Facing the Animal

Facing the Animal is the tenth album on which Yngwie Malmsteen combines fast scales, classical melody and thick riffs to push the guitar’s aggression to the front. The dazzling guitar is at the center, yet the songs are built on dramatic singing and rhythm rather than serving as a mere vessel for solos. From the drama of the opener “Braveheart” and the weight of the title track “Facing the Animal” to the aggression of “Enemy” and the lyricism of “Like an Angel (For April),” the range of the songs is wide. Sharp phrasing continues, while bluesy textures and heavy mid-tempos are woven in, giving the album dynamics. Its distinction is that it unites dazzling technique and the drama of songs within a heavier sonic picture. Beyond speed, it rewards attention to the thickness of the riffs and the shading of the melodies. Answering listeners who want both technique and aggression, it is a dense, powerful guitar-metal record — an engaging work showing Yngwie’s fullness in the late 1990s.