Tips mendeteksi keberadaan Virus

Tips ini mungkin bermanfaat, terutama disaat komputer kita atau teman kita kok tiba-tiba “aneh”. Ada beberapa indikasi yang mungkin bisa dijadikan dasar untuk memperkirakan apakah komputer kita terinfeksi virus ( Untuk Sistem Operasi Windows ), diantaranya :

• Komputer mulai berjalan sangat lambat, ini juga bisa terjadi karena banyaknya program yang kita install dan berjalan di background
• Munculnya file-file aneh di folder tertentu. Misalnya file yang bernama sama dengan file dokumen atau nama folder
• Komputer sering restart atau mati sendiri sewaktu-waktu atau kita membuka program khusus seperti Task Manager, anti virus dan lainnya
• Adanya logo tertentu jika kita klik kanan My Computer > Properties
• Hilangnya beberapa opsi di komputer atau program tidak bisa berjalan, seperti tidak bisa membuka Folder Options atau menunya hilang, tidak bisa menjalankan Registry Editor, Membuka kotak Run, Command Prompt dan lainnya
• Program Anti virus dan sejenisnya tidak bisa berjalan
• Terkadang muncul pesan-pesan aneh seperti puisi dan sejenisnya

Jika komputer anda mengalami beberapa indikasi diatas, berikut tips untuk mencari lokasi virus yang kemungkinan menyerang komputer kita.

Untuk melakukan pengecekan, pertama-tama silahkan dibuka program Autoruns , kemudian pilih tab Logon. Daftar yang ditampilkan merupakan file-file atau program yang berjalan bersama Windows ketika kita mengaktifkan komputer. Jika ada file-file yang aneh atau tidak penting maka bisa di non aktifkan, dengan menghilangkan tanda check. Tetapi hati-hati, jangan salah menonaktifkan program, karena bisa berakibat Windows tidak berhasil hidup. Berikut beberapa daftar yang merupakan program atau aplikasi yang dimiliki Windows dan sebaiknya tetap dibiarkan, jangan dihilangkan tanda checknya :

• rdpclip, merupakan aplikasi utama yang menangani masalah Copy File. Menyediakan fungsi bagi Terminal Services server yang mengijinkan copy dan paste antara server dan client. Program is important penting untuk kestabilan dan keamanan komputer, jadi biarkan saja
• userinit, merupakan kunci proses di sistem operasi Windows. Pada proses boot-up aplikasi ini mengatur urutan start up yang diperlukan, seperti Koneksi jaringan, dan Windows Shell. Program ini sangat penting, jangan dimatikan
• explorer, merupakan program manager atau Windows Explorer. Aplikasi ini mengatur Tampilan Windows, Start Menu, taskbar, DEsktop dan File Manager. Jika dimatikan maka tampilan/antarmuka windows tidak akan muncul.
• ctfmon, merupakan proses aplikasi yang dimiliki Microsoft Office, mengatur masalah Alternative User Input Text Input Processor (TIP) dan Microsoft Office XP Language Bar. Program ini tidak harus jalan, tetapi sebaiknya tidak dimatikan.

Ketiga file pertama merupakan aplikasi yang biasanya senantiasa ada di sistem operasi windows ( kecuali windows 9x / ME, yang mungkin hanya userinit dan explorer), dan seharusnya dibiarkan saja, sedang aplikasi keempat muncul jika terdapat aplikasi Microsoft Office di sistem. Dan penting diperhatikan bahwa dua aplikasi pertama diatas ( rdpclip dan userinit ) lokasinya ( kolom Image Path ) ada di C:\Windows\sistem32, aplikasi explorer ada di folder C:\Windows, sedang ctfmon ada di folder C:\Windows\sistem32, dengan asumsi kita install Sistem operasi di Drive C:. Selain keempat file diatas, bisa dicermati lokasi filenya dikolom Image Path, Apakah file tersebut merupakan anti virus, anti spyware, Sound manager, tools untuk printer dan sebagainya. Jika ada aplikasi yang lokasinya di tempat aneh atau di windows system, tetapi kita tidak mengenalinya atau tidak pernah menginstall aplikasi tersebut, bisa jadi merupakan virus.

Ada beberapa hal ketika kita mencermati daftar yang ada dalam Autoruns tersebut. Terkadang virus, Trojan, Malware dan sejenisnya akan menggunakan nama yang sama atau mirip dengan aplikasi yang dimiliki windows seperti explorer, expiorer, exploler, spooler dan sebagainya, maka perlu dicermati nama dan lokasinya. Misalnya ada nama explorer tetapi lokasinya bukan di C:\Windows, maka bisa jadi adalah virus. Selain itu, jika kita hilangkan tanda check program atau aplikasi tertentu kemudian setelah beberapa waktu di refresh kembali lagi atau muncul lagi, maka kemungkinan besar aplikasi tersebut merupakan salah satu virus.

