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Alcatrazz > No Parole from Rock 'n' Roll > Reviews > gunnarvl
Alcatrazz - No Parole from Rock 'n' Roll

Perfection - 100%

gunnarvl, April 15th, 2006

When this album was released back in 1984 it didn't leave my turntable (!) for literally weeks. Originally released on Rocshire Records with a major label distribution deal, this was the uniting of Ex-Rainbow & MSG front man Graham Bonnet with the 21 year old guitar whiz Yngwie Malmsteen. That union lasted two albums, this one and a live album.

Yngwie is credited as a co writer on every song. This is interesting because it is without a doubt his most accessible, commercial work over the course of his career.

The songs are all absolute works of art. All are heavy and melodic, with great hooks, interesting topics and lyrics, courtesy of Bonnet. The production is terrific, taking into consideration that this piece of music was recorded 21 years ago, it definitely stands the test of time. The guitar work is unbelievable throughout, especially on Island in the Sun and Jet To Jet, where we are treated to triple-tracked Yngwie. Vocally, this is probably Graham Bonnet's best work of his career. He is much more of a studio singer as opposed to live. Here, he sings every note, all melodies, harmonies and choirs. While he sometimes sacrifices emotion for sheer vocal power, there can be no doubt he is fantastic throughout these recordings.

While literally every song on this album is very good, stellar standout cuts include Kree Nakoorie, General Hospital, Big Foot and Starcarr Lane.

This is a magical record, and definitely one of the supreme highlights of the great 1980's metal movement which ruled the music world.