Taking the music world by storm in 1984 with Rising Force, Swedish-born guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen has accomplished what few other musicians have, successfully crossing over between rock, heavy metal, blues and classical music.

His first four albums (Rising Force - 1984, Marching Out - 1985, Trilogy - 1986 and Odyssey - 1988)  ranked in the top 100 for sales.  His subsequent live albums demonstrated his mastery of the guitar and the 1998 release of Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra in Em, Opus 1 galvanized his place not just as one of the fathers of the neo-classical metal movement but also as one of the most versatiles virtuosos of the modern era.

WatchMojo.com recently sat down with guitar legend Yngwie Malmsteen, who just released Perpetual Flame, his first studio album in over

More on Malmsteen on: Wikipedia | AxeMojo.com Biography | His official site |

Listen to the interview by downloading the MP3 (Right Click on your Mouse, Then Save as) or read the transcript below:

Yngwie Malmsteen:  Malmsteen.

WatchMojo.com:  Hey Yngwie, how are you?

Yngwie Malmsteen:  Hey, they made me jump through a few hoops to get to you, man.

WatchMojo.com:  I know, sorry about that.  It is just that this interview is being recorded.  So, thank you very much for granting WatchMojo.com to this interview. 

Yngwie Malmsteen:  Yes.

WatchMojo.com:  I hear we have 20 minutes, so let us just dive in.

Yngwie Malmsteen:  Yes.

WatchMojo.com:  Excellent.  Okay, so we will start a bit broad go back throughout your career and then we will talk about some of the more interesting things you have been busy with recently.  You released obviously Rising Force over twenty years ago, just wanted to get your thoughts on how the music industry has changed and in particular heavy metal music has changed?

Yngwie Malmsteen:  Well, the music industry has it’s, virtually nothing is the same you know.  Way back when, when I started out, I guess it was starting to change a bit just as I started out.  But it was still that thing where it was very, how should I explain it, at the navel was sort of like a, they took you on under their wing you know, and they wanted to sign an artist and really develop the artist.  It was a big thing, you know like, if you get signed to a label that was a huge deal, you know.  Now, of course, labels are not having the same function A, and B most of the small labels are gone and the big ones don’t really want to waste time on anything else but what is more pop-oriented I guess.  So in a lot of ways, it has been changing a lot you know.  Because, I remember when we first got signed to a big label, that was a huge deal then, I mean now that doesn’t mean anything anymore.  Everybody has a CD out, they can work and do and anything, and oh yeah I got a CD out and I got a pro-tool system at home you know, that kind of thing.  And, it was back then, you had to book a studio, you had to go into a big studio and record there, and you had lock-out time and it was a big thing.  Everything was a big deal.  Now, it is not, because that’s one of the things that I have seen you know, among artists of course you know.

WatchMojo.com:  Obviously, technology and piracy in particular has hurt the recording industry, but do you think for an artist, like you said, tools that you can create music with yourself, you don’t have to bother with studios and everything.  But you think technology or even sites like YouTube or Napster, do you think they help or do you think they hurt an artist?

Yngwie Malmsteen:  Well, both, it does both.  It gives a lot of exposure but no income.  So, that is not good, you know.  I think it is kind of a funny thing when you talk about like new technology, and the “new technology” is actually less good than the one let us say twenty years ago.  Twenty years ago, the only way you could get like a really good song recording was buying the CD.  The LP was limited, but the CD was a good representation of the real recording.  MP3s and YouTube and all that stuff, it is very very very poor quality, and that doesn’t seem to bother anybody you know.  It is an interesting thing because they talk about new technology yeah, but it is mass produced technology, it is not quality, it is quantity.  When you do digital compression on an audio, it really really really takes out all the power and all the, what the sound is really like.  So, it is interesting that, you know I have been around for long enough to see how the actual recording process has changed in the sense where you don’t use tapes anymore, but you have to record with the real output gear, real mixer board, and real microphones and stuff like this, which are I think really you know.  Everybody thinks you can replace that with virtual stuff, which is not at all true.  You can’t, of course you can, but it is not better. 

WatchMojo.com:  Well, that’s true.  Definitely, there is a trade-off between quality and just getting your stuff out there.  Now, you mentioned studio and what do you prefer as an artist?  Are you the kind of person that likes to be on stage and entertain fans, you have a lot of great…?