FILSAFAT PLATO

Plato dilahirkan di Athena pada tahun 427 SM dan meninggal di sana pada tahun 347 SM. Dalam usia 80 tahun. Ia berasal dari keluarga Aristokasi yang turun temurun memegang peranan penting dalam politik Athena. Iapun bercita-cita sejak mudanya untuk menjadi orang negara. Tetapi perkembangan politik di masanya tidak memberi kesempatan padanya untuk mengikuti jalan hidup yang diingininya itu.
Namanya bermula ialah Aristokles. Plato namanya kemudian yang diberikan oleh gurunya bermain senam. Ia memperoleh nama baru itu berhubung dengan bahunya yang lebar. Sepadan dengan badanya yang tinggi dan tegap. Raut muikanya, potongan tubuhnya serta parasnya yang elok bersesuaian benar dengan ciptaan klasik tentang manusia yang cantik. Dalam tubuh yang besar dan sehat itu bersarang pula pikiran yang dalam dan menembus. Pandangan matanya menunjukkan seolah-olah ia mau mengisi dunia yang lahir ini dengan cita-citanya.

Pada masa kanak-kanaknya pelajaran filosofi mula-mula diperolehnya dari kratylos. Kratylos adalah murid Herakleytos yang mengajarkan “semuanya berlalu” seperti air. Rupanya ajaran seperti itu tidak hinggap dalam kalbu anak aristrokat yang terpengaruh oleh tradisi keluarganya. Justru yang paling berpengaruh adalah ajaran Ariston dan ibunya periktione Pada umur 20 tahun Plato mulai mengikuti pelajaran Sokrates. Ia menjadi murid Sokrates yang paling setia. Bahkan dalam segala karangannya yang selalu berbentuk dialok, Plato selalu menempatkan Sokrates sebagai mulut ajaranya. Walaupun apa yang diajarkanya itu sudah jauh dari pendapat gurunya tersebut.
Tak lama sesudah Sokrates meninggal, Plato meninggalkan Athena dan mulai mengembara selama dua belas tahun, ya’ni tahun 399 SM-387 SM. Awal pengembaraanya adalah di Magara, ke Kyrena, kemudian ke Italia selatan dan terus ke Sirakursadi pulau Sisilia. Di Sisilia inilah ia bertemu dengan seorang penguasa tiranyang bernama Dionysios. Niat baik Plato yang ingin menyadarkanya lewat ajaran filsafat malah dituduh membahayakan bagi kerajaan sehingga Plato ditangkap dan dijual sebagai budak. Peristiwa ini diketahui oleh para pengikut dan murid Plato. Mereka mengumpulkan uang untuk menebus Plato dan membelikan sebidang tanah yang kemudian dijadikan sebuah lembaga pendidikan dengan nama “Akademia”. Di situlah Plato mulai mengajarkan ajaran filsafatnya sejak umur 40 tahun sampai meninggalnya dalam usia 80 tahun. Plato meninggal pada waktu menghadiri acara perjamuan malam pernikahan salah satu muridnya. Padahal Plato sendiri tidak pernah kawin dan tidak mempunyai anak

BUAH TANGAN PLATO

Tulisan Plato yang kebanyakan berbentuk dialog berjumlah 34 buah. Selain itu juga ada tulisan-tulisanya dalam bentuk puisi dan surat. Waktu karanganya tidak diketahui. Semuanya ditulis dalammasa lebih dari setengah abad. Adapun urutan tulisan dialognya dapat dibagi pada empat masa yang masing-masing punya karakteristik tersendiri. Masa-masa itu adalah sebagai berikut:

1. Karangan yang ditulis pada masa mudanya. Antara lain: Apologie, Kriton, Ion, Protagoras, Laches, Politeia buku I, Lysis, Charmides, dan Euthyphron. Buku-buku ini berkisar pada pembentukan pengertian dalam daerah etik. Dalam buku ini juga tidak ditemukan pemikiranPlato dengan corak filosofinya, akan tetapi Plato hanya berpegang pada pendirian gurunya Sokrates.

2. Masa peralihan, disebut juga masa magara, karena waktu itu Plato berada di Magara. Buah karyanya antara laian: Gorgias, Kratylos, Menon, Hippias, dan beberapa lainya. Yang dibicarakan didalamnya adalah tentang politik dan pandangan hidup. Di masa ini sudah terbayang perkembangan pikiran Plato yang keluar dari garis Sokrates.
3. Masa pematangan, karyanya yang paling terkenal sampai sekarang antara lain: Phaidros, Symposion, Phaidon, dan Pholiteia (Republik) buku II-X. pokok ajaranya adalah tentang idea

4. Karangan yang ditulis pada masa tua, antara lain: Theaitetos, Parmenidas, Sophitos, Polotikos, Philibos, Timaios, Kritias dan Nomoi.

Tentang Idea

Idea adalah intisari ajaran filsafat Plato . Ajaran ini sangat sulit memahamkanya. Hal ini dikarenakan paham ini selalu berkembang. Berawal dari sebagai teori logika yang kemudian meluas menjadi pandangan hidup. Sebagai titik tolak pemikiran filsafatnya, ia mencoba menyelesaikan permasalahan Heracleitos (mana yang benar-benar yang berubah) dan Parmenides (yang tetap) . Mana yang benar anatar pengetahuan yang lewat akal atau yang lewat pengalaman. Sebagai contoh, terdapat banyak segitiga yang bentuknya berlainan menurut pengetahuan indra atau pengetahuan pengalaman, tetapi dalam ide atau pikiran bentuk segitiga tersebut hanya satu dan tetap.
Untuk menyelesaikan permasalahan di atas, Plato menerangkan bahwa manusia itu sesungguhnya berada dalam dua dunia, yaitu dunia pengalaman yang tidak bersifat tetap, bermacam-macam dan berubah dengan dunia ide yang tetap, satu macam dan tidak berubah. Dunia pengalaman merupakan bayang-bayang dari dunia ide sedangkan dunia ide merupakan dunia yang sesungguhnya, yaitu dunia realitas. Dunia inilah yang menjadi “model” dunia pengalaman. Dengan demikian, dunia yang sesungguhnya atau dunia realitas itu adalah dunia ide.

