For the first time since Odyssey I liked this album from the first time I listened to it!
This album is far from as broad as War To End All Wars is and shows a more aggressive style with a lot more tempo in general, with songs such as Rise Up, Attack! and the fantastic instrumental Baroque & Roll, but also many other songs has a throughout higher tempo than on earlier albums, with the exceptions of Stronghold and the instrumentals Majestic Blue and Air that has a slower tempo.
There is no doubt that Yngwie was strongly affected by what happened during the terrorist attacks on 9/11 2001 and the theme of the album definitely reflects what happened on that day when the world changed drastically.
Yngwie's characteriscic - the fiery and skillful guitar play - is shown through the whole album with the height in Baroque & Roll that gives goose pimples.
Yngwie has a new and interesting input in the arrangements of the singing, such as in the songs Valley Of Kings and Iron Clad. Also In The Name Of God has a good arrangement of the vocal harmonies that makes one think of Prophet Of Doom from the last album War To End All Wars, without being in the same way though.
Besides Baroque & Roll the highlights are Ship Of Fools and Iron Clad, closely followed by Attack!, In The Name Of God and Valhalla. However, I am not too enthusiastic about either Freedom Isn't Free or Touch The Sky, which does not stand the same class as the other songs on the album. If they had been bonus tracks I would have appreciated them more than I do now, and even though I don't really like them they are not downright bad. Also, I can't say that I think Yngwie should sing on his albums- unless the songs are not bonus tracks - but I must say that I think Yngwie sings good in his own way and he would for sure do well as a blues singer.
The title track, Attack!, describes exactly what I myself feel and I think that one can discern an angry and bitter Yngwie over what happened, and I wonder if Yngwie didn't make this album in pure exasperation.
- Total credit points: 58
- Average credit points: 3.87
- Musical variation: 3
- Total sound quality: 4
- Sound quality, treble: 5
- Sound quality, bass: 4
- Sound quality, purity: 4
