Artist: YNGWIE J. MALMSTEEN
Album: FIRE & ICE (CD)

Year: 1992
EAN/UPS: 0075596113724
Media type: CD

Yngwie left Polydor records in the 1990/1991 season, signing a new contract with Elektra/WEA Entertainment in 1991. At the time, Elektra was signing metal acts and then destroying them to clear the way for "alternative" music. As a result, this album was poorly promoted by the record label, whose corporate officers were engaged in a boardroom war to choose a leader of the company thtat did not end until mid-1994. The label from 1991-1993 was chaired by Bob Krasnow, Anita Baker, and Natalie Cole, thus making the label very chaotic. When a final leader, Sylvia Rhone, was chosen, she set out to remove all 80's bands from the label by bankrupting them, thus hurting Yngwie's career.

The album was to be Malmsteen's last major commercial outing. It was his third and last attempt (starting with 1988's Odyssey on Polydor) at scoring a hit album with late 80's/early 90's American hairspray audience. The album was awkward, featuring a keyboard-driven single in a post-Nirvana nineities world. The album apart from the song Teaser, however, was more closely rooted in Neoclassical metal since any album he'd done since 1986's Trilogy (also on Polydor). It featured three stunning neoclassical instrumentals, as well as several good neoclassical metal pieces. Being a more commercial album, it featured bright, clear production as well.

The album did fail to achieve gold status in America, although it has been certified 3x platinum in Japan, where he continues to sell out huge venues today. Part of this can be blamed on the lack of promotion by then-label president Anita Baker, who was more concerned with resigning Anthrax to the label at the time.

The other factor to consider is the rise of grunge, which destroyed the rimnants of eighties metal, Malmsteen's sales included. By '92, Nirvana was the top new American rock band, and they completely eradicated shred guitar's fanbase in modern America.

TRACKLIST:

"Perpetual" – 4:12
"Dragonfly" – 4:48 (Words: Malmsteen/Gцran Edman)
"Teaser" – 3:27 (Words: Malmsteen/Edman)
"How Many Miles To Babylon" – 6:09 (Words: Malmsteen/Edman)
"Cry No More" – 5:15 (Words: Malmsteen/Edman)
"No Mercy" – 5:29
"C'est La Vie" – 5:17 (Words: Malmsteen/Edman)
"Leviathan" – 4:20
"Fire & Ice" – 4:28 (Words: Malmsteen/Edman)
"Forever is a Long Time" – 4:25 (Words: Malmsteen/Edman)
"I'm My Own Enemy" – 6:07 (Words: Edman)
"All I Want is Everything" – 4:00
"Golden Dawn" – 1:29
"Final Curtain" – 4:43

All music by Yngwie J. Malmsteen. Words by Yngwie J. Malmsteen except where noted.

LINE-UP:

Yngwie Malmsteen – all electric and acoustic guitars, sitar, Taurus bass pedals, vocals, producer
Goran Edman – vocals
Mats Olausson – keyboards
Bo Werner – drums and vocals

Michael Von Knorring – drums on "Leviathan"
Svante Henrysson - bass, cello
Lolo Lannerback – flute