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Yngwie
Born on June 30, 1963 in Sollentuna, Sweden, Yngwie Malmsteen got his first guitar at age five, but it was a 1970 Jimi Hendrix TV special that got him going on his carreer. "It was a revelation. I really started playing the day Hendrix died," Malmsteen recalls. As a young man, Yngwie worked in a music instrument repair shop where he was introduced to many old instruments, including fretted, scalloped necks like that on a lute. Precision and obsessive perfection with his technique were learned at an early age. Yngwie would listen to records from his sisters' collection and learn them note by note. To this day, he still does much of the work on his own guitars. Dedication to his instrument led to stints in local bands while Yngwie was still in his teens. The guitarist then relocated to the states to join Steeler, whose self-titled disc was released in 1983. Inspired by classical artists like Bach, Vivaldi and violinist Nicolo Paganini, Malmsteen's intricate style amazed critics -- his L.A. debut was described by Guitar for the Practicing Musician as "mixing dazzling stage pyrotechnics with the incredible virtuoso excursions of marathon length and brilliant execution."
His brilliant guitar work would forever change the standards of excellence in guitar technique. Malmsteen released two records with Alcatrazz (No Parole for Rock & Roll, 1983; Live Sentence, 1983;), before embarking on a solo career. Rising Force, (1984); Marching Out, (1985) and Trilogy (1986) quickly followed. In 1987, he was involved in a near-fatal car accident that necessitated a long and arduous rehabilitation period -- but Yngwie's 1988 comeback, Odyssey, became his most successful album to date. 1989's Trial By Fire was a live album recorded in Leningrad, expanded the guitarist's already substantial international reputation. With Eclipse, released in 1990, "Malmsteen fine-tunes his role as neo-classical artiste," praised Circus, "Shading his finest aural motifs with brilliant thematic colorations." Fire and Ice was released in early 1992, debuting at #1 on Japanese charts and continuing his presence worldwide. Yngwie made significant personnel changes during 1993, resulting in a fresh new sound for the release of The Seventh Sign in 1994. On Magnum Opus, released in 1995, the band refined their move into a new, unique direction with an exciting variety of hard-driving rockers, soaring ballads, and creative instrumentals. Upon its release in Japan, the album made a huge score by debuting at the top of the charts once again, and is already platinum.
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Artist Biography - Yngwie
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 Work began on a new studio album, in came a couple of new faces in ex Abstract Algebra vocalist Mats Leven and legendary drummer Cozy Powell. The resulting album was perhaps Yngwie's strongest of the 90's in 'Facing The Animal'. Back with a new major label deal in the US the future looked rosy. Sadly Cozy Powell was suddenly killed in a car accident in England, this sent shockwaves through the rock community. Yngwie continued with a tour of the world which was dedicated to Cozy and a few words were said on most dates in remembrance of the classic drummer. Jonas Ostman has the task of filling Powells shoes on the tour.
The release of 'Concerto' showed what Yngwie could really do in a classical setting. Mixing his burning Strat licks to an orchestra showed how well the two combine. Words cannot describe this album so just buy it. This release slightly overshadowed a live album and video recorded in Brazil - Live! - but the live set gained more press acclaim. After several months in Studio 308 with Mark Boals, Mats Olausson, Barry Dunaway (bass) and John Macaluso (drums) the results were unleashed in the guise of 'Alchemy'. The album was Yngwie's heaviest yet with some of his most frantic lead work in years. The fans lapped it up and the supporting tour was another success.
The year 2000 should be a big one for Yngwie. Two new "best of" albums have been released to begin the year, starting with Pony Canyon's "1994-1999 Anthology", which features tracks from those selected years including some unreleased masterial, while Dream Catcher's "Best of Yngwie 1990 - 1999" covers a larger time period as well as his ABBA cover "Gimme Gimme Gimme!". He is already getting set to tour a little and attend & play at several festivals all over the world during the summer, and he's also hard at work on another album which may see release at the end of the year.
Yingwie is one of the best guitarists to walk the face of the earth. He is one of the original guitarists to use the tap technique. Guitarists like Kirk Hammet from Metallica will attest to Yingwie being the king of the guitar and there may be plenty of guitarists out there but he is the king! If you like Yingwie's music you should check out Metallica, Slayer, Slipknot, and Iron Maiden!
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For more information , enjoy the official homepage of Yngwie
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