Yngwie Malmsteen’s journey to becoming a master neoclassical shredder began when his sister gave him a copy of Deep Purple’s Fireball for his eighth birthday.
“When I heard that, my path was clear,” Malmsteen said in a 2008 interview with Guitar World.
“What I loved about Blackmore’s playing were his syncopated pentatonic lines. I bought [Deep Purple’s] Made in Japan when it first came out, and a year later I knew all of those solos inside out. I would play them all day long.”
Malmsteen also primarily plays through Marshall stacks because of Blackmore (and, of course, Jimi Hendrix). Both guitarists wield white Stratocasters, too.
Fast-forward to 2018, and his guitar hero had plenty of praise for the Swedish virtuoso and his playing.
“I know him, and he’s a very nice guy,” Blackmore told Guitar World. “Excellent guitar player. A lot of people have kind of questioned his angle, but he obviously knows his stuff.
“He might be a bit too tall, but that’s my only criticism,” he quipped.
Blackmore even went as far as to say Malmsteen was “like a family member”, sharing his admiration for the Swedish maestro’s technical knowhow.
“I definitely think he’s probably the best at what he does and – for what it’s worth – the fastest. And he doesn’t play the typical blues, minor kind of interpretations. He knows his scales. It’s more interesting.”
Despite heavy fan speculation – and several Deep Purple covers featuring in Malmsteen’s live shows over the years – the two have never officially collaborated.
However, with Ritchie Blackmore returning to the stage for a surprise appearance with Deep Purple last week, and a new Malmsteen album in the pipeline, we still hold out hope for a Blackmore-Malmsteen collaboration one day.
