Marching Out (1985). Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force's second album.

From the early to mid 80s, heavy metal took off as a new and expanding form of what rock music was truly capable of doing. First in the 80s there was the new wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) scene, followed by a split direction in the mid 80s with the lighter glam metal and the heavier thrash metal movements. However, there was also a category which falls right inbetween the two called Power Metal. It combines the themes and heaviness of real heavy metal bands with the melodic and mainstream stylings of glam metal into an unbeatable synthesis. Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force was one of the forerunners of modern power metal, appearing in the mid 80s with an excellent trio of masterpiece albums. Unlike thrash, NWOBHM, and glam, power metal was a genre which did not take off in America nor England, but rather it thrived in lesser countries of Europe such as Finland and Sweden. To this day, power metal is the ONLY remaining form of true metal music, not that rap/metal poser junk which plagues modern American radio.

Rising Force consists of members Jeff Scott Soto on vocals, Yngwie J. Malmsteen on guitars, Marcel Jacob on bass, Anders Johansson on drums, and Jens Johansson on keyboards (for those who didn't know, Jens eventually joined Dio and then in the mid 90s teamed up with Stratovarius). Everyone performs reasonably well on here, from Soto's soaring vocals to Jens Johansson's melodic keyboard textures and harpsichord solos (which he would be later famous for in Stratovarius). While everyone plays well, IT'S YNGWIE'S GUITAR PLAYING THAT TRULY STANDS OUT PHENOMENALLY. When I first heard the minute-long solo in track two, my jaw dropped in utter awe. I'm absolutely serious when I say that he is possibly one of the most talented guitar soloists in the history of metal. I'm even tempted to say that he is greater than the legendary George Lynch, Kirk Hammett, and Eddie Van Halen (which is saying a lot because these three are damn perfect guitar soloists!). Just listen to one of the many wild rollercoaster solos and it will all become clear.

Marching Out is a direct continuation of the 1984 debut's style, though this time there aren't nearly as many instrumentals, and sadly the number would continue to drop with every progressing album. Here's a brief lowdown:

1) Prelude- Just a boring minute-long intro of nothing which should have been ommitted from the album. Thankfully, you can skip it. 2/10

2) I'll See The Light Tonight- An incredible melodic rocker with soaring vocals and excellent guitar work. I won't go into much detail about the guitar solos on this album because all of them are played with god-like precision. 10/10

3) Don't Let It End- Good song which starts out fairly lightweight and then changes into another rocker similar to ISTLT. 8/10

4) Disciples Of Hell- AWESOME! AWESOME! AWESOME! One of the album's two best tracks. Starts off with a minute-long accoustic guitar solo, and then explodes into a dark, mid-tempo rocker with nearly perfect verses and chorus. 10/10

5) I Am A Viking- A slow, heavy song which proves to be very worthwhile, if just a little goofy on the subject matter. Definitely worth NOT skipping. 9/10

6) Overture 1383- This short instrumental starts out heavy like the middle of DoH, but then the drums and guitars die and turn the song into a light and melodic ballad-type section. Pretty good. 8/10

7) Anguish and Fear- Fastest song on the album. One thing that stands out is the alternating guitar and keyboard solos in the middle which make this track a real pleasure to listen to. 9/10

8) On The Run Again- Another great melodic track in the same vein as ISTLT. It is actually quite excellent even though a bit underrated, and it will never fail to please. 9/10

9) Soldier Without Faith- AN ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE EPIC! Great usage of background keyboards before the guitars, drums, and vocals kick in. Throughout the song and up to the end, the bandmembers all play at their best here. It's probably my favorite Malmsteen track. 10/10

10) Caught In The Middle- A good, but not outstanding track. It doesn't really do anything to warrant any real attention to it, but at the same time this track shouldn't be skipped either. Worth a listen. 8/10

11) Marching Out- This instrumental is slow, dark, and engaging with its background keyboard wash and Yngwie's soloing. Very brief and a great way to close out the album. 9/10

Overall, Marching Out is an excellent album and my personal favorite of the early Malmsteen albums. 5 stars for over the top virtuoso musicianship, and songwriting. The only complaint I really have is that the production is a little thin sounding, but thankfully it was fixed in later albums. They continued on with the next album Trilogy(1986) and ditched the dark overtone that the first two albums had, but it was still no less solid. After the first three albums though, the band was never this good again. So if you see Rising Force, Marching Out, or Trilogy sitting around in the stores, PICK IT UP!! Otherwise you will be missing out on some of the greatest guitar soloing to ever be conceived.

Also, if you like this band be sure to check out other similar bands which are still around: Stratovarius, Dream Theater (Images & Words album specifically), Gamma Ray, Hammerfall, Sonata Artica, Rhapsody, Blind Guardian, and Symphony X.

I have almost all of Yngwie's albums and I still think the first three are his best. At this point Yngwie was young & hungry and his guitar playing was on fire. Marching Out has several great songs like Disciples Of Hell (great riff and solo!), I Am A Viking (another cool riff and awesome run at the beginning of the solo), Don't Let It End (strong vocals from Jeff Scott Soto), & Overture 1383 (simply beautiful guitar interlude). It's cool that Yngwie is still putting out Malmsteen metal even though others went grunge or simply disappeared.

