yngwie singers, I hope Yngwie searches for a new singer when the tour is over, possible J.S.Soto that would be cool, sorry J. Lande. Just thought I would put my two cents. Anyhow, I just want to say great job, keep up the good work, the new album gets two thumbs up from me!!

Guitar World Magazine Review

By Mordechai Kleidermacher, January 2001 issue. Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5.

This month, we look at three new albums by three very different virtuoso guitarists who like to turn it up and go for broke: Yngwie J. Malmsteen, Joe Bonamassa, and Dweezil Zappa.

First up is Malmsteen, with War to End All Wars. Like many of the flamboyant guitarist's previous offerings, the latest release from the lord of neo-classical shred is predictable, yet sturdy. For the most part, it's more of Malmsteen's Teutonic Wagner-metal, peppered, as usual, with a few instrumentals, the compulsory power ballad and, of course, lightning-fast sweep arpeggios at every turn. Nevertheless, Malmsteen and crew thrash it out with such resounding heavy-osity and panache that it's easy to get caught up in the mystical, metal frenzy of it all.

Typical of Malmsteen's albums, the best stuff is the instrumental material. "Arpeggios from Hell" and "InstruMENTAL Institution" are furious metal pieces brimming with the sort of precision Malmsteen riffage that'll set your hair on fire. "Prelude," meanwhile, is a lovely symphonic guitar piece with elegant phrases.

There is one very noteworthy surprise: the album's final track, "Black Sheep of the Family," which is a spirited, impromptu foray into, of all things, reggae. Here, Malmsteen cuts loose with a heady rock solo. It's a special moment where we get to see a different, more playful side of the man.

More Fan Reviews from the Internet

From Tony Shaw: I have in the recent past been a quite vocal fan/critic of Yngwie and his music in numerous forums. Recently I have remained silent on the subject of WTEAW, simply because I didn't have the CD and will not comment on a production until I can hear it completely for myself. I was wise enough to make the time to get the CD for myself yesterday (no mean feat here in Australia where stores are loath to stock anything other than what is given heavy rotation on "Video Smash Hits" every Saturday morning).

Having had time to digest WTEAW, I can say the following : This is one hell of a good CD. I have no complaints at all! The only suggestion I can offer is that the drums are not optimised in the mix, that's all. The material is Yngwie's strongest for quite a while, much much better than "Alchemy" on the whole. The performances from everyone involved are beyond comparison. Yng's guitar and bass work are truly breathtaking (though I wish he could play bass fingerstyle - it sounds so much deeper!). The drum work is excellent, only as I have said it is let down by the engineering/mixing stages, and lacks much real depth overall in sonic quality.

The vocals are also incredible. I have no complaint whatsoever with their sitting in the mix as have many other fans. I find them to be perfectly placed. Only comment I can make is that Mark does tend to sound a little 'thin' in places, but that is a very minor criticism to make in view of the overall quality of his work on this CD. The multi-layered harmonies of the backing vocals are very welcome indeed, and assist in giving WTEAW an unique sound amongst Yngwie's catalogue.

I'm very happy also to see a photo in the liner of Yngwie and Antonio together, posing for the camera. It's a nice, subtle shot that doesn't push Yng's family down the throats of new fans - just makes them aware that he is a multi-dimensional man with a life outside of shredding up his Strats. I like that.

Overall I really feel happy that Yng's big comeback (as it were) has been made with an album that has so much going for it in terms of overall quality. It's long been a sore point with me that he has been so largely ignored or even reviled in the mainstream, especially in my home country. I suppose that people force fed on a diet of Quarter Pounders and Diet Coke can't be expected to appreciate fine cuisine and a good wine when it is handed to them on a silver platter. I really hope that this positive message reaches Yngwie or April, I am very saddened by the amount of negative comment that has been given, by fans particularly, in the wake of this CD.

MetalUpdate.Com Review

The Metal Judgement review panel of three reviewers had differing reactions: one hated it, one thought it was okay, and a third loved it. His review appears below.

Add your own review of the album to their site: To add reader review input to the War to End All Wars reviews at Metal Judgment, go to www.metaljudgment.com, click on Album Reviews (which will take you to the Yngwie Judgment Committee Reviews), and click on "Submit a Review." You can also send an e-mail, including a rating of 1-5 skulls (5 is best), to reviews@metaljudgment.com.

