Odyssey (Yngwie Malmsteen album)

Odyssey
Studio album by Yngwie Malmsteen
Released	8 April 1988
Recorded	Cherokee Studios in Los Angeles; House of Music Studios in West Orange, New Jersey; Studio D in Austin, Texas
Genre	Neoclassical metal, heavy metal, hard rock
Length	50:42
Label	Polydor
Producer	Yngwie Malmsteen, Jeff Glixman, Jim Lewis
Yngwie Malmsteen chronology
Trilogy (1986) Odyssey (1988) Trial by Fire: Live in Leningrad (1989)
Singles from Odyssey
"Heaven Tonight" / "Riot in the Dungeons" Released: 1988[1][2]

Odyssey is the fourth studio album by guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, released on 8 April 1988 through Polydor Records.^[3] The album reached No. 40 on the US Billboard 200^[4] and remained on that chart for eighteen weeks,^[5] as well as reaching the top 50 in five other countries.^[3] As of 2015 it remains Malmsteen's highest-charting release on the Billboard 200.^[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
Martin Popoff	[7]
Metal Forces	(6.5/10)[8]

Steve Huey at AllMusic gave Odyssey two stars out of five, calling it "a more subdued, polished collection seemingly designed for mainstream radio airplay", but that it "shows little difference in approach from [Malmsteen's] previous output". He praised Joe Lynn Turner's vocals and Malmsteen's guitar work, but remarked that the latter sounds "constrained and passionless" due in part to his recovery from a near-fatal car accident in 1987.^[6]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Joe Lynn Turner, all music composed by Yngwie Malmsteen.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Rising Force"	4:24
2.	"Hold On"	5:12
3.	"Heaven Tonight"	4:07
4.	"Dreaming (Tell Me)"	5:22
5.	"Bite the Bullet" (instrumental)	1:35
6.	"Riot in the Dungeons"	4:26
7.	"Deja Vu"	4:17
8.	"Crystal Ball"	4:56
9.	"Now Is the Time"	4:34
10.	"Faster than the Speed of Light"	4:30
11.	"Krakatau" (instrumental)	6:06
12.	"Memories" (instrumental)	1:14
Total length:		50:42

Personnel

• Yngwie Malmsteen – guitar, Moog Taurus, bass (tracks 3–7, 10–12), arrangement, production
• Joe Lynn Turner – vocals
• Jens Johansson – keyboard
• Anders Johansson – drums
• Bob Daisley – bass (tracks 1, 2, 8, 9)
• Jeff Glixman – engineering, production
• John Rolio – engineering
• Scott Gordon – engineering assistance, mixing assistance
• Steve Thompson – mixing
• Michael Barbiero – mixing
• George Cowan – mixing assistance
• Jim Lewis – executive production

Chart performance

Year	Chart	Position
1988	Swedish albums chart	7[3]
	Norwegian albums chart	10[3]
	Swiss albums chart	17[3]
	Dutch albums chart	27[3]
	Billboard 200	40[4]
	German albums chart	50[3]

References

1. "Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force - Heaven Tonight (song)". finnishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
2. "Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force – Heaven Tonight". Discogs. Retrieved 2014-12-27.
3. "Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force - Odyssey (album)". finnishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
4. "Odyssey - Yngwie Malmsteen | Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2014-01-06.
5. "Yngwie Malmsteen - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-12-27.
6. Huey, Steve. "Yngwie Malmsteen - Odyssey review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2015-01-29.
7. Popoff, Martin (2005-11-01). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
8. Sharpe-Young, Garry (1988). "Yngwie Malmsteen - Odyseey". Metal Forces (28). Retrieved 2015-01-29.

External links

• Odyssey, 1988 at yngwiemalmsteen.com
• In Review: Yngwie J. Malmsteen "Odyssey" at Guitar Nine Records