Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force changed the game with its jaw-dropping display of mechanical mastery, classical themes, and reckless, extended soloing –celebrate 40 years of his essential debut with this neo-class shred masterclass

Yngwie Malmsteen takes a solo on his Fender Strat, on a stage bathed in blood-red stage lights.

Hailed by countless fans and critics as the dawn of the shred guitar revolution, Yngwie Malmsteen’s Grammy-nominated solo debut Rising Force built on earlier flashes of genius (in Steeler and Alcatrazz), with a jaw-dropping display of mechanical mastery, classically influenced themes, and reckless, extended soloing.

In a time when two-handed tapping was the technique of choice among the big-hair population, Yngwie put Harmonic Minor, baroque-fused themes, ferocious picking, and sweeping arpeggios on the rock agenda.