Contoh lain, kalau kita melihat seekor kuda yang bagus atau seorang perempuan cantik, penglihatan itu hanya mengingatkan dalam keinsafan kitapengertian bagus yang sebenarnyayang tidak seluruhnya tergambar tergambar pada kuda yang bagus itu atau pada wanita yang cantik. Pengertian bagus yang sebenarnya bukanlah pula kumpulan segala yang bagus yang kelihatan pada benda-benda. Terhadap segala yang dipandang itu idea merupakan suatu ideal, cita-cita. Bangunan yang tampak denagn pandangan tidak lain daripada tiruan akan gambaran yang tidak sempurna daripada bangunan yang sebenarnya dalam pengertian. Ia serupa tetapi tidak sama.
Pendapat ini diteruskan oleh Plato ke dalam daerah filosofi bahasa. Kata-kata tidak pernah mengambarkan pengertian yang sebenarnya. Ambil misalnya pembicaraan antar duaorang . Apa sebab mereka saling mengerti? Bagaimana pendapat mereka tentang suatu pengertian bisa serupa atau berbeda? Kata tak lain daripada bunyi. Bagaimana kata itu bisa mempunyai arti? Pendengaran bunyi kata itu tidak menentukan maksud kata yang terdengar itu. Kata-kata sebagai bunyi hanya merupakan sebuah symbol daripada sesuatunya yang terletak di belakangnya. Kata itu hanya mengingatkan dalam keinsafan kita bahwa ada yang bersembunyi dibelakangnya. Hanya pikiran dapat menangkap logika yang tepat daripada hubungan kata-kata itu. Berpikir dan mengalami adalah dua macam jalan yang berbeda untuk memperoleh pengetahuan. Pengetahuan yang dicapai dengan berfikir lebih tinggi nilainya dari pengetahuan yang diperoleh dari pengalaman.
Ajaran ide ini berhasil menjembatani permasalahan Heracleitos dan Parmenides. Plato mengemukakan bahwa pemikiran herakleitos itu benar tetapi hanya pada dunia pengalaman. Sebaliknya, pendapat Parmenides juga benar, tetapi hanya berlaku pada dunia ide yang hanya bisa dipikirkan dalam akal. Dibandingkan dengan gurunya, sokrates, Plato telah maju selangkah dalam pemikiranya. Sokrates baru sampai pada pemikiran tentang sesuatu yang umum dan merupakan hakikat suatu realitas, tetapiPlato telah mengembangkanya dengan pemikiran bahwa hakikat suatu realitas itu bukan “yang umum”, tetapi ynag mempunyai kenyataan yang terpisahdari sesuatu yang berada secara kongkret, yaitu ide. Dunia ide inilah yang hanya dapat dipikirkan dan diketahui oleh akal.

ETIK PLATO
Etik Plato sama dengan pandangan Sokrates, dimana etik bersifat intelektuil dan rasionil.. Dasar ajaranya ialah mencapai budi baik. Budi ialah tahu.Orang yang berpengetahuan dengan sendirinya berbudi baik. Sebab itu sempurnakanlah pengetahuan dengan pengetahuan.
Etik Plato bersendi pada ajaranya tentang idea. Dualisme dunia dalam teori pengetahuan diteruskanya ke dalam praktek hidup. Oleh karena kemauan seorang bergantung kepada pendapatnya. MenurutPlato, budi dibagi kedalam dua bagian yaitu:
1. Budi filosofi yang timbul dari pengetahuan dan pengertian.
2. Budi biasa yang terbawa oleh kebiasaan orang banyak. Sikap hidup yang dipakai tidak terbit dari keyakinan, melainkan disesuaikan kepada moral orang banyak dalam hidup sehari-hari.

Adapun konsep idea adalah adalah bahwa tujuan hidup manusia adalah hidup yang baik (eudaimonia atau well-being) . Akan tetapi, untuk hidup yang baik tidak mungkin dilakukan tanpa di dalam polis (negara). Alasanya, karena manusia menurut kodratnya merupakan makhluk social dan kodratnya di dalam polis (Negara). Maka, untuk hidup yang baik, dituntuk adanya Negara yang baik. Sebaliknya, polis (Negara)yang jelek dan buruk tidak mungkin menjadiksn warganya hidup dengan baik.
Menurut Plato, di dalam Negara ideal terdapat tiga golongan berikut:

1. Golongan yang tertinggi, terdiri dari orang-orang yang memerintah (para penjaga, para filsuf).

2. Golongan pembantu, terdiri dari prajurit, yang bertugas untuk menjaga keamanan Negara dan menjaga ketaatan para warganya.

