Yngwie Malmsteen (SE)

About

Also known as: Lars Johann Yngve Lannerbäck, Malmsteen, Yngwie, Yngwie J Malmsteen, Yngwie Johan Malmsteen, Yngwie Johann Malmsteen

Few guitarists have blurred the line between classical composition and electric guitar shredding quite like Yngwie Malmsteen. Born in Stockholm and now based in the US, he built his reputation in the early 1980s on a neoclassical metal style rooted in Paganini and Bach rather than blues or rock tradition, and that approach still defines everything he does. His debut solo album Rising Force in 1984 won Guitar Player's Best Rock Album award and scored a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Instrumental, setting the template for a generation of technically ambitious guitarists including Jason Becker, Paul Gilbert and Marty Friedman. Before going solo, Malmsteen cut his teeth with Alcatrazz alongside Graham Bonnet, and his eventual departure led to Steve Vai stepping in to fill his shoes. His fourth album Odyssey from 1988, with vocalist Joe Lynn Turner, remains his commercial peak thanks largely to the single Heaven Tonight. Over a career spanning more than 40 years and 22 studio albums, his signature scalloped Fender Stratocaster and relentless picking technique have made him one of the most recognisable names in heavy metal guitar.