Swedish guitar hero, Yngwie Malmsteen, expects to release his new album, entitled World On Fire, this April.

In an interview with Seymour Duncan Malmsteen talks about the new album:

“I actually just finished a new record called World On Fire. I spent two years on it, touring, recording, touring, recording. And that’s much, much better actually, in a way. Back in the day I would write the songs then rehearse them with some musicians, then go and do a backing track and we’d record it, mix it, learn the songs to go play them on tour, then do it all again. That way isn’t necessarily conducive to making the best music, y’know what I mean? So in a very, very backhanded way this weird twist of fate in the music industry has actually made it a more inspiring environment, for me at least. I can write any time and record any time. My recording studio is always open, 24 hours. I can just record when I want and it’s a beautiful thing.

When asked what the record like, Yngwie responds: “It’s a Malmsteen record [laughs]. But I would say it’s a little different. First of all I do all the lead vocals on it. Any time I did lead vocals in the past I was singing blues stuff. This time I decided to do lead vocals in my style of songwriting, so it’s different in that way. It’s a very hard-hitting album and some parts are very advanced, very complicated. But it’s a broad record. It’s definitely a must-listen-to! It’s finished and it’s been delivered to the label in Japan so I would expect it to be released in about two months from now.”

Read the full interview at SeymourDuncan.com.

The term “supergroup” gets thrown around on a regular basis these days, however, a new tour featuring some of the greatest guitarists of all time is about to truly give the term a whole new meaning. Introducing: Generation Axe, featuring Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Nuno Bettencourt, and Tosin Abasi.

Beginning on April 5th in Seattle, Generation Axe - A Night Of Guitars is hitting the road for 26 performances in North America. Tickets for all shows go on sale Friday, February 19th.

"The Generation Axe show is a unique performance of five fiercely talented guitar players coming together to create a 6-string extravaganza that is sure to amaze and delight,” commented Steve Vai.

The Generation Axe fan experience will go way beyond simply gathering five guitar greats on one stage to jam. Each tour stop will include a variety of collaborations by the five players, including everyone performing together as one cohesive band with a rhythm section including Pete Griffin (Dweezil Zappa, Stanley Clarke, Edgar Winter) on bass and Nick Marinovich (Yngwie Malmsteen) on keys. Vai, Wylde, Malmsteen, Bettencourt and Abasi will perform songs from their various catalogs and join forces on some well-known songs (as well as probably a few unexpected, unearthed gems).

Making this rare tour experience even more special, Generation Axe VIP packages will be offered, giving fans access to these guitars masters and exclusive one-of-a-kind memorabilia. A front row package (including a meet & greet), a meet & greet package, and a VIP tour package will be available. For more information, visit generationaxe.com.

Tour dates:

April
5 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
6 - Vancouver, BC - Queen Elizabeth Theatre
8 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theater
9 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
10 - San Diego, CA - Humphrey's Concerts By The Bay
11 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
13 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre
15 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre
16 - Salina, KS - The Stiefel Theatre
17 - Dallas, TX - Bomb Factory
18 - Houston, TX - Revention Music Center
20 - Jacksonville, FL - Florida Theatre
21 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
23 - Wilmington, NC - Cape Fear Community College
24 - Washington, DC - Warner Theatre
25 - Cincinnati, OH - Taft Theatre
26 - Indianapolis, IN - Murat Theatre
27 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
29 - Chicago, IL - Copernicus Center

May
1 - Madison, WI - Orpheum Theatre
2 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre
4 - Toronto, ON - Massey Hall
5 - Upper Darby, PA - Tower Theater
6 - Westbury, NY - Theatre at Westbury
7 - Hampton Beach, NH - Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
8 - Providence, RI - Providence Performing Arts Center