3. Golongan rakyat biasa, terdiri dari petani, pedagang, tukang, yang bertugas untuk memikul ekonomi Negara (polis) Tugas negarawan adalah menciptakan keselarasan antara semua keahlian dalam Negara sehingga mewujudkan keseluruhan yang harmonis. Bentuk pemerintahan harus disesuaikan dengan keadaan yang nyata. Apabila suatu Negara sudah mempunyai Undang-Undang Dasar, bentuk pemerintahan yang paling tepat adalah monarki. Bentuk pemerintahan yang aristokrasi dianggap kurang tepat dan pemerintahan terburuk adalah demokrasi. Sementara itu, apabila Negara belum mempunyai Undang-Undang dasar, maka bentuk pemerintahan yang tepat adalah demokrasi, dan yang paling buruk adalah monarki. Konsep tentang Negara ini tertera dalam politeia (tata negara).

MIKE PORTNOY

Mike Portnoy was born on April 20, 1967 and raised in Long Beach, New York, where his interest in music started at an early age. "My father was a rock n' roll disc jockey, so I was always surrounded by music constantly. I had this huge record collection when I was real young and loved the Beatles and then later on Kiss. It was inevitable that I'd become a musician."

Although Mike taught himself how to play the drums, he did take music theory classes in high school. During that time he began playing in local bands Intruder, Rising Power and Inner Sanctum, the latter of which released their own album. Mike left the band after being awarded a scholarship to attend Berklee Music College in Boston.

An avid collector of many things, Mike has a vast array of Dream Theater memorabilia including bootlegs, posters, clippings and everything else under the sun with the band's name on it. He is also responsible for capturing everything the band does on video tape and DAT. His huge video collection includes favorite films as 2001, A Clockwork Orange, Jacob's Ladder and The Wall along with episodes of The Simpsons and memorable boxing matches.

Mike says his biggest influences are Rush drummer Neil Peart and the late Frank Zappa. Other favorites include drummers Terry Bozzio, Vinnie Colaiuta, Simon Philips, John Bonham and Keith Moon and bands such as The Beatles, Queen, Yes, Metallica, Jellyfish, Iron Maidon, U2 and Jane's Addiction. He is also a fan of rap music.

Mike and his wife Marlene live in Rockland, NY with their daughter Melody Ruthandrea, new son Max John, dog Bongo and cats E.T. and Cypress.

Billy Sheehan

Terlahir dengan nama William Sheehan pada 19 Maret 1953 di New York, Billy mengawali karir musiknya dengan belajar bermain gitar. Namun saat ia melihat penampilan Tim Bogert dari Vanilla Fudge, ia memutuskan bas adalah pilihannya.

Gaya bermain Billy banyak dipengaruhi oleh Tim Bogert, Cliff Burton bahkan Sebastian Bach namun ia menganggap Jimi Hendrix adalah sumber inspirasinya.

Billy tidak cuma memainkan bas dengan cara normal, ia juga memakai akord dan teknik two handed tapping seperti biasa dipakai oleh gitaris.

Selain bermain dalam Mr. Big, Billy juga banyak bermain dengan musisi lain seperti David Lee Roth, Steve Vai, dan UFO.

Disela kesibukannya menulis buku pelajaran bermain bas dan acara bass clinicnya, Billy masih sempat merilis 2 album solo berjudul COMPRESSION dan COSMIC TROUBADOUR.

Billy juga sempat menjadi pemandu seminar di Berklee College of Music.

John Pattituci

One of the top bassists of the 1990s (on both acoustic and electric), Patitucci's speed, very clear tone, and versatility are quite impressive. He started playing bass when he was 11, grew up in Northern California, and in 1978 moved south near Los Angeles. He played with Gap Mangione (1979) while going to college, and during 1982-1985 worked in Los Angeles with Tom Scott, Robben Ford, Stan Getz, Larry Carlton, Dave Grusin, Ernie Watts, Freddie Hubbard, and others, in addition to becoming a studio musician. In 1985, he gained a high profile when he joined Chick Corea as a regular member of both the Elektric and Akoustic bands. Patitucci toured and recorded extensively with Corea and made a series of his own diverse sessions for GRP and Stretch (although he is not as strong a composer as he is a bassist). John Patitucci left the Elektric Band in the early '90s but continued working with Corea on an occasional basis.

Steven Siro Vai

Steven Siro Vai (born June 6, 1960 in Carle Place, New York, United States) is a Grammy Award winning guitarist, composer and record producer.

When growing up, the young Vai became interested in rock giants such as Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, Alice Cooper (guitarist Glen Buxton), and Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page), leading him to take up the guitar. Prior to attending Berklee College of Music, Steve frequently jammed with his teacher Joe Satriani and played in numerous local bands. He has acknowledged the influence of many guitarists, including Jeff Beck, fusion guitarist Allan Holdsworth and, of course, Zappa.

Steve’s career was launched by his fascination with Zappa’s music. A persistent rumour at Berklee tells how Steve would skip classes, spending time in the school’s library transcribing Zappa’s works by ear. Steve mailed transcriptions of Zappa’s guitar solos to him, and after meeting Vai for the first time Zappa was so impressed with the abilities of the young musician, he hired him to transcribe his seemingly endless array of experimental symphonic rock. In these formative stages of his career, Vai’s talent was showcased on such songs as “Moggio” and “Stevie’s Spanking”.