Yngwie Malmsteen:  Well, it is good question, but it is not a question to answered very easily.  Because, the thing is I couldn’t do one without the other.  I think the freedom to be on stage is amazing.  It is really an amazing feeling, because especially for me, because I am very lucky in the sense that I can do whatever I want, you know I go on and I can do whatever I want.  I don’t have to wait 45 minutes or except when we do the festivals and stuff, I guess you have to set them all the time, but what I mean is the artistic freedom is limitless for me.  To me, it is an amazing thing.  Now, when it comes to recording, that in past was always for me like pulling people because I always tried to take the live field and put that in studio, whereas some people want to take the recording and try to recreate that on stage.  I wanted to do the exact opposite; I wanted to take the feeling, the vibe of the live thing trying to capture that on the record you know, which is very difficult to do.  Well, I have the luxury now to owning two studios, and the whole pressure of time lock-out and all that stuff, that’s gone.  So, for me, the late last few albums, I think I will come much closer to really want to you know, achieve in studio.  The process is still very tedious.  For instance, my latest album, Perpetual Flame.  When I hear that now, I go, my God, all that work, I mean there was really worth it because not only did I write all the music, and all the lyrics, and all the melodies, and range everything stuff like this.  I actually engineered it, mixed the drums and engineered EQs; I did everything on this record.  It was so much work and blood, sweat, and tears into this album, it is not even funny.  So when you hear this, and especially, I was on the radio I don’t know a couple of weeks ago with Eddie Trunk in New York, and they played some of the songs, and that is very gratifying you know.  So, it is all part of the whole, I couldn’t do one without the other, you know.  That’s just the way it is, you know.

WatchMojo.com:  That makes sense.  I mean you have a lot of albums like I said, which one is the one in particular that stands out that you are either most proud of or you think from beginning to end, you know it was the hardest to sort of put together?  Because it is like, obviously, a work of art; so I just want to know is there one that stands out for you?

Yngwie Malmsteen:  Well I  mean, as far as rock-and-roll records, I know it is going to be a little bit selfish, but by leaps and bounds, I am the most satisfied with Perpetual Flame because every other album I have done, rock-and-roll album, not the classical albums, rock-and-roll albums, I go oh this is good, but there is always a but there.  You know, I don’t like the snare drum sound or but I should not put that song on it, or it is not enough compression on the base; I am always, you know I always feel I shouldn’t have let the singer write the lyrics on that song, I shouldn’t have done that.  There is always something I go oh no, I shouldn’t have done that.  Not on this one.  This one, it worries me you know because I am going who how am I going to make this better next time?  I can’t, this is like, it can’t get better than this.  This is as good as it gets you know.

WatchMojo.com:  You are talking about the…

Yngwie Malmsteen:  I have, you know usually you like to feel that way right immediately after the album.  But I still feel like that.  I don’t listen to it you know, I hear it now and again, someone put it in the car or whatever and go oh my God, it really blows me away you know.  So, I am not trying to boast the whole thing, but all I am saying, that’s why I still think it stands out.  And I said to, I did an interview a couple of months ago or whatever, with guys oh yeah, I really loved your new album, I think it is my favourite album, but my very favourite album is Marching Out.  I said oh thank you.  Then I said to him, if Marching Out came out today, and Perpetual Flame came out in 1985, you would say Perpetual Flame was your very first and then Marching Out is second because that is the one you heard first.  So there are certain things, the moment you catch at the time, you can’t repeat that you know. 

WatchMojo.com:  Well, you are right.  I think that is how fans are with music.  Some things stands out.  Like I have a song from, let us say in the middle of your career, but it is true that even for me, the first album does stand out.  Now, you mentioned rock-and-roll, what about the classical stuff?  I mean in ’97 you put out the, you know your first classical work, the…

Yngwie Malmsteen:  Ovations, that stands alone, that doesn’t even, when I play that live in Japan, I never felt closer to God in my life.  I felt like I was hanging out with God and God was guiding me through that thing.  It was absolutely, I can’t even describe it there.  Because it had so, it was like walking on the moon there.  It was like, there was nothing like whatever I have done before, because what I did in Prague was I was there, I composed everything, and I was there and I put the guitar on afterwards until we were out of time you know.  When you are playing live with orchestra, you know that was completely mind-boggling.  I can’t even describe it. 

WatchMojo.com:  Do you have any…?

Yngwie Malmsteen:  But that is alone, like that stands alone you know.  I have played rock-and-roll since I was born.  I will never do anything else, that is how I grew up, doing this, that is what I have done all my life.  I have always loved classical music, but when I actually composed for a full-symphony orchestra and performed with a full-symphony orchestra, I knew it was going to be something special, but I didn’t know it was going to be like religious.  I can’t even, it was unbelievable, unbelievable.

WatchMojo.com:  Do you have plans to follow up?  I mean, your fans are happy, you just put out an album, first one in three years, but do you have any plans in the future for another maybe classical-styled album or will you follow up again with more rock-and-roll?

Yngwie Malmsteen:  Well, actually, I finished a little acoustic thing right now.  That is very different also from what I have done before.

WatchMojo.com:  When are you going to release that?

Yngwie Malmsteen:  That is set to come out this spring.

WatchMojo.com:  Nice.

Yngwie Malmsteen:  Yeah.  It is more like a, it is a little bit, it is a different thing.  It is not you know, the Malm you are used to you know.  It is a different thing, and I am going to keep on doing things like that.  I mean I might do a Blues album, I might do whatever; these things come whenever they do.  As far as my rock-and-roll type of direction, which I thoroughly enjoyed doing, Perpetual Flame is that, I am not even involving that one because that one has every element that I feel that I could possibly come up with that would really reflect what I am all about you know.  So, I recommend that one for everyone.

WatchMojo.com:  Do you have any plans, you were talking about how now the labels, they have changed, but they are looking just at pop thing?  Do you have any plans to crossover more, even more so in mainstream like to do a show like let us say American Idol for aspiring guitarists?  Or, is that something that your fans shouldn’t count on you doing?

