Back in April, guitar virtuoso and genius composer Yngwie J. Malmsteen arrived in London on tour to support his latest album 'Attack!!' and this señorita was granted the wonderful opportunity to meet up with him right before his sold-out gig. Despite him being undoubtedly my favourite guitar player of all time, I was well aware of the controversial reputation he has as a person and consequently, I must admit I was a little concerned. Therefore it was a wonderful surprise when he kindly replied to all my questions and even managed to have a few laughs. I mean okay, the man might be slightly arrogant and been responsible for much of his negative publicity, but hey, surely someone with that much talent can afford to be that little bit special?!

It has taken two years since 'War To End All Wars' for your new album 'Attack!!' to see the light. Were you working on the album all this time and trying to find the perfect line-up?

No, the only problem was that I changed management, record deals and all sorts of things. I toured for over a year after 'War to End All Wars' was released and then I just went home to Miami, started writing songs immediately and I had the songs ready very quickly. I recorded also extremely quickly. In fact the album was finished about a year ago, but in order to get it out I had to get a new record deal because my record deal in Europe was completely in shambles. I had a label already in Japan, so it came out in Japan on the scheduled time but it came later in Europe simply because I changed labels to SPV, who by the way I have to say are very, very good. I am very pleased with what they've done. I've definitely not been loafing around. As soon as the tour is over I go in the studio, I write music, I record it and then I go out on the road. That's what I've been doing for over 20 years.

So how long did you actually spend in the studio?

I have two studios that I owe myself. One of them is in my house, but it's not a home studio. It's a full-on, state-of-the-art, fucking ridiculous studio. It has everything you can imagine equipment wise. The only thing it doesn't have is a really big recording room for drums. So I built another studio about 3 miles from my house which is called Baroque & Roll Studios. It doubles as a rehearsal room because it's huge. And also everything is miked up with the control room and 24-track recording machines. So I wrote the songs very quickly by myself, no one else. I was just me in my home studio. I can sit in my bathroom and write songs, or go out and play tennis and then sit in the kitchen and write songs. It's very bizarre because I live like in paradise. Miami is like paradise - blue water, palm trees, sunny… So it depends on what you mean by how much time do I spend in the studio because I'm in the studio writing and in the same studio I record, so it's all in one. I'd say I wrote the songs and recorded them in like four months. Nothing!

It's been said that 'Attack!' is a return to the 'Marching Out/Trilogy' times. How do you see it?

I heard that from several people. But the concept with 'Attack!!' is that there is no concept. That's why I did it the way I did it. Let it flow, let the songs come in naturally. For the album before I said it had to be really heavy, and before that I had lots of instrumentals and before that I had a lot of hit songs. And I said fuck all that! I just wanted to let songs come up. It may be 'Attack!', may be 'Ship of Fools', 'Razor Eater', 'Majestic Blues' or 'Baroque & Roll'. These things just happen. And for the next album that's what we are gonna do. I've been writing four new songs since this album. It's really different styles. It's dark and heavy but yet some songs are ballad style. I just decided I am not going to follow any direction at all ever. I'm just gonna let it happen.

Some people say, and I am probably one of them, that your albums would be much better if they were completely instrumental, with no vocals. What do you think?

I don't agree. I think that in the 80's I might have made some albums where I was actually attempting to come into that full airplay: This could be paradise [he sings in a sarcastic tone] … but as of late I find myself feeling very strongly about expressing myself not only musically but also lyrically and I put a lot of importance in my lyrics. If you read the lyrics in my last three albums, I wrote everything. Before that I would let somebody else write and I couldn't stand it. My lyrics are really heavy. This is not like 'Let's do it tonight, baby'. This is real shit, cause I read books all the time and see heavy movies or hear about events, and it reflects on what I want to express. Therefore I always put some instrumentals on the albums and also live there are lots of instrumentals.

Where do you get the inspiration from for the lyrics?

All sorts of different things. CNN sometimes or it could be from a book, personal experience, anger, love... There is never one single thing. And as far as inspiration to the music, there is no answer to that question, it just happens. I don't know where from, I just say thank you.

Talking about CNN, how do you see the current war in Iraq? Do you view it as the war to end all wars?

I'm not a politician, I am a musician. I am here to entertain you guys. I have views, but most of them I would have to keep to myself. The only thing I can say about this is that it is very bad because war is never good. No one can say war is good no matter what, but sometimes it's necessary and I'm not sure if this is the right solution. What I know is that that region of the world needs to be changed. It can't stay the way it is and whether America or Britain does it or if they do it themselves it doesn't matter. It's got to change.

It is curious to see you have now taken on board Dougie White, another ex-Rainbow singer. Do you not think this simply intensifies the Ritchie Blackmore comparisons?

Do you know how this happened? Three years ago I was in this dressing room and all of a sudden Dougie walked in and we had a beer. We talked for a little while. We hit it off. We became friendly. I carried on the tour, went to Asia. Then I decided to fire everybody, the whole band and the whole crew.