While employed by Zappa, Vai would at times tour with Zappa’s band and engage in a friendly competition with the audience, wherein audience members could bring in musical scores and see if Vai could sight-read them on the spot; Steve Vai is also known to have perfect pitch. Zappa referred to Steve as his “little Italian virtuoso”; he was listed in liner notes as “stunt guitarist”. Steve’s transcription skills can be seen in ‘The Frank Zappa Guitar Book’, a collection of transcribed solos released in 1983.

After leaving Zappa in 1982 he moved to California where he recorded his first album “Flex-Able” and performed in a couple of bands. In 1984 he replaced Yngwie Malmsteen as lead guitarist in Alcatrazz with whom he recorded the album “Disturbing the Peace”.

Later in 1985 Vai joined former Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth’s newly assembled group (which also featured acclaimed bassist Billy Sheehan and drummer Gregg Bissonette) to record the multi-platinum albums “Eat’em And Smile” and “Skyscraper”. These albums, along with their accompanying videos and arena tours, significantly enhanced Vai’s reputation and popularity. At the time, Roth engaged in a war of words with the members of Van Halen; many commentators favorably compared Vai’s guitar-playing to Eddie Van Halen’s.

Following 1988’s popular Skyscraper Tour, Vai left David Lee Roth’s band. In 1989 Vai stepped into guitarist Adrian Vandenberg’s shoes to record with British rock-group Whitesnake after Vandenberg injured his wrist shortly before recording was due to begin for the album “Slip of the Tongue”.

Joe Satriani

Joe “Satch” Satriani (born on July 15, 1956, in Westbury, New York and brought up in Carle Place, New York, USA) is an instrumental rock guitarist and teacher, and a recognized virtuoso of the rock guitar. Guitarists Alex Skolnick, Larry Lalonde, Steve Vai, Charlie Hunter and Kirk Hammett were among his students. Satriani often tours as the guitar playing trio G3, usually with Steve Vai.

Joe Satriani was inspired to play guitar at age 14 after hearing that Jimi Hendrix had died. Satriani reportedly heard the news during a football training session where he immediately confronted his coach and announced that he was quitting to become a guitarist.

In 1974, he studied music with jazz guitarist Billy Bauer and with reclusive jazz pianist Lennie Tristano. The technically demanding Tristano greatly influenced Satriani’s playing. Satriani also began teaching guitar, with his most notable student, at this time, being fellow Long Island native Steve Vai.

In 1978 Satriani moved to Berkeley, California to pursue a music career. Not long after his arrival he resumed teaching. His most notable California students included: Kirk Hammett (Metallica), David Bryson (Counting Crows), Kevin Cadogan (Third Eye Blind), Larry Lalonde (Primus), Alex Skolnick (Testament), Phil Kettner (Laaz Rockit) and Charlie Hunter.

When his friend and former student Steve Vai gained fame playing with David Lee Roth in 1986, Vai raved about Satriani in several interviews with guitar magazines. In 1987, Satriani’s second album Surfing With the Alien produced popular radio hits, and was the first all-instrumental release to chart so highly in many years. Satriani also toured Australia and New Zealand with Mick Jagger in support of the Rolling Stones singer’s solo album.

In 1989, Satriani released the album Flying in a Blue Dream. The album sold well, particularly in Texas. It was heavily promoted by KLBJ-FM in Austin. “One Big Rush” was featured on the soundtrack to the Cameron Crowe movie Say Anything. The song was also featured by the Dallas Stars’ as their entry song at every period. “The Forgotten Part II” was featured on a Labatt Blue commercial in Canada in 1993. “Big Bad Moon”, one of Satch’s few singles with personally sung vocals, was a minor hit in late 1989.

In 1992, Satriani released The Extremist, his most critically acclaimed and commercially successful album to date. Radio stations across the country were quick to pick up on “Summer Song”, while “Cryin’”, “Friends” and the title track were regional hits. The album is now considered a rock classic.

In late 1993 Satriani joined Deep Purple as a short-term replacement for departed guitarist Ritchie Blackmore during the band’s Japanese tour. The concerts were such a success Satriani was asked to join the band permanently, although his long-term contract with Sony prevented this happening.

In 1996, he formed G3, a concert tour featuring three instrumental rock guitarists — originally Satriani, Vai, and Eric Johnson. The G3 tour has continued periodically since its inaugural version, where Satriani and Vai are returning members, featured with a floating third member, including Eric Johnson, Yngwie Malmsteen, John Petrucci, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Robert Fripp, Patrick Rondat, Paul Gilbert and more.

In 1998 Satriani recorded and released Crystal Planet and in 2001 released a Live album recorded at San Francisco in December 2000 which was also released as a music DVD.

In 2006 Satriani recorded Super Colossal and released another live album and DVD, Satriani Live.

In 2008 Satriani started a new side project with ex-Van Halen members Sammy Hagar and Michael “Mikey” Anthony, and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. By the end of 2008 they revealed the band’s name as Chickenfoot. Their first album, titled Chickenfoot, was released in June 2009.

Paul Gilbert

Paul Gilbert is the guitarist of Racer X and formerly of Mr. Big. After he parted ways with Mr. Big in 1996, Paul pursued his career as a solo guitarist and has evolved into a successful solo artist/singer/songwriter.

