Facing the Animal is the tenth studio album by guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, released in 1997 through Pony Canyon (Japan) and Mercury Records (United States). The album reached No. 20 on the Finnish albums chart and No. 39 on the Swedish albums chart.[1]
| Facing The Animal | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1997 | |||
| Recorded | Studio 308 and Criteria Studios in Miami | |||
| Genre | Neoclassical metal, heavy metal | |||
| Length | 59:33 | |||
| Label | Pony Canyon | |||
| Producer | Yngwie Malmsteen, Chris Tsangarides | |||
| Yngwie Malmsteen chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 United States edition | ||||
Although credited to Malmsteen, "Air on a Theme" is an arrangement of the second movement (Largo) of Antonio Vivaldi's "Piccolo Concerto in C Major (RV443)". Facing the Animal features one of drummer Cozy Powell's last performances before his death in April 1998.
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave Facing the Animal three stars out of five, saying that "much of the record is stronger than anything Malmsteen has recorded in years" but also calling it "predictable, from the rockers to the power ballads".[2]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Yngwie Malmsteen
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Braveheart" | 5:19 |
| 2. | "Facing the Animal" | 4:37 |
| 3. | "Enemy" | 4:53 |
| 4. | "Sacrifice" | 4:19 |
| 5. | "Like an Angel – For April" | 5:47 |
| 6. | "My Resurrection" | 4:48 |
| 7. | "Another Time" | 5:03 |
| 8. | "Heathens from the North" | 3:39 |
| 9. | "Alone in Paradise" | 4:33 |
| 10. | "End of My Rope" | 4:24 |
| 11. | "Only the Strong" | 6:05 |
| 12. | "Poison in Your Veins" | 4:23 |
| 13. | "Air on a Theme" | 1:43 |
| Total length: | 59:33 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Casting Pearls Before the Swine" | 3:57 |
Personnel
edit- Yngwie Malmsteen – guitar, bass (tracks 1, 4, 6, 12), background vocals, arrangement, production
- Mats Levén – lead vocals (except track 13)
- Mats Olausson – keyboards
- Cozy Powell – drums (except track 13)
- Barry Dunaway – bass (except tracks 1, 4, 6, 12, 13)
- Chris Tsangarides – engineering, mixing, production
- Keith Rose – engineering assistance
- Rod Fuller – mastering
Chart performance
edit| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Finnish albums chart | 20[1] |
| Swedish albums chart | 39[1] |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Japan (RIAJ)[3] | Gold | 100,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b c "Yngwie J. Malmsteen - Facing the Animal (album)". finnishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2014-01-17.
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Facing the Animal - Yngwie Malmsteen". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 2014-01-17.
- ^ "Japanese album certifications – Yngwie Malmsteen – Facing the Animal" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 1997年9月 on the drop-down menu
External links
edit- Facing the Animal, 1997 at yngwiemalmsteen.com