What would you have wished for if we lived in an ideal world where everything we desired and hoped for came true? Well, for many metalheads and musicians, including Yngwie Malmsteen, there are a few names they’d love to have in their dream band. Let’s take a look at what Malmsteen’s choice would be, shall we? Some names that are about to be uttered may surprise you.
Before we reveal Malmsteen’s picks, let’s look at some of the other big names in the industry who also have their lineup ready for their dream bands. The first one that comes to mind is Lzzy Hale’s all-female supergroup. She had previously mentioned that her dream would be to bring together Sick Puppies’ bassist Emma Anzai, guitarist and vocalist Orianthi, Skillet’s Jen Ledger, and Korey Kooper to make a statement in the male-dominated industry.
It’s also important to mention the existing supergroups—names like GTR, Cream, the Damned Things, the Power Station, and Chickenfoot. Of course, we couldn’t skip the Hollywood Vampires, featuring some of the biggest names in the scene, such as Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, and Joe Perry.
Now that we are somewhat caught up with some already existing supergroups and potential ones let’s rail it back to Malmsteen’s dream lineup. First and foremost, perhaps the more unique quality about the guitarist is that he adores classical music, unlike many of his peers in the industry. To most people’s surprise, the guitarist has been mainly influenced by classical music. In particular, the work of violin virtuoso Niccolo Paganini and the compositions of J.S. Bach.
In his interview with Guitar World in 1986, Malmsteen even went as far as to say, “Classical is the peak of the development of music, and Bach is the most influential classical composer of all. Beethoven, Chopin, and Liszt all took from Bach. Mozart even took from Bach; he was a little kid when Bach died. Classical is the source of music; it’s like a religion, almost.”
So later in his career, when Malmsteen was asked in an interview with the Rockpit in 2015 about his dream lineup for his band, the guitarist confidently answered, “Johann Sebastian Bach on keys, Pavarotti on vocals, on drums… man, I don’t know!” And when the interviewer said, “Yngwie Malmsteen on drums?” the guitarist replied, “Ha! Why not?!”
His influences in classical music have made their way to his dream lineup, and at this point, after knowing his opinions and his love for those artists, it makes sense that they would be in his band, right? It’s pretty mind-boggling trying to correlate classical music with metal for most and good reason because from afar, it seems like they are at opposite ends of the spectrum.
However, it is clear from what Malmsteen has accomplished that the two genres don’t have to be that far away, and metalheads can shift their attention to classical music for inspiration. Who knows, maybe then they will also have similar artists in their dream lineups.