True vintage heavy metal music has always fit Yngwie like a glove. Back in 1985, the genre hadn't yet been contaminated with the fluff and hairspray of glam, and Yngwie began to step even more into his own arena with MARCHING OUT. The same cohorts from the first record return except for that Jens Johansson's brother Anders was at the drum kit and Marcel Jacob had taken over bass duties. This album, although similar in sound and execution to the classic first album RISING FORCE, differs in a few ways, the main one being few instrumentals, (only 2 here "Overture 1383" and "Marching Out" the latter being the better but neither even coming close to anything on the first record) and some short, quick fix rockers ("On The Run Again" and "Caught In The Middle"). But, this album did lay the blueprint for much of what was to follow for the next 15 years or so and truly is classic, if only for the fact that it seems, after reviewing his entire ouevre, Yngwie was in his prime here and on RISING FORCE both instrumentally and compositionally. Highlights include the scalding "I'll See The Light Tonight" and the flawless "I Am A Viking". For truly vintage heavy metal, check out the headbanging "Disciples Of Hell" (featuring a standout acoustic intro) or, for the more daring, we get the epic "Soldier Without Faith" which seems to be a cult favorite tune amongst hardcore fans. "Don't Let It End" is one of the guitarist's better power ballads and "Anguish And Fear" features great interplay between Yngwie and Jens.

An Yngwie album is alot like a James Bond movie. You KNOW what is going to happen, but you go see it anyway because something is bound to excite and impress you. This album set up the formula of: 1) A couple instrumentals 2) Some uptempo rockers 3) A ballad or two 4) Lots of high-scream vocals usually about some medievel theme or a "me vs. the world and I will win" type theme...or love. 5) LOTS of fast soloing in the neo-classical vein with some harmonizing and some wild, usually arpeggio based interludes

Classic, astounding, truly otherwordly, MARCHING OUT reinforced the statement made on RISING FORCE and soon, Yngwie would be a household name. ( Note: Guitar tone is similar here but not quite as good as the first. Basically RISING FORCE part 2 with lots of vocals.)

After Malmsteen's fantastic debut album 'Rising Force', I went and immediately snapped this one up when I saw it cheap. What can I say - I will never regret buying 'Marching Out'! It's an absolutely incredible album with eleven songs of pure Viking pride. Hell, Malmsteen has even named a song 'I Am A Viking'!

Here's a quick rundown of each track - honestly, they're all great! :

~1) Prelude - just a minute-long opener. Nothing to shout about here. As an ambient piece it works, but as an introduction to an album it's pretty much hit and miss. 5/10

~2) I'll See The Light, Tonight - brilliant! My favourite song on the whole album! Jeff Scott Soto's vocals are top notch here, especially with his high notes on the pre-chorus. It's the purest eighties cheese, but it's Malmsteen - what d'ya expect? 10/10

~3) Don't Let It End - nothing too special, but Soto's vocals are once again excellent on throughout the song. I certainly wouldn't recommend skipping this... at least for the first time. 8/10

~4) Disciples Of Hell - fantastic! My second favourite song on this album. Soto brings home one of Malmsteen's best choruses, and a real punchy tune to boot. Religious folk beware, though! The lyrics are quite evil-sounding and are all about devil worshipping and Lucifer himself! One of Malmsteen's darkest songs for sure. Not to mention one of his best. 10/10

~5) I Am A Viking - the most blatant expression of Malmsteen's Swedish pride! Again, it's one of his most darkest pieces, but it plods on rather slowly throughout and for some reason doesn't quite hit the spot for me. Still a solid song with regards to the essence of Malmsteen's culture and heritage, and definitely not skip-worthy! 9/10

~6) Overture 1383 - a nice instrumental, but not anything to really write home about. Luckily it's not too long. 8/10

~7) Anguish And Fear - quite an average song this time round. Although Malmsteen's guitar is always on hand to save the day as ever. 8/10

~8) On The Run Again - another pretty average song, but it's still not bad. Keep close to the overall theme of the album. 8/10

~9) Soldier Without Faith - with its heroic, militaristic theme and strong chorus, this song is yet another winner! It tells of a story about a solider who's lost in the battlefields and must escape fast. My third favourite on the album. 10/10

~10) Caught In The Middle - a solid song with a very well executed and atmospheric riff. Aside from that it's nothing too special but nevertheless I always make sure never to skip it, for the riff alone. 9/10

~11) Marching Out - a relatively short but absolutely beautiful instrumental. Almost brought tears to my eyes when I first heard it! It's not ballad-like by any means; it's just very heartfelt. 10/10

There you have it. A entire album dedicated to the essence of war. For sure, one of his best - if not THE best.

For any serious collectors of Malmsteen's work, I definitely suggest his first three albums ('Rising Force', 'Marching Out', and 'Trilogy') as they are all prime examples of what Malmsteen was all about. Unfortunately his lastest work well never be at the level of this album and others, but pick this one up and reminisce over the glory days of Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force!

That was exactly what I was thinking the first time I heard Marching Out. This is a Yngwie masterpiece CD. Great guitar work throughout, not to mention Jeff Scott Soto's killer vocals or the keyboard parts played by master Jens Johansson. I Am A Viking has a great lyrical score, and Soldier Without Faith has awesome melodies. If you're wanting the best of early Yngwie, get this album within 72 hours! You won't regret it.