Limited 180gm vinyl LP pressing. Rising Force is the first studio album by guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, released on 5 March 1984 through Polydor Records. The album reached #14 on the Swedish albums chart, #60 on the US Billboard 200, and received a nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance at the 1986 Grammy Awards. It is regarded as a seminal release in the shred and neo-classical metal genres. Steve Huey at AllMusic gave Rising Force four stars out of five, calling it 'a revelation' upon it's release and 'The true inauguration of the age of the guitar shredder'. He praised Malmsteen's technique and 'blinding virtuosity', as well as highlighting 'his obsessions with Bach, Beethoven and Paganini'. In a 2009 article by Guitar World magazine, Rising Force was ranked first in the all-time top ten list of shred albums. The staff wrote: 'Yngwie J. Malmsteen was, is, and always will be the greatest shredder of all time. Hell, he invented the genre with his debut'. 'Black Star' and 'Far Beyond the Sun' have endured as two of Malmsteen's most popular songs, as well as being staples of his live set-list. In a 2008 Guitar World interview, Malmsteen said of the two songs: 'I'll probably play 'Far Beyond the Sun' and 'Black Star' until the day I die'.