All hail to Mercury Records for releasing what was one of the most stand out Metal records in the nineties, which oddly enough came from a major label, especially at a time when most commercial record companies set their sites on bands like Third
Eye Blind and Matchbox Twenty, for which they considered to be hard rock, whatever.
Many people who listen to this record will tell you that this is somewhat of a retro album; not so. This record set the blueprint for many of the Power Metal bands that would send the stance of Metal music down the throats of all the commercial blunder and would cause Metal to rise beyond it's underground stature.
"Facing the Animal" is a dark album, in the vein of later period
Black Sabbath (Headless Cross/TYR) and combines that along with Yngwie's signature guitar impresario as well as the songwriting and production prowess of all of his Rising Force material, Yngwie would create a album of different sorts, more doomy than "Magnum Opus" and less a controlled aesthetic of "Fire and Ice;" but yet far from any departure from the guitarist we have all grown to worship.
Opening up with the neo-classical riffs of
"Braveheart" crunching through more stripped down production giving the record more of a live vibe, it becomes clear that this is going to be one opus of a record. But for one Malmsteen not only showed his abilities as the modern day Paganini that he has made his mark as literally being, his rhythm playing was more thick and driving on this record, complimenting the dark atmosphere. For the most part it's cuts like the title track,
"Enemy," and
"My Resurrection" among others that stand out as some of the dark cuts that have the moody feel, but of course there are the more driven upbeat cuts like
"Poison in Your Veins" and
"Sacrifice" that give the record the more bright crunch. Of course there are ballads, the instrumental
"Like an Angel" and the emotional
"Heathens from the North," not to mention
" Air on a Theme" that closes the record.
Filled with tight production, keyboards, more "rock" oriented drumming (rather than constant double bass), as well as Yngwie's guitar prowess, "Facing the Animal" was a breath of fresh air for many Metalheads in the late nineties, and became a favorite album for many, proving once again that Yngwie Fucking Malmsteen rules! And that sums it up.
Written by
Hashman Monday, November 3, 2003
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