1. Yngwie Malmsteen - Icarus Dream Suite Opus 4 - This in itself is an incredible demonstration of "neoclassical"
2. Yngwie Malmsteen - Far Beyond the Sun - This song contains many techniques that relate directly to classical music, like an ideé fixe, reverting back to the same "fixed idea".
3. Yngwie Malmsteen - Blitzkrieg - Fast transitions, repetition and variation on a theme, and a heavy metal base.
3. Jason Becker - Opus Pocus - This song is beautiful, it sounds like a Vivaldi composition and really shows an incredible skill level.
4. Jason Becker - Perpetual Burn - Purely instrumental, fast paced, and jumping with energy this song shows what neoclassical is all about.

1. Yngwie Malmsteen-Icarus Dream Suite
2. Tony Macalpine-Tears of Sahara
3. Vinnie Moore-As Time Slips By
4. Tony MacAlpine-Empire in the Sky
5. Koyaanisqatsy-Golden Dawn (Whole album is great. Check it out)

Oziel Zinho - Cross <---check this huy ozielzinho.com

Ozzy and Randy - Revelation Mother Earth
Impelletteri - Hungry Days
Impelletteri - 17th Century Chicken Pickin
Yngwie - Icarus Dream Suite
Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Christmas Eve Sarajevo

I don't know too many bands yet, because I just recently got into this type of metal, but yeah...

Welcome to the forum. Glad you made it. My top friends on myspace.com/neoclassicalfusion will be a great start in finding new bands. Koyaanisqatsy is a great unknown.

1. "Revelation Mother Earth" - The Randy Rhoads Band / otherwise known as OZZY.

2. "Black Diamond" - Stratovarius

3. "Flying Pyramids" - Magic Kingdom

4. "Whitewashed Tomb" instrumental song or "K517" instrumental song - Tourniquet

5. "Dark Tower of Abyss" - Rhapsody.

Yngwie fills my list:

1. Trilogy Suite Op. 5

2. Far Beyond the Sun

3. Evil Eye

4. Icarus' Dream Suite Op.4

5. Icarus Concerto Suite (whole thing)

I LOVE the neoclassical metal genre, and I have a ton of songs I love from it, but if I had to pick just 5, I'd go with these:


1) Daydream (Vinnie Moore)

I had been exposed to neoclassical metal via Yngwie Malmsteen before I heard this song, but this is the one that completely opened up a whole new world for me. Vinnie's melodies on this one simply defy any attempt at explanation. Those fiery runs on that main lick are awesome, and the A Phrygian Dominant section really was an ear opener for me. T-Mac's keyboard solo is amazing, true, but Vinnie's guitar solo in this tune simply blew me away. His ear for melodic, fiery, and TASTEFUL neoclassical composition is nowhere more evident than in this solo. It traverses seamlessly through G minor, B minor, and E minor in a white-knuckle ride that goes through the ear as smooth as a Cadillac. And that climactic ascending lick that closes out the solo is beyond reproach. I would be hard pressed to find a piece of neoclassical metal that is so fluid, free, expressive, and just plain beautiful as this one. The moment I first heard it, I knew that I had found something special.

2) Black Star (Yngwie Malmsteen)

How can there be a list like this without the master himself? This song is what got me started on the whole neoclassical thing, and I doubt that I can say anything about it that will top what has already been said. Depending on your view, this is possibly the song that started the whole shred movement. And to a certain extent, I'd agree. While Ritchie Blackmore and Uli Jon Roth had experimented with this kind of sound before 1984, I don't think either of them, or anybody else, came close to what Yngwie pulled off on this. Not to mention that nobody played this kind of stuff as FAST as this before. Yngwie was the trendsetter in many ways, and while this song may not be my all-time favorite, it certainly demonstrates everything that attracted me to the genre in the first place. So I must give props to the master himself for leading me down this road.

3) Air (Jason Becker)

Face it - this song is sheer genius. The mere fact that someone who was only 18 at the time could even conceive of this piece in his mind, much less compose it, is reason enough to hold him in high regard. The level of musical and compositional knowledge needed to understand this piece is formidable. It's almost dizzying to hear the layers of musical counterpoint to this piece - the way all the pieces interact is nothing short of remarkable. Jason's tone and playing style here remind me immensely of Steve Howe (Yes) - and let's face it, you could do a lot worse than that. And the true testament to the level of skill possessed by Jason here is to recognize a key fact - yes, there are a million notes played in this piece, but EVERY ONE is meaningful. This song alone made me realize that had he been blessed with better luck, Jason may well have been in the same league as Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven.

