Eclipse

Eclipse is the fifth album on which Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s Rising Force combines racing riffs, thick choruses and narrative melody to paint power metal’s uplift on a large canvas. Binding classical speed to dramatic vocal melodies, it turns the sparkle of technique into strong forward drive. From the soaring melody of “Making Love” and the lyricism of “Save Our Love” to the drama of “Motherless Child” and the aggression of “Judas” and “See You in Hell,” the songs show varied faces. The guitar’s flashy motion comes to the fore, yet the clarity of the vocal melodies keeps the whole approachable. Pushing further the song-focused direction shown on the previous Odyssey, it raises the record’s standing as melodic hard rock. Rather than merely showing off dazzling technique, a care for the appeal and hooks of the songs themselves runs throughout. Joining Yngwie’s guitar with a soaring voice, it is an easy-to-enjoy, fulfilling melodic-metal record.