Death's Review: In the eighties, Yngwie’s name was synonymous with lightning-fast, neoclassical guitar shredding. I was sucked in by classics like Rising Force and Marching Out, and even stuck with him as Yngwie succumbed a bit to the glam trends with Trilogy (although “Trilogy Suite” rules, and he did tour for that record opening for Iron Maiden, who were supporting Somewhere in Time).

Anyway, by the time Odyssey came out, I was over the whole guitar hero thing, and, having heard that that record was even more commercial, I stayed away. Somewhere along the line I noticed that he had even dropped the “Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s Rising Force” band moniker. Still, I thought to myself, if he ever goes back to the magic of the first few records, I’m right back on board.

Well, word did creep my way that his last album, Alchemy, kicked ass, although I’ve yet to hear it. But by the time an advance of War to End All Wars landed in my lap, credited once again to the “Rising Force,” I decided to pop it in and give it a spin. Wow, I thought to myself. This kicks ass! In this age of the anti-guitar solo nu-metal bands, the arguably pompous speed and classical stylings that are the Yngwie trademark sounded fresh again. They were seriously kicking my ass. And the band shreds as well, exhibiting killer musicianship throughout the disc.

I mean, Dream Theater and Fates Warning fans will undoubtedly respect the tight, technical riffing found at the begging of “Crucify.” And with killer guitar instrumentals like “Molta Appeggiosa,” you closet shredders out there can come back into the light and worship at the Malmsteen altar.

Without having heard Alchemy, it is hard to know whether to call War to End All Wars a return to form, but suffice to say, if, like me, you were into Yngwie in the beginning but have long-since strayed from the flock, you might want to get back on board for this one. It is truly a wild ride.

Two criticisms of the record, before I conclude. First, the singer. He’s good, and accomplished, but overall I just don’t like him. Marc Boals comes from the same mold of many of the singers Yngwie has used in the past. I did really dig Jeff Scott Soto, but for the most part, I’m not that into that style. Of couse, Boals and Yngwie have split, but that doesn’t change the fact that he is the singer on this record. My second criticism pertains to the lyrics. Often, they suck. Badly. Well, that’s a little harsh, but at this point in my life I really don’t need another song about somebody’s “Bad Reputation.” Old hard rock clichés die hard, I know. But believe me, you won’t be listening to this record for its insightful poetry, at least on some of the more “rockish” tracks.

So that’s it. If you are down with the Malmsteen shred style, or just appreciate complicated, technical, classical-influenced metal, you’ll dig this album. If you aren’t, you won’t. I know I like it, but this one is surely not for everyone.

HouseofShred.com Review

Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force - War To End All Wars, Spitfire Records: Reviewed by Henry Bocanegra. The Breakdown: Shred 10; Production 6; Vibe 9; Songwriting 9.

Guitar God Yngwie J. Malmsteen, the master of all things shred, returns with his lates opus, War To End All Wars, which in itself is a collection of some of the most aggressive material to ever come out of the Maestro's musical mastermind. Unlike his previous release Alchemy, War To End All Wars shows a heavier, more focused overall sound. The songs are well-written, catchy and borderline brilliant. "Crucify" is the best thing Yngwie's done in years! Other highlights are the evil "Prophet Of Doom,", the catchy "Bad Reputation," and the heartfelt "Miracle Of Life." You also get a couple of instrumentals ("Molto Arpeggiosa" & "Preludium") that belong in the world encyclopedia of shred plus an unexpected surprise in "Black Sheep Of The Family."

First, let's talk about the good: War To End All Wars features Yngwie shredding on both guitar and bass, as well as playing sitar and doing some backing vocals. Drummer John Macaluso really shines on this album. His drumming is not only phenomenal, but also inventive and progressive at times, like a modern-day Cozy Powell (R.I.P.). Mats Olausson is his usual keyboard wizard self.

Now, the not so good: While Marc Boals is a great vocalist, his operatic range is sometimes out of place in these heavier, more aggressive songs. I think War To End All Wars could have benefitted from a vocalist with a better low range (*cough* Mats Leven *cough*). Also, the production has its ups and downs. The guitar, drums, and bass sound really good, but the production itself is lackluster at times with the vocals mixed a little low for my taste. There's something to be said about making a record sound heavy, and "Raw," but I still wonder if Yngwie is really missing Chris Tsangarides' or Jeff Glixman's magic touch. That being said, I have really enjoyed listening to War To End All Wars and it grows on you like an evil shred infection.

