Yngwie Malmsteen to be inducted into RockWalk Monday

Yngwie Malmsteen, will be inducted into Hollywood’s RockWalk on Monday, October 13 at noon. Yngwie’s masterful technique, innovation, and flamboyant showmanship has mesmerized listeners since the early 1980s and inspired generations of aspiring guitarists around the world.

Born on June 30, 1963 in Stockholm, Sweden, Yngwie Malmsteen received his first guitar at the age of five from his mother, Rigmor. Originally having no interest in music, a September 18, 1970 TV special on the death of guitarist Jimi Hendrix became the day that the guitar-playing Yngwie was born. Yngwie immersed himself in music and spent long hours practicing the songs of Deep Purple. His admiration for Ritchie Blackmore’s classically influenced playing led him to absorb the classical structures of such masters as Bach, Vilvaldi, Beethoven and Mozart.

At the age of 15 Yngwie left school for good and formed the very first incarnation of Rising Force before moving to the United States in 1982 with only his ’71 Strat® and an extra pair of pants. He performed for the first time in the U.S. the very next year and then, after playing on an album by Steeler, he formed Alcatrazz. After it became clear that he would need to go solo to fully develop his talents, Yngwie released his first solo album, Rising Force, in 1981. The album made it to #60 on the Billboard charts and gained Yngwie a GRAMMY nomination for best rock instrumental performance.

With his place in guitar history firmly established, Yngwie has continued to inspire guitarists worldwide for over a decade. He has released many classic albums including Marching Out (1985), Trilogy (1986), Odyssey (1988), Fire & Ice (1992), The Seventh Sign (1994), Inspiration (1996), Facing the Animal (1997), Alchemy (1999), Attack!! (2002) and Unleash the Fury (2005). He has also shown his versatility by producing his first completely classical work, Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra in Eb minor, Op.1, in 1997.

October 14, 2008 will see the release of his latest studio album, Perpetual Flame which he produced and engineered himself. The Fender® Custom Shop has also introduced the new Yngwie Malmsteen Tribute Series Stratocaster® guitar, a reproduction of Malmsteen’s beloved instrument that will be produced in limited edition.

Hollywood’s RockWalk is the only sidewalk gallery dedicated to honoring those artists who have made a significant impact and lasting contribution to the growth and evolution of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Blues and R&B. Yngwie Malmsteen’s handprints will reside alongside the handprints, signatures, and faces of other equally accomplished musicians and innovators such as Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Bonnie Raitt, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Brian Wilson, Stevie Wonder, John Lee Hooker and Earth Wind & Fire among numerous others.

GUITAR LEGEND YNGWIE MALMSTEEN UNLEASHES FIRST NEW ALBUM IN THREE YEARS, ‘PERPETUAL FLAME’
The global rock guitar community will undoubtedly mark October 14, 2008 on their calendars, as this is the exact date that Yngwie Malmsteen will be issuing his latest studio triumph, ‘Perpetual Flame.’ The album will the first-ever Yngwie album to be released via Rising Force Records (distributed via Koch), while the album also marks the debut on an Yngwie album by ex-Judas Priest/Iced Earth frontman, Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens.

Twelve tracks of pure six string metallic bliss (which stretches to almost 70 minutes total), the album was produced and engineered by Yngwie himself, and mixed by Roy Z (who has previously worked with Judas Priest and Bruce Dickinson, among others). Joining Yngwie and Ripper on the album is keyboardist Derek Sherinian and drummer Patrick Johansson (Yngwie contributed bass, additional keyboards, and vocals, as well), but on tour, Michael Troy will supply keyboards, and Bjorn Englen will be laying down the bass. A supporting tour of the U.S. and Canada is slated to run through all of October.

Single-handedly, Yngwie Malmsteen trailblazed the classical metal movement in the 1980’s. During a time when the majority of guitarists were merely copying Eddie Van Halen, Yngwie was one of the few rock guitarists to create his own instantly-identifiable playing style – which has been subsequently mimicked by countless other guitarists. Yngwie is responsible for issuing some of the metal’s all-time great guitar classics, especially such releases as 1984’s ‘Rising Force,’ 1985’s ‘Marching Out,’ 1992’s ‘Fire and Ice,’ and most recently, 2005’s ‘Unleash the Fury.’

In addition to the arrival of ‘Perpetual Flame’ in October, another career highlight is slated for the following month – Yngwie has teamed up with the Fender® Custom Shop to reconstruct his beloved Yngwie Malmsteen “Play Loud” Stratocaster® guitar, which be unveiled globally on November 28th (limited edition of 106 tribute series guitars) and there will be a slew of CD reissues of Yngwie classics to soon be announced. And the accolades continue to pour in - ‘Roadie Crew Magazine’ organized a poll in which 330 respected rock guitarists were asked to vote for their favorite guitarist of all-time. Yngwie checked in at a lofty number 3, only behind fellow legends Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen. Without question, 2008 is shaping up to be the year of Yngwie.

COMPLETE TRACKLISTING FOR ‘PERPETUAL FLAME’:
1. Death Dealer
2. Damnation Game
3. Live to Fight (Another Day)
4. Red Devil
5. Four Horsemen (Of the Apocalypse)
6. Priest of the Unholy
7. Be Careful What You Wish For
8. Caprici Di Diablo
9. Lament
10. Magic City
11. Eleventh Hour
12. Heavy Heart

YNGWIE MALMSTEEN 2008 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES:

10/04/08 SAN ANTONIO, TX SCOUTBAR
10/05/08 DALLAS, TX GRANADA THEATER
10/08/08 SAN DIEGO, CA HOUSE OF BLUES
10/09/08 ANAHEIM, CA HOUSE OF BLUES
10/10/08 LAS VEGAS, NV HOUSE OF BLUES
10/11/08 VENTURA, CA VENTURA THEATER
10/12/08 LOS ANGELES, CA AVALON
10/17/08 ROYAL OAK, MI ROYAL OAK THEATER
10/18/08 CLEVELAND, OH AGORA THEATER
10/19/08 CHICAGO, IL HOUSE OF BLUES
10/21/08 WILLIAMSVILLE, NY CLUB INFINITY
10/23/08 WANTAGH, NY MULCAHYS
10/24/08 SAYREVILLE, NJ STARLAND BALLROOM
10/25/08 LANCASTER, PA CHAMELEON CLUB
10/26/08 NEW YORK, NY BLENDER THEATER
10/29/08 NASHVILLE, TN CANNERY BALLROOM
11/02/08 ST. PETERSBURG, FL JANNUS LANDING

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT THE FOLLOWING SITES:
www.YngwieMalmsteen.com (official page)
www.RisingForceRecords.com (official record company page – will be launched soon)
www.fender.com/yngwie/english/ (information – and video clip - about Yngwie’s signature guitar)