Guitarist YNGWIE MALMSTEEN discusses his new album, Relentless, with Brandon Marshall at Sonic Excess in a new interview. An excerpt is available below.

Q: What is your proudest achievement with this new record? Did you challenge yourself in any new or different ways prior to writing and recording Relentless?

Malmsteen: "I picked up the guitar 40 years ago. One would think enough is enough, why would he top himself, or whatever, but I really did. I wasn’t necessarily saying 'I’m going to top everything think that I have done.' It was more of a burning passion. It’s weird; I don’t understand it. I just pick up a guitar, and it’s a fire. That’s why I call the album Relentless, because I can’t do anything half-assed; I just can’t. It has to be full out or nothing, more is more. Some of the tracks on the record are pretty extreme. The title track ('Relentless') being one. It’s not all about guitar playing; it is also about composition and how to put it all together. I look at the record as a whole and not just one song. For instance, 'Night of the Vas Order', that is an instrumental. Then, you have for example, 'Look At You Now' that I sing on. They are very different, but they all function together as a whole."

Q: As you mentioned, the title Relentless is a reflection of your guitar ability…

Malmsteen: "No, I mean I am a relentless person. I am completely relentless in everything that I do. It doesn’t matter what it is, and I have always been like that. I have always been a purest. I have always been an extremist. I have always been someone who goes full out or nothing, and that goes for everything, like my cars for example. I live everything full out, and that is a personality trait. My guitar playing is a result of that personality trait."

Go to this location for the complete interview

Relentless will hit streets on November 22nd (November 23rd in North America) via Malmsteen's own Rising Force Records. Audio samples from the entire album are available at this location.

According to a press release, Relentless contains more than 60 minutes of brand new material and showcases the guitar great at his best with the signature virtuosity and mind-blowing technical speed for which he has come to be known. Relentless also features striking vocals from TIM "RIPPER" OWENS (ex-JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH), who first collaborated with Malmsteen on 2008's critically-acclaimed Perpetual Flame (Malmsteen's first album for the Rising Force Records label).

Of the new album, Malmsteen commented, "The album title really says it all. The drive to surpass my own accomplishments can best be described with one word - Relentless. After all these years of composing and playing music, I still am passionate about pushing myself to the limit - to the highest, most demanding level of playing possible."

Relentless tracklisting:

'Overture'

'Critical Mass'

'Shot Across The Bow'

'Look At You Now'

'Relentless'

'Enemy Within'

'Knight Of The Vasa Order'

'Caged Animal'

'Into Valhalla'

'Tide Of Desire'

'Adagio B Flat Minor Variation'

'Axe To Grind'

'Blinded'

'Cross To Bear'

'Arpeggios From Hell' *

(*Bonus track)