Maximum Security

Tony MacAlpine | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 25, 1994)
• Original Release Date: 1994
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Fontana Island
• ASIN: B000001FME
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #66,095 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #26 in Music > Rock > Rock Guitarists > Shred

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: MACALPINE,TONY
Title: MAXIMUM SECURITY
Street Release Date: 01/25/1994
Domestic
Genre: HEAVY METAL

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MacAlpine' Best, February 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Maximum Security (Audio CD)

I am a guitarist and first heard MacAlpine in '86 on a "Guitar Player" magazine sound page. I have heard almost every recording Tony has put out and this is still by far his best. Jeff Watson and George Lynch deliver some great solos only to be blown away by Tony! That's how good he is. Contrary to what some might say (including Yngwie), Tony is HARDLY an Yngwie clone. Only a superficial listener would say so. Playing Classically influenced rock does not an Yngwie clone make. If that were the case, ELP, Uli Roth and many others would be Yngwie clones which they are obviusly not. Tony goes for the more up to date (though not necessarily better)sound using a functional Jackson style guitar as opposed to a more traditional guitar like a Strat and he uses a very processed sound. His playing seems to be based more on later Classical composers than Yngwie as well. Tony is also a great classically trained pianist and plays Chopin pieces beautifully - on piano and distorted guitar. I highly recommend this great guitar album to guitar freaks - especially lovers of neo-classical fusion. This is one of the all time best in my book.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the best neo-classical albums ever made, January 7, 2003

By 

Shai (haifa Israel) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Maximum Security (Audio CD)

this album is first of all, Super virtuosic- Macalpine has an unbelivebiele Alternate Picking Technice, he plays so fast and still totally clean, he also got some awsome Sweeping chops, and tapping and legato as well... AND he is also amazing on keyboards almost like on the guitar.
The songs are very dramatic, melodic, Classical, Technical, passionfull,Intensive and heavy... my only problem with them is that they are to short... in this album there are guest solos from George Lynch And Jeff Watson, Both of them Crazy shredders and the drums are from two of the most famous drummers in the genre, In some of the Songs it's Atma Anur (Ritchie Kotzen, Jason Becker etc...) And in some of them it's Deen Castronovo (Marty Frieman, Cacophony. Steve Vai etc...),as i said in the title, this is an outstanding album, i prefer this one over Perpetual burn or Time odyssey (although they are two must-buys to for anyone who like this genre),i recommend it to any one that dosent think that "Music without lyrics is boring"...

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top notch composer and performer, November 15, 2003

By 

Ian J. Einman (Bellevue, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Maximum Security (Audio CD)

This is guitar playing at its best. If you're new to Tony MacAlpine, he's a classical-influenced guitar player somewhat in the vein of Yngwie Malmsteen, but he is no clone; these songs tend to be meticulously arranged, as opposed to improvisational explosions. (His style is different on later albums, I'm speaking of this album here).

I originally became introduced to MacAlpine through Edge of Insanity in the 80's, but I didn't keep up with him and didn't even know he had more instrumental albums. Only in the last few years did I even note he was still cranking them out. I saw it, and I thought to myself "Hmm, I wonder if this is as good as the other one I have?" Well, yes Virginia it is, if not better.

Listening to this album, most of the songs grow on you, but the one that stood out to me right away was "Hundreds of Thousands". After listening to it I felt like I just got off the craziest high speed roller coaster, my face red, hair blown back, and barely able to stand.

Yngwie's first album was a masterpiece, but he never followed it up with anything similar. Tony doesn't quit, the wealth of excellent instrumental work this man has done is second only to Joe Satriani.

If you love this album, check out Edge of Insanity. Also consider Evolution and Premonition, which are a somewhat more modern style, but also very good.