Gig review: Yngwie J Malmsteen + Ragdoll at Liberty Hall Sydney

Live review: Yngwie J Malmsteen and Ragdoll at Liberty Hall, Sydney, Sunday, May 19 2024

By PAUL SOUTHWELL

SWEDISH guitar maestro Yngwie Malmsteen was recently in Australia, whipping through the east coast to upset road crews for load-ins and load-outs of many amplifier cabinets and amplifier heads, neatly arranged in an incommensurate backline game of amplifier Tetris. During the digital age and given that the bass amplifier was only one SVT, close inspection shows the active cable inputs. So, unless there is an elaborate, matrix of cabling at the rear of amp heads cabling flow, it appears that the vast majority are simply powered on. It is all taken in as mainly theatrics, unless blowing the drummer and the audience at the barrier into oblivion was the primary aim. Whilst the amp stack wall looks both cool and ridiculous, in equal measure, it would probably scare off the uninitiated. But a quick look at the many of punters in musical equipment t-shirts, queued up in a line snaking around the outside of the venue, clearly there were plenty of guitarists in attendance.

Warming up the crowd this evening was Perth based heavy metal band Ragdoll who have toured internationally and were skilled in delivering a cracking set. Their songs are well crafted, and all three members present their music with an engaging presence. Guitarist Leon Todd was immediately personable, but once his leads kicked in during “All I Want”, with precise speed and vibrato, it was clear he had the guitar chops to appear before a Malmsteen audience.

The heavier track, “Break You” let frontman and bassist Ryan Rafferty bark his vocals, against the percussive accents from drummer Cam Barrett, and plentiful sliding guitar work from Todd, and some EVH style split leg jumps. The bouncing feel of “Rewind Your Mind” combined heavier rhythm parts with melody, whilst “Letting Go” saw barrels of riffs with fluid, wah pedal-doused legato soloing. Their ode to classic heavy metal was presented in the bass driven and intervals constructed riffs of “Love on the Run”, with the requisite fast solo.

Similarly, “Playing God”, whilst tighter rhythmically, had plenty of wah effects, arpeggiated guitar parts, and crowd chant invitations. Finishing their set with the boogie vibe of “Rust”, a touch of minor scales favoured by neo-classical guitars was used to good effect.

The lights lowered to reveal all the glowing amp head lights and allowed Yngwie to tease the expectant audience with emotive guitar playing from offstage. Soon enough, band members took up their positions, with Yngwie the last to walk on, as a choral based keyboard wash for “Rising Force” from Odyssey, set the mood.

About the only aspect of Yngwie’s show cutting back on indulgence, musically speaking, was that his live line-up is stripped back to a four piece, given Yngwie handles some of the lead vocals these days, as does keyboard player Nick Z. Marino. The newer drummer, Kevin Klingenschmid, was perched in front of the amplifier wall. Bassist and backing vocalist, Emilio Martinez, was not far from his single SVT bass amplifier rig, dwarfed by the absurd spectacle of 28 amplifier heads, eight flat cabinets and six slanted cabinets for one guitar. As Yngwie started playing, there were moments of overhand guitar playing, plectrums flicked into one rabidly eager section of the crowd, sometimes off his boot, a variety of high kicks in leather pants, flowing long hair, and spinning guitars via a leopard print guitar strap, looped around the torso. It was all done to excess within the first track, and, continued for several more.

To be fair, the showmanship is something relished, but the musicianship is truly extraordinary. Yngwie’s alternate picking attack and economical sweep picking of diminished scale figures appears almost effortless. The following dual instrumentals of “Top Down, Foot Down” and “No Rest for the Wicked” from World On Fire also included some finger-tapping runs, synchronised passages with keyboards and a relentless use of tonal counterpoint.

