Yngwie Malmsteen - 'Looking back, I would have done things differently'

Twenty five years and 23 solo LPs later, the boy from Sweden dubbed the Speed King is still blazing a trail for heavy metal with his new CD, Perpetual Flame. Right from the gate with his ground breaking solo release, Rising Force in 1984, Yngwie J. Malmsteen established himself as a forerunner in guitar playing and technique. With his latest release due out mid October, he raises the bar on metal by adding Ripper Owens to lead vocals. Ripper’s powerful vocals bring a heavier and more aggressive dimension to Yngwie’s style of writing and playing. FURY! had the chance to speak with Yngwie about the new CD, Ripper Owens, and of course guitars!

First let me congratulate you on your latest release, Perpetual Flame. You have worked with some amazing singers over the past two decades. How did you came to team up with Ripper Owens for this new CD?
Yngwie: ‘When I started out writing the songs they were all very aggressive and heavy. I felt that they needed a singer to match the style. It was like casting a role for a movie. If you need a De Niro character, you cast De Niro. I write and produce and needed someone who could interpret what I hear. Ripper and I have known each other for a while. He came down to the studio and we did three songs to try out the chemistry and it was awesome. So we decided to do it.’

Is that how you typically select singers for your CDs?
‘In this instance, yes, but in the past I just rolled with the singers we had. Ripper was the perfect fit right from the start.’

For Perpetual Flame, it sounds as if you went back to your earlier roots. I hear a lot of similarities to Trilogy. Was that intentional?
‘After we recorded it, I went back and said: Wow! This has a Trilogy vibe to it. It wasn’t intentional at all.’

What was the inspiration for this CD?
‘The music takes me on the ride and I follow it. I just go with it. It may sound bizarre and I have no explanation for it. The lyrics are a different story. I really have to work on them. It’s a story in time and rhythm which is challenging. I like to write stuff that is symbolic and has more than one meaning. I got some inspiration for this CD from a book by Clive Barker called Damnation Game. I typically don’t like to write songs like “Com’on girl lets get it on”. In the past when I was with singers that wrote like that, I came away really regretting it. I’m not saying that their style was bad; it just didn’t work for me. I would love to let someone handle all the work and write the lyrics, but at the end of the day you have to be satisfied with the work you put out.’

Was it recorded in your Miami studio?
‘I have two studios in Miami. One doubles as drum recording room; it’s a big sound stage with a 24 track. We did the drums there. We then took the hard drives and brought them to the other studio to do the guitars, bass, and vocals. We also did the mixing there.’

Do you have any favourite tracks on the CD?
(Laughing) ‘I can’t say. They are all like my children and I just can’t pick a favorite. It’s funny, every time I hear one of the songs start to play, I say, I love it. They have different vibes but it all works on the CD. They all flow together to form a cohesive collection. For example, Red Devil is a fun song, but Priest Of The Unholy is a dark and heavy song. When we finished mixing it, I went out on the road in Europe for two months. I hadn’t listened to it during that time and when I came back, with a fresh set of ears, it was very rewarding to hear how great it sounds.’

You have written some enormous riffs over the years. What would you consider as your best?
‘As far as rock and roll, I’m most pleased with this CD. The earlier stuff is great and still stands up. Looking back, I know I would probably have done things differently and better, but at the time it was the best I could do.’

What guitar gear did you use to record the CD?
‘I used two Fender Strats from the late 60’s, early 70’s and old Marshall stacks from the 60s and 70s. It was very simple and not fancy.’

Regarding your 1971 ‘duck’ Strat, can you tell give us a little history on it? Where did you get it, why did you choose it, and how did it come to be your main guitar for so many CDs?
‘As a kid in Sweden I saw it in a store, but when I got the money together, it was gone. A few years later I had this drummer come to audition for me. He was also a guitar player and he happened to have that very same guitar. I knew it was that one and had to have it. I just bought it from him. I had a lot of guitars before that, but this one I used on all my LPs. I came to The States with that guitar and an extra pair of pants (laughing). It’s also on the cover of Rising Force.’

Why don’t you use it anymore?
‘Well, it’s pretty much because I wore it out (laughing). It’s still a great guitar but now I can let it sleep after all these years.’

What is the story behind your reconstructed Yngwie Malmsteen ‘Play Loud’ Strat, which will be unveiled this November?
‘Fender has been making the YM guitar for 20 years but the newer updated version is amazing. It has the perfect scalloped neck with a thick sound. It’s the one I use now on tour.’

I know you collaborated with Ronnie James Dio on the cover of Dream On. Any plans for other projects with Dio? Just seems like such a natural fit since you share a neoclassical musical sensibility.
‘That would be nice! I love Ronnie. He is absolutely a stunning singer and a sweet guy. I have known him from when I first came to The States. I would love to do more with him in future.’

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