Any particular reasons for that?

Many reasons: they are now currently sailing on a ship of fools [he recites]. Anyway, there you are. But then I said I'm just gonna go home and write songs. But my so-called manager at the time says "You forgot you have the South American tour." So we just put a band together on paper basically. And Dougie was involved. We went on the road, we hit it off. Then I said okay, I'm going to give him a shot for the album. Let me tell you something: Joe Lynn Turner came to me. Graham Bonnet came to me. Dougie White came to me. I never purposely seek out Ritchie Blackmore's singers.

What if Dio came to you?

Ronnie it's just a little bit... [After a sigh, a few seconds and some help from her manager and mother-in-law, he concludes] It's different styles…

Also in the band is ex-Dream Theater member Derek Sherinian on keyboards. Are you a fan of that band?

I never really heard them. Mick Cervino, who also played with Ritchie Blackmore, sent me a CD and a letter saying can I please audition for you? They come to me. It's like all standing in line wondering when is that guy going to get out of there so I can get in? Then Derek Sherinian didn't do the tour because he had to do something else so I found a keyboard player that also came to me. He used to play with Glenn Hughes and Joe Lynn Turner. So everything is connected, it's really funny. For some reason I've always been connected with that Purple tree.

But you haven't been looking for it.

No, not really. Obviously I was a great fan when I was a kid, but that was a long time ago.

You have played the bass on the album yourself. Was that because you couldn't find a suitable musician or because you thought it would be more fun to do it yourself as you know exactly what you want?

I don't know how to put this. I can do the bass on the whole album in like two hours and it will be exactly like I want it. I have had bass players on some of my albums - very few of them as in most of them I did all the bass, and A: I wasn't happy and B: It wasn't sounding like I wanted. Mick is great, but for some reason I've always been happier when I play the bass because the bass is more important than what most people think and I am very, very specific with how I want the bass.

You even sang one track 'Freedom' in the new album. Would you ever consider recording a whole album with your vocals?

That's a good question because it's a funny thing. I've done a couple of songs. I used to record stuff and play it to my wife. I don't do that anymore because I just keep it secret, I don't play it for anybody. One day right before the tour started we were sitting in Mick's car and I put my CD on just to show Mick and this song comes on where I'm playing Hammond organ and I'm singing, which is very unusual, and my wife April goes 'Man, you have to put this on the album.' I've been playing it to the rest of the guys and they all go like 'Wow'. Then I did a couple of other songs but I was singing more like [a Pantera style] 'Whoa!' I don't know, I am definitely not going to sing a whole album but I'll probably sing more. I've always kind of limited myself to the blues before. Now since I was getting bored silly sitting at home waiting for this tour to go on I was just sitting late at night and I just started singing this stuff and it became interesting. Since I quit smoking my voice got a lot better. I used to smoke four or five packs a day. I haven't been smoking for three years but it's not until now that I feel the difference.

How many years had you been smoking before?

Since I was born I guess!

Over the years you have kept continuously changing the line-up of your band almost from album to album. Do you find it hard to work with the same people for a long time or is it just you choose people that fit with the music you want to bring out?

People stand in line to be in my band. They are standing in line waiting. I constantly have calls, emails, letters, CDs, cassettes... People send me stuff all the time.

But surely if you feel comfortable with someone maybe you would like to keep them.

Of course! I had the same keyboard player for 12 years and I didn't fire him. He left. Now he wants to come back, but I'm afraid it's too late. I think it's good to have familiar things but I think it's also good to have new people. It's a strange combination of pros and cons on both sides.

It is argued that your relationship with Joe Lynn Turner was the most successful. Would you ever consider working with him again?

No, absolutely not. That ['Odyssey'] was the worst album I ever made. Not because of him, but because of the fact that I almost killed myself in a car crash, my mum died, my house was ruined in an earthquake, I was ripped off, I didn't have any money, I couldn't fucking play. I was a mess and just because of that people came in and started putting their shit in, like shitty lyrics and bad production. I will never let that happen again. I need to be in control and I couldn't do it then because I was a mess. I had no house, I had no wife, I had no mother, I had no money, no car. I had nothing. I was completely fucked up with drugs. It was horrible.

Are you clean now?

Of course! This is fifteen years ago. It was the worst time of my life. I am totally clean now. I have nothing but bad memories from that. I don't necessarily blame Joe for that, it's just that was a bad time in my life and I am not revisiting that thing.

Do you have a line-up that you have felt more comfortable with?

The one I have now.

To finish, could you tell us why was the tour re-scheduled? It was meant to take place in February.

What happened was the agent we had booked all the gigs but they did it in such shambles that there was not enough time and no money, so we couldn't put the band together. I don't have anything to do with it. I would like to make clear that I am given a list, a book, an airline ticket and a tour bus and I go. I don't book gigs, I don't decide where or when we play. I hope that people understand that it's not me, because I am more than ready, willing and able to go on stage any time, anywhere.