In the rock idiom, Malmsteen takes the lead soloist of classical music such as a violin, and replaces it with guitar, immersed in the influence of Baroque composers, but guided by the rock stylings of Jimi Hendrix. “Soldier” saw his first vocal outing for the evening, with a slower vibrato, compared to his guitar style, and a fairly liberal application of reverb and delay. So, it is not surprising that some mannerisms implied playing a violin whilst hammering and pulling off superbly executed, fast scalar sequences, even though throwing a guitar to your guitar tech is not as light, nor as valuable, as a violin. Another aspect of his classically based guitar style is to harmonically manoeuvre around what is colloquially known as the circle of fifths, and then jump from major to minor chords to evoke a musical response as it requires a musical resolution.

Malmsteen’s music theory knowledge is on par with anything that a modern-day classical composer would present, with the climbing runs of “Into Valhalla” from Relentless and the trills and melody filled “Baroque & Roll” from Attack!!, underpinned by the keyboards and bass adding harmonic flavour and chordal direction.

Malmsteen’s power ballad skills are formidable, as witnessed with “Like An Angel (for April)”, where his use of volume swells and, believe it or not, a judicious sense of soloing, showed some restraint. That soon vanished once planting his foot on the wedge took sustained notes into swept speed runs and a circular approach, fishing out intense notes from his scalloped fretboards.

A portion of “Relentless Fury” traversed the fretboard, whilst debut album track “Now Your Ships Are Burned” alternated between pacing, using harmony to great effect, and delved into a lighter touch, for bluesier, and more muted soloing before unleashing further brittle sonic onslaughts. This approach continued with the next two, most recent album (Parabellum) tracks, as both “Wolves at the Door” and “(Si Vis Pacem) Parabellum” used pauses, accents and heavier, albeit brief guitar rhythm parts. This was before deferring to the rhythm section as wide finger stretches, swept passages and technical bombast managed to reference more cerebral fare, such as Paganini’s “Caprice No. 24 In A Minor”.

A brief rendition of Deep Purple’s “Lazy” riff was also previously physically referenced with a classic Ritchie Blackmore’s kneeling, with one outstretched leg move, that it’s unlikely would be performed by the real Man in Black today. There was of course, some overzealous fans to which Yngwie retorted, in usual abrasive fashion, “the last time I checked, I’m not a fucking jukebox. So, you get what you get, pal”.

A rendition of Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Badinerie”, similar to the version embedded within “No Mercy” from Fire & Ice, provided some briefly lighter music. His muted picking and synchronisation with the keyboards led to a flourish of sweeps, with the descending scale patterns very reminiscent of a violin’s tone. This was a perfect introduction to the epic, debut album signature track, “Far Beyond the Sun” which takes musical drama and mixes it with Baroque inspired virtuosity, and allows Yngwie’s deep vibrato from scalloped guitar necks, to shine, with a certain level of musical ferocity.

As the accents and howling notes over bursts of fast patterns during sporadic and calculated moments of band tacit unfolded, it was clear that Yngwie was the maestro of not just the harmonic minor and natural minor scale, but of melodic precision. As the song moved into trade off with the keyboards, the big chordal end approached, which segued into the melodic harmony of the first guitar solo part “Bohemian Rhapsody”, as heard just before the much-celebrated vocal harmonies sections. By this point, the guitar had experienced some whammy bar abuse, playing with teeth [revealing the not-so-subtle Ferrari insignia] and been thrown around, twirled by the neck.

The title track from Seventh Sign, with lead vocals from Marino, saw Malmsteen eventually play with a more expressive and bluesier style. That was followed by a heavier version of “Evil Eye” from the debut album, based on German Baroque organist Johann Krieger’s “Bourrée in A minor”, and included harpsicord sounds, trade off solos with the keyboards and a good dose of squealing whammy bar effected notes. Aptly enough, a cover of Deep Purple’s “Smoke On The Water” followed, with Yngwie singing, and more trading solos plus holding the guitar perpendicular to rip through a lesson in alternate picking, sweeps, and then playing the descending Blackmore’s popularised outro accented bend with his teeth.

