From the world of metal ～Who is your favorite Yngwie vocal?～

Yngwie Malmsteen. The guitarist who established the genre "neo-classical metal" with classical melodies, which were said to have been influenced by Niccolo Paganini's violin technique, and shredding that made full use of legato and sweep picking. Since his debut with "Rising Force" in 1984, he has released 21 original albums including instrumental works. But he is also famous for frequent band member changes with each album and tour. Because of that, even if you like Yngwie, it's surprising that nobody really talks about which album and which line-up members you like. That's why (?) this time, I’m going to introduce the Yngwie band vocalist that I like along with some songs!

■ Mark Boals / Wield My Sword

Mark Boals was the vocalist on the masterpiece, "Trilogy", which is the last of the initial trilogy, and has been frequently talked about for "Inspiration" and "Alchemy". In addition to Yngwie, he has participated in the works of Uli Jon Roth and formed the band Ring of Fire with Tony McAlpine and others. To say that Mark Boals is the voice of Neo Classical is an understatement. With his overwhelming vocal range and highs with rich overtones, which are sometimes described as operatic, he is an exceptional vocalist in terms of the genre of metal, as well as amongst the other vocalists who have worked with Yngwie.

■ Mike Vescera / Crash And Burn

The vocalist in the 90's for "The Seventh Sign" and "Magnum Opus". It is also known that he sang with LOUDNESS before joining Yngwie. In recent years, in addition Obsession and his own band Vescera, he has been active under the name of Soldier Of Fortune with the LOUDNESS revival performances. He is characterized by a rough, distorted high tone, and is sometimes called the "Singing Marshall Amplifier" in Japan. For me personally, Mike struck me deeply as a vocalist because The Seventh Sign was my introduction to Yngwie's music.

■ Mats Leven / Like An Angel

The vocalist who participated on "Facing the Animal" in 1997. It's often noted that Cozy Powell played the drums, but I personally think that Mats' singing is an important part of this album. His slightly distorted voice is similar to Mike Vescera’s, but I feel Mats’ vocals bring a little bit of Scandinavian sorrow to the songs. Mats is also the vocalist on the live album "Live!!" ("Double Live!!" for the 2000 reissue version), so I recommend it for those who like his vocals. In recent years, in addition to performing with Candlemass and Gus G, in 2019 he released a solo album under the name of Skyblood.

■ Special edition - Graham Bonnet / Starcarr Lane

Finally, I would like to introduce a vocalist who has not participated on Yngwie's solo or Rising Force albums, but is indispensable when talking about Yngwie. At a time when Yngwie was only 20 years old, he was given the chance to make a name for himself in the heavy metal scene by joining Graham Bonnett's Alcatrazz. Even before Alcatrazz, Graham was a vocalist for bands led by famous guitarists such as Rainbow and Michael Schenker Group. His one-of-a-kind voice that can be described as “brute force” rather than just powerful, that rises the ground is attractive. In 2020, with Joe Stump as guitarist, Alcatrazz released their first album in 34 years.

So, there you go! My favorite Yngwie band vocals! Yngwie has teamed up with many talented vocalists other than the ones mentioned here, but this would never end if I introduced all of them. Also, this time when I selected the songs, I tried to choose songs with different tones as much as possible. When it comes to Yngwie, the focus is mostly on shredding and technique, but I hope you see that he is a guitarist with a very high songwriting ability as well!