YNGWIE MALMSTEEN: Japanese Release Date For New Album Announced

May 22, 2008

According to CDJapan.co.jp, legendary Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen will release his new studio album in Japan on July 9. The LP's limited edition will feature the high-fidelity SHM-CD format (fully compatible with standard CD players) plus a bonus DVD containing interviews with Yngwie Malmsteen discussing the songs on the album and more.

Yngwie Malmsteen recently told Guitar World magazine that his forthcoming solo album will feature his strongest lineup ever: Tim "Ripper" Owens (BEYOND FEAR, ex-JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH) on vocals, Bjorn Englen on bass, Michael Troy on keyboards, and Patrik Johansson on drums. "It's going to come down like a fucking atom bomb!" Malmsteen said. "We've already recorded 39 songs. I went full out. I've got strings from Istanbul, and the drums are the heaviest I've fucking heard. Ripper conveys the lyrics I write like no one else. I'll write something like 'divide and conquer' and when Ripper sings it, it really comes out that way. It's like Sparta!"

Malmsteen also told Guitar World that he recently gained the rights to all of his back catalog with the exception of the first five studio albums he recorded for PolyGram. Remastered CDs from his back catalog will now be available from Rising Force Records as well as online.

When asked how he feels about the changes in the music industry and even guitar playing over the past 25 years, Malmsteen replied, "The business has changed dramatically from what it was even just a few years ago. Music isn't even distributed the same way anymore. Even CDs are becoming a thing of the past. The Internet has made it easier to get my music out to anyon who wants it, but at the same time I feel like we're losing the mystique. When I was a kid, all I ever knew about Ritchie Blackmore [DEEP PURPLE] was what I saw on a few small album cover photos. Now you can find out anything about an artist that you want to know, whether it's his shoe size or what he had for dinner last night. I learned a lot from other people and was inspired by what they did, but I didn't copy anyone. I put many different blocks together to become what I am. I don't know if that would have happened if everything was handed to me on a plate."

Malmsteen took part in a clinic and autograph session for Fender at the Dallas International Guitar Show on April 19, 2008. Fan-filmed video footage can be viewed below.

Find more on

Prev More News Next

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).