Trial By Fire: Live in Leningrad 89
An extended live set that concluded Malmsteen's reign as one of the premier guitar heroes of the '80s, this set is comprised of many of his "hits" along with his two legendary guitar performances ("Black Star" and "Far Beyond the Sun"). There is also a self-indulgent, clich-infected guitar solo that must have excited every 13 year old in the building. Malmsteen's playing on this set is decent, but time has not been good to this recording. It was recorded during the heyday of hair metal and the genre's influences can be heard throughout this session. The weak pop songs that plagued Malmsteen's releases after Rising Force mar too much of this session to recommend it to anyone who is not exclusively infatuated with guitar pyrotechnics or '80s metal.