Gilbert composes music in a wide variety of styles including pop, rock, metal, blues, jazz, funk and classical, but is perhaps best known for his versatility and speed. His guitar work is characterised by his floating right hand contrary to the more common anchored right hand that guitarists like Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour favour. He is also considered to be one of the best proponents of alternate picking.

Paul once had his own column in British guitar magazine, Total Guitar. He is sometimes a guest lecturer at the Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) that he once attended, along with Gary Hoey and many other guitar players. He works a great deal with GIT’s division in Japan, where he lived for a time before relocating to Los Angeles, CA.

JOHN PETRUCCI

Nama Lengkap: John Peter Petrucci
Website Resmi: JohnPetrucci.com
Group Band Sebelumnya: Majesty
Gitar: Ernie Ball Musicman, Ibanez
Tempat Lahir: Long Island, New York 12 Juli 1967
Pengaruh: Steve Morse, Allan Holdsworth, Yngwie Malmsteen, Metallica, Eddie Van Halen
Zodiac: Cancer
Tempat Tinggal: New York
Status: Menikah
Keahlian: String Skipping, Chromatic Scales, Arpegio, Matrix Modulation, dan lain-lain.

John besar di Long Island, tepatnya di King park, dimana dia, john myung & Kevin moore bersekolah bersama. John mulai Belajar gitar ketika masih berumur 12 tahun (sebelumnya dia pernah belajar ketika berumur 8 tahun tetapi menyerah ketika Dia melihat kakak perempuannya harus begadang tiap malam belajar main organ. Dia tidak merencanakan untuk menjadi seperti Itu, Dia belajar gitar sepulang sekolah dan akhirnya dia menjadi tidak tertarik lagi). Namun dia mulai banyak terpengaruh Oleh permainan gitar dari gitaris semacam yngwie malmsteen, randy rhoads, iron maiden, steve ray Vaughn, dan grup besar Semacam yes, rush, Dixie dregs dan lain lain dia mulai bertekad untuk mencapai level permainan seperti mereka.

Sebagaimana kemunculan musik trash metal yang membuat John tertarik, maka John juga memperluas influence nya dengan Mendengarkan Metallica & Queensryche. John merasa membutuhkan tantangan yang lebih dalam tehnik guitar oleh karena itu Dia banyak mengadaptasi hammering speed & melodic style dari gitaris-gitaris seperti Steves (Steve Morse & Steve Vai), The Als (Allan Holdsworth & Al Dimeola) Mike Stern, Joe Satriani, Neal Schon & Eddie Van Halen.

Pendidikan musiknya dimulai dengan berbagai kelas teori musik yang dia ambil ketika high school. Dia belajar secara otodidak, tetapi Dia sempat menerima beberapa pelajaran gitar yang dia ambil ketika dia masuk ke Berklee College of Music di Boston, dimana dia Mempelajari komposisi jazz dan harmoni. Ketika di Berklee John Petrucci dan John Myung yang juga belajar di berklee bertemu dengan Mike Portnoy, dan mereka mulai membuat band yang diberi nama Majesty yang nantinya kemudian berganti nama menjadi Dream Theater. John sudah merekam 7 album dengan Dream Theater, dan dia juga banyak terlibat dengan beberapa proyek sampingan seperti Liquid Tension Experiment Dengan Tony Levin, Age of Impact, dan bahkan game Sega Saturn yang disebut Necronomicon, dan juga terakhir dia terlibat dalam proyek G3 Bersama Joe Satriani dan Steve Vai. Kecintaan dia pada menulis lirik dikombinasikan dengan gaya komposisi yang unik dari progressive fusion Mengasah bentuk musik dari Dream Theater.

John tinggal bersama istrinya Rena, dan 3 anaknya SamiJO, Reny, dan Kiara di New York. Ketika dia tidak bermain gitar dia banyak menghabiskan Waktunya dengan istri dan anak-anaknya dengan bermain skating, bersepeda, berolahraga dan menontong film.

John sedang merencanakan membuat solo albumnya yang pertama. Lagu-lagu barunya yang dia mainkan ketika bersama G3 juga akan ada di solo album tersebut. Jaws of Life (sebelumnya I.B.S.), Damage Control and Glasgow Kiss. Dia melibatkan beberapa musisi seperti Dave LaRue pada bass, Dave DiCenso dan Tony Verderosa pada drum.

Yngwie J. Malmsteen

Yngwie J. Malmsteen (born June 30, 1963) is a guitarist from Sweden who achieved widespread acclaim in the 1980s due to his technical proficiency and fusion of classical elements with heavy rock guitar.

Born into a musical family in Stockholm on June 30, 1963, Malmsteen was exposed to classical music from an early age, and began playing guitar at the age of nine. Malmsteen was in his teens when he first encountered the music of the 19th-century violin virtuoso Niccolo Paganini, whom he cites as his biggest classical influence. Through his emulation of these pieces on guitar, Malmsteen developed a prodigious technical fluency, defining a darker, more disciplined approach to the instrument than other virtuoso rock guitarists of the period such as Edward Van Halen. Malmsteen also cites Jimi Hendrix, Genesis and Deep Purple as influences.