4) Diary of a Madman (Ozzy Osbourne)

While it may be a bit of a stretch calling this whole song neoclassical, I think there are pieces of it that could definitely fit the description. Obviously, it's insane for anyone to deny that Randy Rhoads was classically trained - his immortal solos in Crazy Train and Revelation Mother Earth are proof of that. This just ups the ante a little further - not so much in terms of speed, but in overall melody. That intro is absolutely brilliant in the way it channels both a classical atmosphere and a sinister edge. It's twisted and evil sounding in 1 bar, and sweet and melodic the next. The meter shifting helps this as well. And I can only describe the ending solo as "disturbingly beautiful." It just works perfectly on every level. A true Randy Rhoads masterpiece.

5) Far Beyond the Sun (Yngwie Malmsteen)

Yeah, I did the master twice. But this song, along with Black Star, is probably substantial enough to be considered the Bible of Neoclassical Metal. Together, these two songs probably did more for the shred guitar community than any song since Van Halen's "Eruption" 6 years earlier. What more needs to be said?

Hope you all liked the list!

Woodchuk, I really enjoyed reading than, welcome to the forum, you seem to really know your stuff, and I like people who really analyze great tunes, I tend to do it a lot.

Hi there Devon,

It's great to find this place. I like shred guitar in any form, but the neoclassical style just has something special about it. To that end, I'm a massive devotee of not only Malmsteen, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Randy Rhoads, and Van Halen, but also just about any player on the Shrapnel label - whether it's Marty Friedman, Greg Howe, Joey Tafolla, Paul Gilbert, Jason Becker, Vinnie Moore, or Michael Lee Firkins.

I'm a serious guitarhead who's been playing off and on for about 15 years, and I'm a music theory junkie who can analyze songs and scales for hours, so drop me a line if you ever want to chat about stuff like that - I'm always up for it. Glad you liked my ramblings! :D Hope to chat with you some more soon!

Kevin (woodchuk)

if you haven't already, check out Tony MacAlpine

Oh, I have! :D I'd say I have about 6 of his albums. T-Mac is just insane - his versatility is amazing, too. His keyboard chops are as formidable as his guitar skills. And anybody who can go from neoclassical metal to jazz fusion without missing a beat is certainly no one to dismiss lightly. In that respect T-Mac reminds me somewhat of Alex Skolnick - a guitarist who I highly admire, both on his own and from his work with Testament.

Have you heard some of the jazz reworkings of classic metal tunes that Alex has done with his band, the Alex Skolnick Trio? That shit is just totally insane! :o I'm not the biggest fan of "improv" jazz, but the way he pulls it off, it sounds killer!

I have heard "of" Skolnick but I don't believe I have heard his tunes, can you recommend any albums? I gonna check Youtube for him :)

Yes, I indeed like you ramblings, you have some interesting things to say about my favorite music.

Come to think of it... I have heard him through Testament, does he have any solo tunes?

Alex really doesn't have "solo" stuff in the vein of Joe Satriani or the like. Other than his work with Testament (The Legacy, The New Order, Practice What You Preach, Souls of Black, The Ritual, and The Formation of Damnation) and the one album he did with Savatage (Handful of Rain - great album!), I'd have to say his "true" solo stuff is his jazz trio.

Check out his jazz renditions of Goodbye to Romance, War Pigs, and Highway Star. He even does a Latin version of Testament's "Practice What You Preach" that kicks butt on the Trio's latest album (Mercury Retrograde). He's an awesome player! B)

I was just listen to Minds Eye, and I kept my ears open for your comments on Daydream... It really is such an amazing solo... Vinman's phrasing is UNBEATABLE IMO by any other guitarist, his notes choices and they way he plays is just mind blowing.

i totally agree Devon, i ^%$# bricks when ever he solos.