Yngwie Malmsteen:  Well you know, there is always possibilities to do a lot of things.  I mean we are just starting out with this, and that is the wonderful thing about it, you know we can, we have a lot of opportunities.  So, I mean, it has only been out for three months or is it two months, I don’t know, not long.  And so, we take it day-by-day you know.  But never say never about anything, we have a lot of plans to do a lot of things, yeah.

WatchMojo.com:  And, how did you get involved with the Rock Band gang?

Yngwie Malmsteen:  Oh they, I think they contacted me, I am not really sure.  But, I said, by the way I said yeah, sure, I am in.  Because, I think it is a really cool thing.  I have a song that is going to be eleven in March, and he has got a little marshals and staff, and he has got all the real you know.  But, and he likes videogames.  But, I took him to a video store, I don’t know, a couple of years ago, these guys, he knew what I was doing before, he picks up these traffic guitars and checks out and goes hey, what is this?  And, I didn’t know what it was exactly, but I must say that Rock Band, the guitar here have opened up this whole rock and guitar playing thing to the little kids that didn’t even grow up, I think they were born in you know late nineties or something and let us face it, the music scene then was not happening, let us all agree on that.  And so, they don’t even know what a guitar solo is, you know.  For them, it is a brand new thing.

WatchMojo.com:  Well, that’s is true.  I want to ask you about that, do you think that apart from very successful artists who have had success in the eighties, nineties and have maintained and grown in popularity like yourself; do you think that it is almost impossible for a hard-rock, heavy-metal new band to come out and really be successful?

Yngwie Malmsteen:  Well, I would’ve said ten years ago, I would’ve said good luck, but now, I think it is a very good situation for, I mean everybody loves it now.  Old, new; I just went to see Sabbath, I mean everybody is out there because everybody loves the classic, the real deal, you know; but I am sure there is more opportunity now than ever.  So I say, just practice up and put some good songs together and start rocking you know. 

WatchMojo.com:  Excellent.  And in 2003, you hooked up with Joe Satriani, Steve Vai on the G3 tour; is there any plans to do that again in…?

Yngwie Malmsteen:  Well, you are going to have to ask them that.  Me and Steve go, we go back like 25 years.  We know each other forever.  When Joe contacted us, I said sure, I would love to come, that would be great.  And I really enjoyed, it was a lot of fun.  And, I will do it again for sure, yeah.

WatchMojo.com:  Last question.  You said that the day Jimi Hendrix died the guitar playing Malmsteen was born, besides obviously Jimi Hendrix and…

Yngwie Malmsteen:  I never said that. 

WatchMojo.com:  Who were some of your other influences then?

Yngwie Malmsteen:  I mean, I never said that.  Other people have said that, not me.

WatchMojo.com:  Okay, fair enough. 

Yngwie Malmsteen:  I mean it is a nice thing to say, but I didn’t say it myself.

WatchMojo.com:  Do you think it is accurate?

Yngwie Malmsteen:  Yes and no.  I mean yes and no.  What happened was that when I got my first guitar when I was five.  My older brother, sister, my uncle, my aunts are all opera singers, and pianists, and violinists and everything everybody is super musical and artistic and painters and all that; my family was nothing but artists.  And so, I guess it was just inevitable that I would go that direction also.  And, my mom gave me a guitar my fifth birthday, it wasn’t until a year or two later when they showed on the news that Hendrix died, he was quite popular in Sweden, but you know you can go back there and start rock-and roll on you.  They showed just burning the guitar, there was no music, it was that popular clip, you know.  And I saw that, I said, wow this is cool and I started playing that day.  And of course, that would kick me off.  I got my first musical influences from Deep Purple.

WatchMojo.com:  Who are the, like are there any artists today, like not the big, obviously you know bigger names of past years, but are there any new guitarists you see that you, I don’t want to say obviously influence, because your style to a large extent is defined and what not; but are there any guitarists today, the young ones that excite you, that you think have a lot of potential to become like part of great guitarists in the future, or there is really very few of them out there?

Yngwie Malmsteen:  I am not really the right person to ask that question because I honestly don’t have you know, that much time to check that out.  But, I am sure there are some great ones and I think that what is going to be the biggest challenge for whoever kid comes up, is to come and bring something to the table that wasn’t already there.  Because you know, there is a lot of cast that can play really good, but say sound like someone else.  And, that’s the difficult thing you know, to be the stylists.  That’s much more difficult than anything when it comes to this and many other things also.  I am sure that, we are coming to that point now, it is going to happen real soon because the whole thing is starting up again.

WatchMojo.com:  Yeah, definitely.  You see that the whole thing is coming back, excellent.  Well listen, thank you very much for your time.  Big fan, very excited about this, and we will be publishing this shortly, okay?

Yngwie Malmsteen:  Thank you.  Alright, thanks a lot, man.

WatchMojo.com:  Have a good day!  Bye.

Yngwie Malmsteen:  Bye.

Hope you guys enjoyed the interview.  Now watch the master at work on our my favorite tracks: