(3 / 5)
Guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen signed to Elektra Records in 1992, releasing his sixth studio album, “Fire & Ice”, that February. Featuring Göran Edman on vocals and Mats Olausson on keyboards, both of whom had made their debut with Yngwie on previous album, “Eclipse”. They were joined by Bo Werner on drums and Svante Henryson on bass.
Produced by Yngwie, “Fire & Ice” was recorded at famed Criteria Studios in Miami, and at Abba’s Polar Studios in his native Stockholm.This new edition features liner notes from rock writer Malcolm Dome, and the original 14 track version has been expanded with the Japanese only bonus track, “Broken Glass’ plus the single version of the track ‘Teaser’.
In the 1960s it was Jimi Hendrix. In the 1970s it was Edward Van Halen. And in the 1980s, it was arguably Stockholm’s Yngwie J. Malmsteen that established new, exciting and innovative approaches to the electric guitar. Highly influenced by Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple, Rainbow) and Uli Jon Roth (Scorpions, Electric Sun), the young Swedish maestro developed a neo-classical style that set the tone for hard rock and heavy metal guitarists for the rest of the decade.
Moving to the States to play on the vinyl debut by Steeler, featuring Ron Keel, the teenage maestro was soon snapped up to play and write with Graham Bonnet (Rainbow, MSG) on Alcatrazz’s debut, “No Parole From Rock ‘N’ Roll” in 1983. After one studio album, plus the obligatory “Live in Japan” LP, Yngwie released his solo debut, “Rising Force”, in 1984. In 1988, along with Eric Clapton, he was the first musician to be awarded his own signature Fender Stratocaster.
Yngwie J. Malmsteen soon began an ascent of the American charts, with the albums “Marching Out”, “Trilogy” and “Odyssey”, the latter recorded with another former Rainbow frontman, Joe Lynn Turner, followed by “Trial by Fire: Live in Leningrad” recorded in 1989.
With a four decade career and more than 20 albums released, it is hard to believe that as a boy, Yngwie originally had no interest in music. But that all changed on September 18th, 1970 when he saw a TV special on the late Jimi Hendrix. Seven-year-old Yngwie watched in awe as Hendrix blasted the audience with torrents of feedback and sacrificed his guitar in flames. The day Jimi Hendrix died, the guitar-playing Yngwie was born.
Now 54 and residing in Miami, he is often named in the Top 10 great guitarists of all time, in lists compiled by guitar magazines around the world. As part of his “World On Fire 2017” tour, Yngwie Malmsteen appeared at the O2 Forum, London earlier this month (August).
By Sally Fox
(1 / 5) ‘Dull Zone’
(2 / 5) ‘OK Zone’ (3 / 5) ‘Decent Zone’
(4 / 5) ‘Super Zone’
(5 / 5) ‘Awesome Zone’
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