Yngwie Malmsteen

One man alone cannot surpass history in the evolution of the guitar but one man alone has risen to the top world renowned… Yngwie J. Malmsteen! The man himself has over shadowed some of the greats and has taken the guitar world by storm. You just mention Yngwie to any guitar hero and the words "innovating superstar" immediately come to mind. Yngwie‘s new release "Relentless" has just hit with a major impact as guitarists worldwide scurry to hear what’s next from the master…

Yngwie Malmsteen— the very name alone strikes awestruck wonder into the hearts of guitarists worldwide. Yngwie Malmsteen— the Swedish Stratocaster wunderkind; the fiery and flamboyant showman extraordinaire; the charmingly outspoken enfant terrible of metal; the Paganini of the electric guitar. His classically inspired fleet-fingered technique and apocalyptic guitar sound continue to mesmerize listeners today just as they did when the world first felt his Fender-fueled fury in the early 1980s with Steeler, Alcatrazz and Malmsteen’s landmark 1984 solo debut, Rising Force.

By the time of Eclipse, Yngwie Malmsteen's influence had spread far across the guitar community – dazzling technique was almost a prerequisite to play lead guitar in a heavy metal band, and places like the Berklee School of Music and GIT (which used such Malmsteen favorites as Beethoven and Paganini to hone technique) were churning out guitar virtuosos as if they operated assembly lines. The bottom line was that no matter how innovative Malmsteen had been at the outset of his career, he no longer sounded that way, even though as an originator he still far outstripped his legions of mimics…

Even though the '90s are considered by many longtime Yngwie Malmsteen fans as not necessarily his musical or creative peak (the '80s are usually given the nod), you have to give credit to the Swedish guitar shredder for sticking to his guns throughout the '90s. When just about every veteran rocker was trying to fit in with the musical climate (whether it be donning flannel during the grunge years or donning baggy jeans during the rap-metal years), Malmsteen paid no mind – continuing merrily on his classic metal path. Since his albums were uneven during this period, the 14-track Best of Yngwie Malmsteen: 1990-1999 will come in handy to casual admirers, who aren't going to track down Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra in E Flat Minor Op. 1 anytime soon…

The success of Nirvana's Nevermind in late 1991 left many '80s metal guitarists out in the cold, and Malmsteen was no exception. After leaving Polydor, he signed to Elektra and released the one-hour-plus Fire and Ice. The record is most successful when Malmsteen returns to the heavy baroque influence of his early work, and there are some fine longer compositions here that will please hardcore Yngwie fans. "Cry No More," in particular, contains an arrangement of Bach's "Badinerie"…The record also contains…stabs at radio rock, such as the single "Teaser"…Playing for a radio audience was not Malmsteen's strength, and with the winds of alternative-rock change blowing, Elektra dropped him after only one release. ~ Steve Huey

An extended live set that concluded Yngwie's reign as one of the premier guitar heroes of the 80's. The 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, clichй-infected guitar solo that must have excited every thirteen 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 80's Metal. ~ Robert Taylor

On his first solo album, 1984's RISING FORCE, Yngwie Malmsteen established himself as one of the definitive hard-rock guitar virtuosos of the era. Notably influenced by classical music, but working in the heavy-metal vernacular, the Swedish six-stringer offers up a propulsive set of songs that showcases his remarkably fleet-fingered playing, as best revealed on the urgent, ominous "Evil Eye." While Malmsteen is capable of emotive power ballads (see the plaintive "Icarus Dream Suite"), he seems most at home when blazing up and down the fretboard, as on "Far Beyond the Sun." Although some listeners may be content with THE YNGWIE MALMSTEEN COLLECTION, any true fan of the renowned shredder needs to own RISING FORCE.