Full of rippin' leads and infectious grooves, War To End All Wars is a terrific "U.S. comeback" album for Yngwie Malmsteen. I, for one, look forward to more Yngwie for the new millenium. Shred Pick - "Crucify" (6:44)

Amazon.com Review Samplings

Ratings average: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Reviewer: A music fan from Baton Rouge, LA USA: Is this the ultimate Yngwie record? Does it live up to the hype? Is Yngwie really "back"? Was he ever really gone? All these questions and more are answered on Yngwie J. Malmsteen's brand new disc entitled WAR TO END ALL WARS. Released stateside (which Yngwie has had problems doing with other records as of late) on Spitfire records and towing with it the biggest campaign of any Yngwie record in a long time, WAR features some of Yngwie's most focused guitar playing and songwriting since 1991's FIRE AND ICE. The opening number "Prophet Of Doom" lets us know right where we are, and also why we bought this CD in the first place. With it's over the top vocals, riff madness, burning solo section (including a thematic nod to Paganini) and headless horseman, juggernaut galloping vibe, we are truly in for the fight! "Crucify" is next and is also one of the better tracks featuring one MEAN riff and some intense sitar work. An epic song for an epic album. "Bad Reputation", "Catch 22", and "Masquerade" let us settle in and groove while keeping us content and in the fray. With the WAR under way, Yngwie gives us room to manuever and take in the sights. These songs are pretty standard fare for any Yngwie record and long time fans will feel right at home. "Molto Arpeggiosa", "Preludium", and "Instrumental Institution" are some of the guitarists best instrumentals in a LONG time. Not quite "Black Star", "Far Beyond The Sun", or "Leviathan", but these tunes in and of themselves should silence even the staunchest cynic as well as please the masses and hordes of fans worldwide. The ballad from the album, "Miracle Of Life" is not one of the better tracks, nor is "Tarot" mainly due to the unhookable hooks. But hey, this is still Yngwie, and if you like him, you'll like these songs...if you don't then you just don't. "The Wizard" is one helluva tune with some of Yngwie's best playing. The hardcore rocker "Wild One" is probably the best track and probably has the best solo on the album. Should be a great show opener! As we close the disc with the title track "War To End All Wars", we get just another dose of uptempo Yngwie attacks. You didn't expect hip hop style Limp Bizkit did you? No surprises? Hold On! In the U.S., we get bonus track "Black Sheep Of The Family" which is a Police style reggae tune, very tongue in cheek, but rather surprising from an artist who hasn't changed much in the past 20 years. All in all, this is a great record, but is it new? Is it fresh? Has Yngwie grown as an artist? Hey, they don't tell Clapton to quit playing those 100 year old blues licks do they? Epic in scope but falling short of the gold often in lyrical slips and the occassional boring hook, WAR TO END ALL WARS sees Yngwie in his finest form in about 10 years and secures his place in the pantheon of rock guitar.

Reviewer: bonerattlers1 from Crowley, Texas United States: Yngwie is back. He has released his best music in years. I picked this up today and it rocks. It can be compared to his guitar work in Rising Force and Marching Out. Although the lead singer, Mark Boals, is not as strong vocally as Jeff Scott Soto, he still sings his heart out. Yngwie wrotte all the compositions and played almost all the instruments, except keyboards and drums, and he even produced this album. "Miracle Of Life" is a tremendous ballad / rocker and a very strong cut, radio should get a hold of this one. "Preludium", "Tarot" and "Crucify" are also great songs. If you are into great guitar work like Ritchie Blackmore, Eddie Van Halen or Yngwie's previous work, don't delay, pick this release up. It's well worth the money.