Another instrumental appeared with “Trilogy Suite Op: 5”, using extended sections with volume swells and tremolo picking to ramp up the effects of solos, as chords, and fast scalar riffs, increased the power of the track. Throwing in the solo heard in “Vengeance” from Magnum Opus offered rising scalar patterns with descending tonics for each phrase. Astonishingly, it was time for a guitar solo, which was primarily a demonstration of athleticism in musicianship skills, based on repeated descending phrases, with harmonised and fluid improvisation. There were elements of “Toccata” and “Adagio”, with a variety of squeals, resolving to classical chordal bursts, that whilst incredible, were at risk of inflicting virtuoso exhaustion.

Changing tack, a swift performance of “Spasebo Blues” introduced a cover of “Red House” with Malmsteen on vocals, interspersed with guitar soloing figures, backed by a Hammond organ tone on the keyboards, and amongst the speed playing, some tonal changes, and a looser drum feel. The band then vacated the stage with Malmsteen paying to an orchestra in a box, or through the PA with pre-recorded string arrangements.

He played “Fugue” from the conspicuously named Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra in E Flat Minor, Opus 1. The gentle melody intertwined musical themes, building pace. Soon enough, the dramatic scalar runs morphed into an obnoxious octave pedal effect high squeal that manifest itself into guitar abuse, pulling strings off the neck, sliding the instrument off the side stage bass bins, coaxing feedback, detuning strings and using a pitch shifting device with increasing frequency to test eardrums.

Klingenschmid’s drum solo followed, attacking toms, adding fills, smashing cymbals and making percussive noises that sped up in pace, as guitar heads in the audience awaited the return of their king of shred. So, with a hi-hat start, it was into the final main set closing track of “You Don’t Remember, I’ll Never Forget” from Trilogy. Pop meets metal with a dash of Baroque-inspired keyboard arrangements under the solo sections, this was a track that many may recall took Malmsteen to a more mainstream international audience. Power chords, overhand diminished runs, major and minor chords changing moods with soulful floating guitar lines before fiery, scale run based soloing completed with whammy-based howls, hammering drums, the guitar held aloft and audience sing-alongs – it was the perfect set closer.

Malmsteen’s encore started as his guitar tech brought out his trusty nylon-string Ovation Viper acoustic guitar, which was a welcome change to endless plectrum racks being clipped onto microphone stands. It allowed for some lovely, poetic and beautiful guitar playing with which few can compete, backed where needed by various keyboard tones. The sweeping brilliance of Bach’s “Fuguetta” as heard on Unleash The Fury set the atmosphere for musical appreciation such that people watched intently, listening to every nuanced note played.

A note-perfect rendition of Bach’s “Air On The G String” continued the recital, as the speed and chordal trills segued into portions of his melodic lament from the debut album with the cascading melodies of “Icarus’ Dream Suite Op. 4”; a sprawling piece based on Bach’s “Adagio In G Minor” and also on a surviving portion of Baroque period Italian composer Tomaso Albinoni’s “Opus 4” arrangements reconstructed by biographer Giazotto, from discovered manuscripts. Malmsteen’s mastery of the classical realm was again heard with the chordal melodicism of the opening portion of the sublime “Prelude To April”, from Concerto Suite.

Then, with a flurry of tapping that seemed like a nod to EVH’s “Spanish Fly”, the band launched into the classic “Black Star” from the debut solo album. The soft opening chords fed into the screaming yet relatively clean guitar tone for the song’s melody line It is a track with a deft use of sweep picking, sliding tapped notes on melodic bands, and swelling, muted notes, against climatic cascades of notes, revving up to the closing chords. A masterpiece of a track.

Malmsteen delivered beyond expectations this evening. His stage presence and bombast may put some people off, but the undeniable musicianship, longevity, and depth of understanding in classical music composition is something to celebrate in an age of disposable social media nonsense. Those who first heard Malmsteen’s music many years ago are still attending in droves to hear him perform live. There really is no one like Malmsteen; jaw droppingly incredible but, for those with the ability to really listen, a wonderful sense of melodicism.