Yngwie Malmsteen

Swedish guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen is considered one of the most technically proficient guitarists in rock history. Thought of by many as the king of shredding--the high-speed, ultra-precise style of metal guitar soloing--Malmsteen combines heavy-metal/hard-rock histrionics with both the compositional grandeur of classical music and a perfectionist technique that borders on flawless. Although his music is often absurdly excessive, there is no denying that, as a solo artist and with his band Rising Force, Malmsteen has set the standard for six-string pyrotechnics from the 1980s on.