Rising Force

For the Star Wars novel, see The Rising Force.

Rising Force is the first studio album by guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, released in late 1984 through Polydor Records.^[1][2][3] This was originally planned as an instrumental side-project of his then-current band Alcatrazz, but due to singer Jeff Scott Soto's appearance on the album, Malmsteen opted to release it as a solo album.^[4][5] It reached No. 14 on the Swedish albums chart^[1] and No. 60 on the US Billboard 200,^[6] and received a nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance at the 1986 Grammy Awards.^[7] The album is regarded as a landmark release in the shred and neoclassical metal genres.^[8][9][10]

Rising Force
Studio album by Yngwie Malmsteen
Released	1984 (1984)
Studio	Record Plant, Los Angeles
Genre	Neoclassical metal instrumental rock heavy metal
Length	39:33
Label	Polydor
Producer	Yngwie Malmsteen
Yngwie Malmsteen chronology
Rising Force (1984) Marching Out (1985)

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[9]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal	5/10[11]

Steve Huey at AllMusic gave Rising Force four stars out of five, calling it "a revelation upon its release" and "The true inauguration of the age of the guitar shredder." He praised Malmsteen's technique and "blinding virtuosity", as well as highlighting his "obsessions with Bach, Beethoven, and Paganini".^[9]

In a 2009 article by Guitar World magazine, Rising Force was ranked first in the all-time top ten list of shred albums. The staff wrote: "Yngwie J. Malmsteen was, is, and always will be the greatest shredder of all time. Hell, he invented the genre with his 1985 [sic] debut."^[10]

"Black Star" and "Far Beyond the Sun" have endured as two of Malmsteen's most popular songs, as well as being staples of his live setlist. In a 2008 Guitar World interview, Malmsteen said of the two songs: "I'll probably play 'Far Beyond the Sun' and 'Black Star' until the day I die."^[12]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Yngwie Malmsteen.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Black Star"	4:53
2.	"Far Beyond the Sun"	5:52
3.	"Now Your Ships Are Burned"	4:11
4.	"Evil Eye" (based on Johann Krieger's "Bourree")	5:14
5.	"Icarus' Dream Suite Op. 4" (based on Adagio in G minor)	8:33
6.	"As Above, So Below"	4:39
7.	"Little Savage"	5:22
8.	"Farewell"	0:49
Total length:		39:33

Personnel

• Yngwie Malmsteen – guitar, Moog Taurus, bass, arrangement, producer
• Jeff Scott Soto – vocals on tracks 3 & 6
• Jens Johansson – keyboard, harpsichord arrangement (track 7)
• Barriemore Barlow – drums
• Lester Claypool – engineering
• Peter Vargo – engineering

Charts

Chart (1985)	Peak position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[13]	19
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[14]	14
US Billboard 200[15]	60

Awards

Event	Award	Result
1986 Grammys	Best Rock Instrumental Performance	Nominated[7]