In 1983 he was brought to the USA by Mike Varney of Shrapnel Records who had heard a demo tape of Malmsteen's playing. After brief engagements with the bands Steeler and Alcatrazz, Malmsteen released two solo albums, "Rising Force" (winner of Guitar Player Magazine's Best Rock Album and nominated for a 1984 Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental) which achieved the impressive position of #60 on the Billboard album chart, and the follow up, "Marching Out" (1985).

Malmsteen's style was dubbed "Neoclassical" and it became very popular during the mid 1980s, with notable contemporaries such as Paul Gilbert, Tony Macalpine and Vinnie Moore appearing in Malmsteen's wake.

Yngwie's contributions to the evolution of modern rock guitar remain unique - his understanding of Paganini, Bach, et. al. is unparalleled in the rock world. Although initially regarded with respect by the musical fraternity, his technical proficiency led to a both jealousy and bitterness from less-talented performers in the musical world. His technical ability is remarkable. However, what set him apart from his imitators was his breathtaking emotive ability and incendiary live performances.

Aside from technical prowess, distinctions of Malmsteen's guitar style include a wide, violin-like vibrato (inspired by classical violinists), exclusive use of Fender Stratocaster guitars, and use of minor scales and minor modes such as Phyrgian, Aeolian and Harmonic Minor. Malmsteen cites the Fender Stratocaster and the single coil pickups (of which he uses his own personal custom design by Dimarzio) as a large part of his sound. Additionaly there is a signature model bearing Malmsteens name in the Stratocaster range.

Despite his early success and continued success in Europe and Asia, by the early 1990s, the gratuitous, over-the-top stylings of 1980s heavy metal had become unfashionable in the USA,perhaps unfortunately (for guitar fans) displaced by the Seattle grunge movement, where technical ability was replaced by catchy songs and basic chord progressions. It is believed that the grunge rock movement arose out of a backlash to the overly technical hard rock inspired by Malmsteen and his contemporaries, in an attempt to return rock to a form more widely available to average musicians, who could not play their instruments with such technical ability.

In the 1990s, he continued to record and release albums under a Japanese record label : Pony Canyon, and maintained a devoted following in Europe and Japan, and to a lesser extent in the USA. In 2000, he once again acquired a contract with a US record label, Spitfire, and released his 90s catalog into the US market for the first time - including what he regards as his masterpiece, Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra, recorded with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in Prague.

YNGWIE MALMSTEEN

The Early Years

Lars Johann Yngwie Lannerback was born in Stockholm, Sweden, on the last day of June, 1963. That same year, the Beatles had just emerged from Liverpool, England, soon to make their mark on music history. But it would be another twenty years before a lanky, tousel-haired Swede with hungry eyes would stand the music world on its head once again. The intervening years before the day in February 1983 when Yngwie J. Malmsteen stepped off the plane in Los Angeles provided an environment ripe for the development of a musical prodigy.

The marriage between Yngwie's army captain father and artistic free spirit mother ended in divorce not long after Yngwie was born. The youngest child in a permissive household that included his mother Rigmor, sister Ann Louise, and brother Bjorn, Yngwie (named, his mother claimed, for an old boyfriend) was wild and unruly, and delighted in "anything that had a lot of violence in it." Music, especially guitar playing, was reserved for wimps, and young Yngwie would have none of it. Early attempts at piano and trumpet lessons failed to take hold, and the acoustic guitar his mother bought him at age 5 hung untouched on the wall. It wasn't until September 18, 1970, when Yngwie saw a TV special on the death of guitar iconoclast Jimi Hendrix, that a flame ignited in his mind. Seven-year-old Yngwie watched with awe as Hendrix blasted the audience with torrents of feedback and sacrificed his guitar in flames. The day Jimi Hendrix died, the guitar-playing Yngwie was born.

Applying his intense curiosity and tenacity to first an old Mosrite and then a cheap Stratocaster, Yngwie immersed himself in the music of such bands as Deep Purple and spent long hours unlocking the secrets of both the instrument and the music. His admiration for Ritchie Blackmore's classically influenced playing led him, through his sister's direction, back to the source: Bach, Vivaldi, Beethoven, and Mozart. As Yngwie absorbed the classical structures of the masters, his prodigious style began to take shape. He continued playing for hours each day, often falling asleep draped over his guitar.

By age 10, he had taken his mother's maiden name of Malmsteen, focused all his energies into music, and largely stopped going to school. At school he was often branded a trouble-maker, getting into frequent fights with people "who behaved stupidly," and excelling in the two classes that interested him, English and Art. His mother, who recognized his unique musical gifts, allowed him to stay home with his records and his guitar, where his mastery of the instrument progressed unobstructed. The missing link, however, between the formal structures of classical music and the flamboyant performance of Hendrix was supplied by the music of another virtuoso, 19th century violinist Niccolo Paganini. Watching Russian violinist Gideon Kremer perform Paganini's 24 Caprices on television, Yngwie understood at last how to marry his love of classical music with his burgeoning guitar skills and onstage charisma.

Yngwie's Trademark Style Begins to Emerge

By age 15, pulling off such antics as riding his motorbike through the school hallway, it was clear that school had no place for him, and he left for good. He worked for a time as a luthier in a guitar repair shop, putting his woodworking skills to good use. It was here that he encountered a scalloped neck for the first time when a 17th century lute came into the shop. The wood of the neck was carved out so that the peaks formed the frets. Intrigued, Yngwie scalloped the neck of an old guitar in similar fashion and was impressed enough with the results to try it on his better guitars. The scalloped fretboard was somewhat more difficult to play than a normal neck, but his control over the strings was so improved that Yngwie immediately adopted it as a permanent alteration to his equipment.

