YNGWIE MALMSTEEN Has Finished Recording His New Solo Album: It's 'Gonna Be Very Neoclassical', He Says

In an interview with Eddie Trunk conducted at the 2026 edition of the Monsters Of Rock festival in São Paulo, Brazil in early April, legendary Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen spoke about his plans for the follow-up to his latest album, "Parabellum", which was released in July 2021 via Music Theories Recordings/Mascot Label Group. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I just finished recording a new album. I've been in the studio almost five months straight.

Regarding the musical direction of his new LP, Yngwie said: "Well, it's very Malmsteen-esque. It will be everything you expect and then some."

Asked if there are any vocals on the album or if it's all instrumental, Malmsteen said: "Oh, yeah. I sing about four songs. And then [the rest of it is] instrumental. It's a mix. But it's made especially for the vinyl. So it's exactly 46 minutes [long]. I made it especially so it's gonna be a vinyl record. It's gonna come out on everything, but it's made to fit perfectly on a vinyl LP."

Malmsteen also talked about his mindset going into making the new album. He said: "I have the luxury of owning my own [recording studio], so I go in when I'm inspired. And I decided a long time ago, I'm not gonna try to do something special, either what other people think I should do or decide [ahead of time which direction to go] — except sometimes [I say], 'Okay, I'm gonna make a blues album,' or, 'I'm gonna make an acoustic album,' which has happened. But when I make the records that are, let's say, an Yngwie Malmsteen album, I just let it flow. And I come up with maybe a hundred ideas and I use nine or 10. So I take the best of what I think is the best, the most dramatic stuff, most interesting stuff — not necessarily a decided direction or whatever. It's just natural, whatever comes out. And this particular album is gonna be very neoclassical."

Asked what the key is to making instrumental music work and be able to cross it over into a bigger audience, Yngwie said: "I don't know, but I decided a long time ago to make honest music. Not to try to do something that's fashionable or follow a trend or do what other people say. But what I've always done is [made] passionate music. Like [Italian violinist and composer] Niccolò Paganini said, one must feel strongly to make others feel strongly. So I feel very strongly about the music, and apparently that translates out. So it seems to work."

On the topic of Yngwie's touring plans for the coming months, the guitarist said: "We go to Europe in June, and then we go home a little bit, and then we go back to Europe in July. And then in September, I think we're in Asia. Then October, November, United States."

Only four of the songs on "Parabellum" featured vocals. The album title is Latin, translating as "Prepare For War".

After working with some of the top hard singers of the past four decades, Yngwie now handles much of the lead vocals himself in his own band, backed by a lineup that includes keyboardist Nick Marino, bassist Emilio Martinez and drummer Kevin Klingenschmid.

Yngwie released a new live album, "Tokyo Live", in April 2025 via Music Theories Recordings. The concert was recorded at the Zepp DiverCity, Tokyo on May 11, 2024 as part of Yngwie's 40th-anniversary world tour.