Reviewer: sweepking from Woodlawn, TN United States: Ok, lets get the bad out of the way first. On first listen, the production of this cd is quite annoying. It sounds really mushy...the lead guitar is at times drowned out by mushy bass and rhythm guitars. I don't know why Yngwie would have kept it like this when he was totally in control of how this cd was recorded. In subsequent listens you start to "hear through" the mushy sound, but I think Yngwie should work on this next time. Now onto the playing. This is vintage Yngwie...right along the lines of Alchemy. Wickedly fast solos and blazing neoclassical instrumentals that will make your jaw drop although there is quite a bit of rehash here (ex. Catch 22's main riff is See You in Hell). Yngwie is still the master of the jaw dropping solo and his command over the instrument cannot be disputed. We also get some really cool keyboard/guitar duels on Instrumental Institution. Yngwie needs to let Mats shine more often. This cd has some of Yngwie's better rhythm ideas, although he is still playing catch up with Michael Romeo of Symphony X in this area...mostly due to that mushy Strat sound. The vocals are respectable...I am glad to see that Mark Boals is leaving though...Yngwie needs to dump the glass breaking sound for a more power oriented singer like Jeff Scott Soto or Russell Allen. Black Sheep of the Family was amusing, but I hope Yngwie will not make this a regular occurence...I would rather see some blues shredding if he is going to venture out of the neoclassical realm. Overall another solid Yngwie release with some jaw dropping playing.

Reviewer: JoeRobBobTom from Seattle, WA United States: Glorious uber-metal excess from the fleet-fingered Yngwie! It sounds like 1985 all over again! Anybody remember "Crucify," that jaw-dropping Bible lesson (told from the point of view of Pontius Pilate) from '80s Christian speed metallists Bloodgood? No? Your loss, baby, but this track of the same name from Yngwie's latest album may be even better. Hard to tell if the crucified individual in question is actually Jesus Christ (lyrics like "Your soul will burn forever / Bringing eternal pain" sound a little too vengeful to be coming from the mouth of God's only son), but the sheer, over-the-top drama matches Bloodgood's song blow for glorious blow. And when it comes to pure, unbridled shred, nobody touches Yngwie; "Crucify" opens with thirty seconds of shuddering bass-string hammer-ons, and gets even more insane from there (the man's style may not have changed much since 1985, but who cares?).

More Fan Reviews from the Internet

From Tom Cillizza: I got the new War to End All Wars CD from Japan on Sunday, Nov 26th. The earliest one yet from Japan! It's an excellent album. It has everything that Yngwie fans want and then some! I also love that type of production. Great songs! "Prophet of Doom" "Masquerade" "The Wizard" (great version of that classic song) and "Miracle of Life". And not to forget excellent instrumentals like "Treasures From the East" and "Instrumental Instution" I know that this is THE ONE - THE BIGGIE! Especially in America! (Excellent CD, Yngwie!) Take care and many thanks! Cheers!

From John Tsantakis: Great songs, but one of the worst if not THE worst sounding album in my collection. I actually brought it back to the store thinking it was a defective CD but found out that it wasn't. Tell Yngwie he should sue the engineer who mixed this CD. The guitars are so bassy that you can't even distinguish them. The vocals (the bess part actually) are at times buried very deeply in the mix. Drums sound like trash cans. Bass guitar is undescernable and the Keys sound like they fluctuate erradically in volume It actually sounds like a really bad demo. The engineer ruined it! Yngwie Rulz!

From Takuya Takenishi: Hi,I bought the new album!! It's great!! Wonderful!! Excellent!! I don't know how I describe about this!! Because this is so wonderful!! Great,great,great,great,great!!!! Thank you for giving the brilliant gift!! It'll be a memorial album for Christmas and Last Century,for sure!! See you next year and I'll keep on the position as long as your energy maintains!!

From Warren: Well, I received my copy of "War..." yesterday, and I have to say that I have listened to it three times, and I really do like it. After just hearing it once, I wasn't too sure but when listening to it again, I really did like it a lot. It definitely didn't hit me like "Alchemy" did, but regardless it is a good album. "Black Sheep of the Family" is an interesting song, just the fact that Yngwie is doing it too, is kind of weird. I like "Bad Reputation" and "Crucify" a lot. "Miracle of Life" is also a really good ballad. I can't wait to see Yngwie this Saturday, it should be a blast.

From Pam P.: Just got my copy of WTEAW. I LOVE this recording!!!!!!!!! There's so much going on that you can't absorb it all in one sitting. Definitely a feast for the ears. Thank you Yngwie! Can't wait to see him on December 10th.

