Yngwie Johan Malmsteen (/ˈɪŋveɪ ˈmɑːlmstiːn/ ING-vay MAHLM-steen; born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck on 30 June 1963) is a Swedish guitarist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and bandleader. Malmsteen first became known in the 1980s for his neoclassical metal playing style in heavy metal.
Malmsteen was born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck in Stockholm, Sweden, the third child of a musical family. Malmsteen has stated that Jimi Hendrix had no musical impact on him and did not contribute to his style, but watching the 18 September 1970 TV special where Hendrix smashed and burned his guitar made Malmsteen think, "This is really cool". Malmsteen created his first band "Track on Earth" at the age of 10, consisting of himself and a friend from school on drums. At the age of 12 he took his mother's maiden name Malmsten as his surname, slightly changed it to Malmsteen, and altered his third given name Yngve to "Yngwie". As a teenager, he was heavily influenced by classical music, particularly 19th century violinist composer Niccolò Paganini, and also discovered his most important guitar influence, Ritchie Blackmore. Uli Jon Roth is also cited as a significant influence, as is Brian May.
Live by the sword
and never surrender
Die by the sword
and don't give in
Now I must rise
and take the journey
Blood, sweat and tears
is what you'll find
These wasted years
Immortal sin
Angels of death
Always follow you
I must live to fight another day
I'll see the light again
Now you must learn
To burn
For eternity relentlessly
Oh, no!
The battle cries
are getting louder
It's time for you
to face the truth
No higher ground
You can run to
Must sacrifice
It's all or nothing
Must lift the curse
That's haunting you
Forever lost
but never found
I must live to fight another day
I'll see the light again
You must learn
To burn
For eternity relentlessly
Oh, no!
I must live to fight another day
I'll see the light again
You must learn
To burn
For eternity relentlessly