TRIAL BY FIRE: LIVE IN LENINGRAD

Malmsteen on PA, what can I say... I followed the debates about this on our forum through the years and I have to say I was actually with those who were against it. With the addition it's not 100% nonsense to include him. I always regarded this talented man as a virtuoso rockstar with just tiny tiny prog related tendencies. But I will cut off the debate here, now about this live album. And there's another reserve I have to make about the discussion: I only have this live album by the great wizard so I can't really judge about his entire career.

I'm not a true fan either, otherwise I would have had more releases in my collection of course. But Malmsteen is pretty famous, I heard enough of him through the decades so that's on the other hand. This live album is more like a massive show for a huge hall full of fans, another "proof" the man isn't quite prog (wink). He plays songs of his own as well as bits and pieces of classical music (4th and 6th track) and also parts of famous pop songs (DP on 6th f.i.). On 7th (appropriately called Guitar Solo) he shows all his abilities in a compilation of all sorts of songs. To be honest, I haven't heard anything prog (related) so far...

Last three tracks are more like first three, songs of his own repertoire but it's all together the story I summed up above. Malmsteen is huge in a way and I can understand his popularity. But the only reason I review this release is because I own it, not because I felt like doing another prog review. Extremely borderline prog is most what I can make of it. And that's my most important conclusion. 3,75 on the scale of heavy metal and at best 2,25 on prog related level makes 3 stars in the end. Back to prog with my next reviews I feel...