From Joe L.: Very good point, Pam! Actually, I find it to be true of virtually all of Yngwie's albums - I have to hear them at least 3 times to begin to grasp his new vision for each one. After hearing them 100's of times, I still hear new things & certain aspects will suddenly hit me in a way they never did before. (IMO, this is a sure mark of genius.) I've been freaking out on WTEAW as well - Yng seens to somehow always get more intense on each release - it seems impossible, but he does it somehow! He's really stepping out on some limbs on this one, & as usual, he pulls it off in stupendous fashion!!

From Chris S.: Listened to the whole album, it is awesome. Black Sheep is totally gay, just press stop after 13 :P. It's the American bonus track. The guitar lead tone is impressive, not like Rising Force at all like claimed, but new and nice in its own way. Turn the bass down on this one guys, it is VERY prominent in the mix. The production is much better. I felt Alchemy's production sucked. Lots of clipping etc, and it is NOT my $5000 HK Receiver with Klipsch speaker setup, trust me. This album sounds great all the way through. Are the trademark Yngwie riffs there? of course, but they are awesome! There are some new suprises, and the 3 instrumentals on the Spitfire release are beautiful. Molto Apregioso or whatever its called is bascially Arpeggios From Hell from Full Shred expanded into a real song. I love it. Well, buy the album guys, its worth it.

From David: Well, I just got the album today and frankly I do not see what all the fuss is about [production issues]. I think it's a great album and I dont think the mixing is as bad as some are saying. I did notice that some vocals were a little shallow but other than that it sounded very good....at least it did on my stero. Another great Yngwie album!

HardRadio.com Review

Swedish guitar hero, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, is taking aim at North America with the release of his new Spitfire CD, War To End All Wars. The album sees Malmsteen mix together traditional heavy metal riffs and vocals with classical influences. As Yngwie points out, the new album "is quite heavy, but it has all the elements you'd expect plus a little more. It's an interesting album all in all." However, don't expect to see longtime lead singer Mark Boals along for the ride as Yngwie takes the music on the road. Currently, invading US shores on a package with Dio ("I've always thought Ronnie was incredible" claims Yngwie) and Doro (I don't know Doro. I don't know anything about her. I don't even know what she sounds like," says Malmsteen). New lead singer, Jorn Lande, will! join the tour a few shows in, meanwhile another alumni, Jeff Scott Soto will sit in for San Francisco, Las Vegas and LA (instead of them being all-instrumental sets) then Jorn Lande joins up in Salt Lake City. After the US tour, Yngwie plans to head to Japan to perform his Concerto Suite For Electric Guitar and Orchestra in E Flat Minor Op. 1 album in its entirety. Then, he offs to conquer Europe by himself. As for the live experience, Yngwie promises that "the set list is going to change from beginning to end. I told the guys that they have to know thirty to forty songs, but we'll do ten in concert' cause I do a lot solos/crazy guitar playing," and that he'd concentrate on playing more "of the Rising Force stuff and stuff people know, but I'll do more and more from the new album (as the tour progresses)."

KNAC.com Review

When taken into context with the rest of his body of work, War To End All Wars is 100% Yngwie. It doesn't really push the envelope or break any new musical territory that Yngwie hasn't already conquered but in the same respect it doesn't compromise his musical or songwriting style either. So that basically means that while he's still one of the more prominent guitarists out there, he's still favoring - for lack of a better word - cheesy and tired Dungeons and Dragons topics in such songs like "Tarot" and "The Wizard." Handling all guitar/bass duties himself and working once again with vocalist Mark Boals and keyboardist Mats Olausson, Yngwie does at least reaffirm his versatility as a musician. Lead track "Prophet of Doom" has an underlying Deep Purplesque feel with the John Lord-sounding keyboards while the guitars on "Crucify" are well complemented by a subtle and non-overbearing sitar. But trying to remain somewhat objective, the production lacks consistency throughout the album. From purely an audio standpoint, the overall instrumentation sounds like you are hearing a finely tuned band playing - in a rehearsal space - while the vocals are cleanly produced and multi-layered along with the requisite standout guitar solos (imagine that). I do like how "Instrumental Institution" is clearly designated as an instrumental track. I was on the fence about that one. Overall, if you're a purist this will be an album you'll want to add to your collection. If you're a first-timer do yourself a favor and pick up Double Live and Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar as these two albums present Malmsteen in the widest spectrum possible.

