Yngwie Malmsteen
Trilogy

Malmsteen is a show-off guitarist. No, actually, Malmsteen is the daddy of all show-off guitarists. He is someone who, if he sees you playing a pentatonic scale on the guitar, will give you a slap on the head, take the guitar from you, and start playing his 10,000 notes, and maybe he'll even insult you because a true guitarist plays 10,000 notes. Malmsteen speaks ill of everything and everyone: his interviews are hilarious, there is one where he criticizes all modern guitarists because they play pentatonics and don't know how to bend. Malmsteen has an impossible character. Malmsteen owns a bunch of Ferraris, and in one of them, he almost met his end. One of his managers once tricked him and stole all his money. Malmsteen considers himself the best guitarist in the world, when in reality he was already surpassed the day after the release of his first album. Malmsteen had immense talent wasted in his self-importance and his indulgences. Malmsteen is now a decidedly overweight person. Malmsteen is this and perhaps worse, but he certainly has one merit, that of having influenced 3/4 of the past and present global metal scene, because if bands like Stratovarius, Symphony X, Adagio, Vision Divine, and the myriad of neo-progressive bands exist, the credit is his. I'll go further, because he also influenced, albeit to a lesser extent, Helloween and the entire power/epic scene. After the release of his first album, despite the immense consideration he had of himself, realizing that he had little to add to his guitar skills, he decided to focus on creating albums where the instrumental impact was less present in favor of the song form. Marching Out, Trilogy, and Odyssey are the result of this decision, three must-haves of the '80s that laid the foundation for much of the metal in the following years. Among the three, perhaps Trilogy is the one of highest artistic value.

Leaving aside the cover, unbelievably tacky, one cannot remain indifferent to its contents: I Don’t Remember I'll Never Forget, Queen in Love, Liar is a deadly triptych where Deep Purple, Rainbow, and certain Scandinavian AOR are perfectly blended. The keyboards in I Don’t Remember will significantly influence Europe's The Final Countdown. Malmsteen holds back, playing his 10,000 notes only in the solos which, truth be told, fit perfectly within the tracks. There are instrumental moments such as the poignant Crying and Trilogy Suite where there is also room for keyboardist Jens Johansson who, as should be, will be criticized by all the anti-show-offs in this world. The other tracks Fury, Magic Mirror, Fire, and Dark Age once again highlight the Swede's love for Blackmore-esque sounds and baroque and epic tones, without showing off too much.

After the excellent Odyssey, the subsequent albums will always contain a couple of noteworthy episodes, but the rest is largely forgettable, a clear sign that with that album he had almost exhausted the “here's a good song” conversation. In his vast discography, Malmsteen has written few instrumentals, but in the collective imagination, he is and will remain the most ostentatious guitarist. However, I would be careful not to make him angry: if he can stop a dragon with his guitar, imagine what he could do to you... Every day thousands of people speak ill of Malmsteen. Every day those same people wake up, get dressed, and go to work, perhaps after an hour in traffic or after catching the bus à la Fantozzi. Every day Malmsteen wakes up, gets dressed, and goes to polish his Ferraris, and his job? Playing the 10,000 notes... Malmsteen had a gift and exploited it to the extreme, and now he has Ferraris. Those who disparage him often do so rightfully, but they have to work, they don't have Ferraris, and I am sure, they can't play even the 10,000 notes. Malmsteen, if he didn't exist, you'd have to invent him.