Yngwie Malmsteen unleashes the fury once again with new album, Parabellum

On a recent appearance on SiriusXM's Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk, electric guitar legend Yngwie Malmsteen hinted at an “intense” new album titled Parabellum.

Now, full details on that album have been revealed, as has the first single, the unquestionably intense Wolves at the Door, which you can listen to below.

Regarding the new record, Malmsteen said, “I always try to push myself on every album I do, and attempt things which are more extreme than previously. But what has helped this time is that I wasn't able to go on the road because of the pandemic. It meant I could take much longer in the studio, both to write and record.

“Because I am usually always on tour, which is great, I haven't had the luxury of spending a lot of time working on new music for more than 20 years.  But I suddenly had no pressure at all on that front. And I feel the album has benefited enormously as a result.”

He continued, “I am the sort of person who doesn't like to do take after take after take of any track. If something isn't to my satisfaction, I'll move on. But there were occasions with this album when I dismissed something because I thought it was a stinker. I went back a couple of days later, listened to it and wondered why I thought it stank in the first place! That's the beauty of having everything available you've done through Pro Tools. Nothing is lost.

“Things were changing all the time. Song titles, tempos. Everything was fluid. I would listen to a part I had done for one specific song, and realize it worked better if I transposed it into another track.”

Malmsteen reports that four songs on Parabellum feature vocals. As for why? “I love to listen back to what I've done in the car. Sometimes I find myself singing along to what was supposed to be an instrumental. That's when I realize this song does need vocals. The opposite happens as well.”

And while some tracks appear to incorporate keyboards into the mix, Malmsteen states this isn’t the case: “I can assure you that, while it may seem as if there are keyboards, everything has been done by myself on guitar. Even what sounds like a piano intro to Wolves at the Door, the opening track, has been played on guitar.”

When it comes to the overall intention behind Parabellum, Malmsteen stated, “The bottom line for me is that the passion I feel for the music I make has to be obvious. I am the sort of person who lives in the moment. I wanted this album to have a joyous, spontaneous atmosphere. This must never sound as if it's been rehearsed so much that it becomes routine.”

He continued, “I hope people will put on this record at the start and listen right through to the end, from start to finish. I recorded this as a singular piece of art. Not as a collection of 10 tracks you can hear in any order you want. I view this album as having a natural flow from start to finish. It's not to be cut up into little pieces. I want fans to experience the delight I had in making it.”

Parabellum is released July 23 via Music Theories Recordings. The album is available for preorder now.