From the Internet

From Mike Cantone: Picked up the new CD last night at Midnight. We have a couple of stores here in the Boston area, namely Tower Records, that stay open passed midnight in order to be the first to pick the new releases. I don't do this for all the new releases. I already played the CD through once and I can say that it is EXCELLENT!!!!! It is as EXCELLENT as Alchemy. I am glad that Yngwie is writing what he wants and not what industry execs want. What Yngwie wants to play is what we his fans want to hear. Again, EXCELLENT CD. I am looking forward to seeing him at The Paladium in Worcester, MA. It will be interesting to see how the new singer handles the Mark Boals material.

From Scott Jackson-Jones: Just a quick line to you, if at all possible could you pass on my congratulations to Yngwie for yet again making a superb album. Keep up the good work everybody!! Looking forward to seeing Yngwie tour the U.K. Bye for now.

From Skywalker: I listening your NEW CD. GREAT!! But Why Do you OK this SNARE SOUND?

From Anonymous: I'm Japanese. Yngwie's new albam is very cool! and very loud! thanx!

From Yoko Miyazaki: I am so excited and feel happiness with the big reaction from Yngwie fans in Japan. This is one day earlier than official album release date but everybody made a big effort and tried to get the new album ASAP, because they can't wait anymore. Now I get a lot of excited e-mail and voice, still keep going increase the number of contribution. The listeners reactions are truly great, I am so excited with their reaction. The fans agree with my advance comment and everybody stand by my position, even if "Burrn" magazine editor comment does not give us enough good satisfaction. Everybody likes it, they said it's the greatest album in the Yngwie history !! Yngwie Guitar and Bass play is amazing, so dense, so complex, so technical, so emotional, and so classical. They love every tune, every guitar play, feeling great joy with wonderful thrilling beat, harmony and melody, they think they can touch Yngwie's soul through the tunes. The only disagreement on the album is sound production and mixing balance-- they feel it's like a Yngwie demo tape toward 21 century.

CMJ Review

Amy Sciarretto: CMJ New Music Report Issue: 692 - Nov 20, 2000
Access Online HERE.
YNGWIE J. MALMSTEEN'S RISING FORCE - War To End All Wars: Yngwie's back, and so is the J. And while we're calling it a comeback, Rising Force is along for the ride, too. Here the dexterous Mr. Malmsteen -- arguably one of the most talented, agile axeman to ever stroke a six-string -- sends guitar geeks another gem to drool over. War To End All Wars is, of course, a platform for Yng's awe-inspiring guitar solos. Still, the power-metal vocals of Rising Force's Mark Bowles take some of the pressure off the virtuosic Yng, making War To End All Wars an actual album, as opposed to a collection of classically influenced, tablature-riffic guitar parts. Retreat into a netherworld of prog with "Crucify" and "Bad Reputation."

MetalBlitz Gives Album 5-Star Rating

Yngwie Malmsteen's "Crucify" is #1 top requested download from MetalBlitz.com on Nov. 10, 2000!
Album Review: War To End All Wars
Review by Dave Epstein
Access Online Here.
Glorious uber-metal excess from the fleet-fingered Yngwie! It sounds like 1985 all over again! Anybody remember "Crucify," that jaw-dropping Bible lesson (told from the point of view of Pontius Pilate) from '80s Christian speed metallists Bloodgood? No? Your loss, baby, but this track of the same name from Yngwie's latest album may be even better. Hard to tell if the crucified individual in question is actually Jesus Christ (lyrics like "Your soul will burn forever / Bringing eternal pain" sound a little too vengeful to be coming from the mouth of God's only son), but the sheer, over-the-top drama matches Bloodgood's song blow for glorious blow. And when it comes to pure, unbridled shred, nobody touches Yngwie; "Crucify" opens with thirty seconds of shuddering bass-string hammer-ons, and gets even more insane from there (the man's style may not have changed much since 1985, but who cares?). Throw in some top-notch howling by Mark Boals, a phalanx of helium-pumped backing vocals, and even an electric sitar (!), and you've got six transcendent minutes of uber-metal bombast. Let me see your fucking lighters! -- Dan Epstein

Dan Epstein is a Los Angeles-based journalist and pop-culture historian whose work has appeared in L.A. Weekly, BAM, Raygun, Guitar World and the Los Angeles Times, among other publications. His first book, Twentieth Century Pop Culture, was published in 1999 by Carlton Books.