That's a real poser to name 5 out of the neoclassical genre but here goes

Trilogy Suite : Yngwie Malmsteen
Groove or Die: Andy Timmons
In Control: Vinnie Moore
Salieri strikes back: Warmen
Concerto: Cacophony

mmmmmmmmmm...

let me see :P

1- Icarus Dream Fanfare (Malmsteen)
2- Blitzkrieg(Malmsteen)
3- Altitudes (Becker)
4- Trilogy Suite Opus 5 (Malmsteen)
5- No Boundaries (Batio)

1.)At Vance - Solfeggietto
2.)Yngwie Johan Malmsteen - Presto Vivace
3.)Danney Alkana - Beethoven's 5th
4.)Jason Becker - Mabel's Fatal Fable
5.)Warmen - The Evil That Warmen Do

What do you folks think?

Yeah some great choices there Shredfan. :)

Malmsteen-Demon driver
malmsteen-eclipse
jason becker-altitudes
at vance-no escape
macalpine-tears of sahara

Wow I hadn't heard of Becker that's really something else

In no particular order

Cacophony-Speed Metal Symphony
Cacophony-Concerto
Jason Becker-The End of The Beginning
Jason Becker-Opus Pocus
Jason Becker-Altitudes
Jason Becker-Air

Yes, i know there are more than 5. I found it hard choosing.

Yeah but this one goes to six which is like one louder! ;) (N. Tufnel)

1. Jason Becker - Altitudes
2. Cacophony - Speed Metal Symphony
3. Jason Becker - Serrana (although it could as well clarify as classical)
4. Yngwie Malmsteen - Black Star
5. There's way too many to list...

Not sure at all, because there are so many great songs, though.

Welcome to the Forums. Black Star is a great song. How did you find us?

Thanks. Actually I can't remember how I found the board. It was probably weeks before I joined, while searching for some neoclassical theory or something like that. Decided I'd give it a try and join.

1. Yngwie Malmsteen - I think I'll have to go with the flow on Icarus Dream suite op. 4.

2. Yngwie Malmsteen - His tone is awesome on the Rising Force album, so here's aother one: Black Star

3. Yet another one: Evil Eye

4. Concerto by Cacophony - great musicianship by both Marty and Jason!

5. Altitudes by Jason Becker - great tune by a great musician!

My all-time list is pretty unstable - it varies depending on how I feel.

Well I don't know many other neo-classical artists other than Yngwie Malmsteen, but I can say that this is an excellent piece in my oppinion http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWVyO4gSq24

ill check out some of those other songs you guys mentioned tho, should be worth a look into

DarkCrypto check out the following:

Guitarists: Vinnie Moore, Paul Gilbert, Tony MacAlpine, Jason Becker, Marty Friedman, Greg Howe, Ritchie Kotzen, Joey Tafolla, Chris Impelleteri, Joe Stump, Timo Tollki, Rob Marcello, Theodore Ziras, Uli Jon Roth, Michael Romeo, Rusty Cooley, Andy Timmons, Neil Zaza, Luca Turilli, Kiko Loureiro, Mathias Eklundh, Cem Koksal, David Valdes, Andy James.

Bands: Cacophony, At Vance ,Racer X, Symphony X, Galernyus, Warmen, Shadow Gallery, Royal Hunt, Time Requiem, Adagio, Concerto Moon, Stormrider, Rainbow, Kotipelto, Stratovarious, Outworld, Vitalij Kuprij.

Surprisingly no one mentioned Sails of Charon by the Scorpions (Uli Jon Roth). Great song. The solo at the beginning is sick.

lol ID just summed up the whole genre with that list lol. and NS that is probably my fav song by them.

Here's a tough one, but nonetheless, here goes:


1. Scarified- Racer X/Paul Gilbert (just such a GREAT tune!)

2. Black Star- Yngwie Malmsteen (its Yngwie, nuff said!)

3. Serrana- Jason Becker (i personally am in LOVE with this song)

4. Saved by a Miracle- Vinnie Moore (sounds epic and oh wait, it IS!)

5. Scit Scat Wah- Mr. Big/ Paul Gilbert (Makes me unconciously turn up the volume of whatever thing i have playing it!)

Some real good choices there dude. Welcome to the site as well. Hope you have a great time here. :)

My list has changed!That is to say, i've added one more to my list.

Cacophony:Speed Metal Symphony
Cacophony:Concerto
Tony Macalpine: Tears of Sahara (Not totally neo-classical in the same way as Cacophony but i don't care)
Jason Becker-The End of The Beginning
Jason Becker-Opus Pocus
Jason Becker-Altitudes
Jason Becker-Air