Yngwie Malmsteen made controversial statements about his time with Alcatrazz and Steeler in a recent interview with Chris Akin Presents.
“The thing is that, me as a creator, I am a solo artist since January 1984. Every record I’ve made, it’s been a solo album,” Malmsteen stated. “I even consider the Alcatrazz album a solo album. I wrote everything on that too.”
“Steeler, for instance, I wrote, like, maybe two songs. That was definitely not my thing,” he continued. “Everything I did since January 1984 has been my solo albums. If I hired somebody to sing something or hired somebody to play the keyboards or drums or bass or something, that was exactly it.”
“There was a period, couple of small periods — I’d say late ’80s maybe — where there was some distractions, some bad things going on. And then I let the reins go a little bit,” he explained. “But I was always producing at the end of the day. I was always doing that.”
“But even those times, these are my solo albums. I mean, there are solo artists that don’t do anything themselves. They have everybody writing and producing everything for ’em. They still call themselves solo artists,” Malmsteen added. “So, I don’t know how that works. But anyway… That’s cool too… I just find it interesting that some people don’t seem to understand that I’ve been a solo artist since 1984. And it stops there.”
His statements could potentially stir controversy among former bandmates. His characterization of collaborative works as solo projects particularly raises concerns.
The guitarist’s recent claims contradict the documented history of these collaborations and the bands’ official records.
Guitar World revealed that Mike Varney of Guitar Player magazine recruited Malmsteen to join Steeler in 1983. His neoclassical style marked a significant departure from the band’s straightforward heavy metal approach.
Alcatrazz’s official website documents Malmsteen’s next career move. He co-founded Alcatrazz with renowned Rainbow vocalist Graham Bonnet and several members from the band New England.
Historical records contradict Malmsteen’s claims of sole authorship. The band’s 1983 debut album ‘No Parole from Rock ‘n’ Roll’ and their 1984 live album ‘Live Sentence’ credited all members for their contributions.
The official Alcatrazz biography highlights the band’s collective structure. This narrative significantly differs from Malmsteen’s recent characterization of these projects as solo works.