Daily Vault: War to End All Wars, Yngwie J. Malmsteen, Spitfire Records.

Review by: Christopher Thelen
Access Online HERE.

Although I'm familiar with Yngwie Malmsteen's work, having heard his playing since he started his solo career in 1984 (and seeing him open for AC/DC in 1985), I can't say that I'm well-schooled in his entire discography. I'm certain I'm missing an album or two from his discography, despite the fact my publicist friends were nice enough to send me the latest reissues of Malmsteen's "forgotten" releases from the '90s.

But after listening to an advance copy of War To End All Wars, Malmsteen's upcoming release, it's almost like I'm listening to an incomplete picture. It's almost as if you need to be familiar with everything that Malmsteen has done to this point to understand where he's coming from musically. If you're not as well-versed, you're left with a rather confusing picture.

Recorded with vocalist Mark Boals (who just recently announced his departure from the band, according to Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles), Malmsteen continues to crank out the classical-influenced metal that he's made a career out of - and I'm not suggesting that's a bad thing. Malmsteen still remains one of the most exciting guitarists fighting for your entertainment dollar. But as this album proves, such an approach can easily be hit-or-miss.

Take, for example, "Prophet Of Doom," a song whose Queen-like harmony vocals and John Macaluso's thrash-style drum work make this track stand out. It might not have the same kind of magic as Malmsteen's earlier hits, but it has its own unique charm that makes it equally special. (If you're wondering how anyone could play a bass riff with the same lightning speed as the guitar line, just look at the credits... Malmsteen handles all the bass work. 'Nuff said.) Ditto goes for "Bad Reputation," a song which almost sounds like it could have come from any of a number of other bands, albeit without the classical riffs from Malmsteen.

Then, there are the experiments that don't work as well. One such example is "Tarot," a song which occasionally strikes my fancy just for Malmsteen's riffage. Other tracks, such as "Masquerade" or "Wizard," have the technical expertise, but they lack any real emotion lyrically, and they don't allow the listener to really connect with them on the level that Malmsteen et al. would have liked them to.

Malmsteen's instrumental work, naturally, is without peer; selections like "Arpegios From Hell" and "Prelude" all are just more wonderful padding to Malmsteen's musical resume.

Maybe part of the problem with War To End All Wars is that it comes on the tail end of a period in Malmsteen's career where his work wasn't getting noticed in America. Now that the bulk of those discs are out on the market, people can play one major game of "catch-up". Maybe then, War To End All Wars will sound more "in place" with the rest of Malmsteen's discography. On its own, it has its moments, but it comes off sounding like a painting which is only half-complete.
RATING: C+

HardRadio Review

Hard Radio Rates "War to End All Wars" 8.5 out of 10:

"I mean, what do you want from this man? It's hard to believe that people had much to bitch about with Alchemy, lots of blinding soloing, thumping riffs, retro power. . . it's what we begged him for. Well, again and even moreso, I can't see anybody (who knows what they're in for) not totally bowing in prostration to this sledge of personality-rich power metal. So what are the tweaks? Well, I hear a more desperate and passionate vocal performance, Mark Boals' technician pipes approaching the anguish of a life sentence in a castle dungeon. But drummer John Macaluso is trying valiantly to break him out, putting up a rhythmic battle that seems designed to whip Yngwie into a frenzy. And the riffs are their own type of granite ballast, the metal mania of this album letting up only for the tosser instrumentals, the drunken U.S. bonus track (Yngwie and a drunken Police cover band buddy from back home stumble to the studio) and the incredibly valid family man ballad Miracle Of Life, mature, level-headed, maybe the album's best track. Even melodic rocker Bad Reputation thumps and bumps with football persuasion. Yngwie is pretty much the man with a past that is most obsessively committed to, married to, and having his way with, all the rules of power metal practiced by those vacant of such a past. So there's a pride there, a pride in knowing that he wrote most of these rules, and is therefore granted poetic license when he feels like letting it rip. I was going to say 'putting on a clinic', but this record is anything but clinical, despite the halting idiom in which it operates."