About this time, Malmsteen began playing in a number of bands built around his explosive guitar style, with long instrumental explorations that tried both the ears and the patience of a Swedish listening public more used to the pop anthems of ABBA. When he turned 18, the army tried to recruit him as officer material, based on his high intelligence test scores. Appearing possessed as only Yngwie can do, he held a gun to his temple and vowed he'd rather die than serve in the military. Convinced, the recruiters sent him packing. Yngwie returned to his music in earnest. In an early incarnation of Rising Force, Yngwie and several friends recorded a demo set of three songs for Swedish CBS, but the cuts were never released. Frustrated, Yngwie knew he would have to leave Sweden to get anywhere, and he began sending demo tapes to record companies and music contacts abroad. One such tape found its way into the hands of Guitar Player contributor and Shrapnel Music founder Mike Varney. Yngwie was invited to Los Angeles to join Shrapnel's new band Steeler--and the rest, as they say, is history.

Yngwie Immigrates to America

Built around Ron Keel, Steeler's debut album proved to be a typical heavy metal grinder memorable mainly for Yngwie's now-legendary unaccompanied solo intro to "Hot On Your Heels." By the time the album became a cult favorite, Yngwie had already moved on to Alcatrazz, a Rainbow-style band founded by singer Graham Bonnett. Although Alcatrazz produced some of Yngwie's most incendiary solo flights, including "Kree Nakoorie," "Jet to Jet," and "Hiroshima, Mon Amour," it also proved to be too limiting, and the only clear course was to go solo.

Yngwie's first solo album, Rising Force (now considered the bible for neoclassical rock) made it to #60 on the Billboard charts, an impressive feat for a mostly instrumental guitar album with no commercial airplay. The album also gained Yngwie a Grammy nomination for best rock instrumental performance. Soon the honors came rolling in: He was voted Best New Talent in several reader's polls, Best Rock Guitarist the year after, and Rising Force became Album of the Year. Powered by the jaw-dropping guitar/ keyboard duals of Yngwie and longtime friend Jens Johansson, the band Rising Force blazed a trail on the concert circuit that established Yngwie as one of rock guitar's brightest new stars and added a new genre to the music lexicon: neoclassical rock.

Yngwie's neo-classical compositions reached new heights in the 1986 album Trilogy. To this day, it remains one of his favorites, both in lyrical content and musical performance. At this point, Yngwie's influence on guitar technique and composition was undeniable, although hoards of clones and Malmsteen wannabes tried to copy his style without understanding his unique musical vision. Lacking Yngwie's musicality, the clones merely sounded like proficient typists, ultimately casting a negative light on the neoclassical approach.

In the following year, on June 22, 1987, just shy of his 24th birthday, Yngwie wrapped his Jaguar around a tree, breaking the steering wheel with his head. The resulting concussion caused a blood clot in his brain that damaged the nerves running to his right hand. After lying unconscious in a coma for nearly a week, Yngwie pulled through, only to find his picking hand totally useless. Afraid that his career might be over, he painfully began therapy to bring the hand back to life, impatiently waiting for the damaged nerves to regenerate. Not long out of danger himself, he learned that his mother, the main inspiration of his life, had died in Sweden of cancer. To further complicate things, financial problems left him virtually penniless in the face of mounting medical bills. Rather than completely giving up as many people would have done, Yngwie pulled himself together and turned once again to music for his salvation.

The result was Odyssey, not one of Yngwie's favorites, but highly acclaimed for its accessibility and broader audience appeal. The hit single and video, "Heaven Tonight," gave Yngwie his first taste of heavy rotation airplay and pushed album sales just short of gold status in the U.S. With ex-Rainbow vocalist Joe Lynn Turner as frontman, the Odyssey tour brought Yngwie in contact with a new audience not made up exclusively of aspiring guitarists. By February 1989, the show rolled into the Soviet Union for a groundbreaking series of sold-out concerts in both Moscow and Leningrad (preceding Bon Jovi's Moscow Peace Festival by nearly six months). After the final performance, which resulted in the gold-selling home video Live in Leningrad / Trial By Fire, the band members went their separate ways and the name Rising Force was retired for good.

Yngwie Moves to Miami and Forms a New Band

Beginning a new phase of his career, Yngwie moved to Miami, Florida, and recruited a new band consisting of fellow Swedes. Anchoring the lead vocalist slot was ex-John Norum singer Goran Edman, whose versatile tenor adapted easily to Yngwie's demanding melodies. Other positions were filled with musicians who were not well known outside Sweden but whose musical talents were exceptional: symphony orchestra bassist Svante Henryson, experienced studio keyboardist and arranger Mats Olausson, and drummer Michael von Knorring. The new lineup's first album, Eclipse, recorded and mixed at Miami's Criteria Studios, proved that Yngwie could write radio-ready accessible material without sacrificing his classical style. Poor promotion by troubled record company Polygram stunted sales in the U.S., but gold and platinum status in Japan and Europe vindicated Yngwie's decision to leave Rising Force behind.

In mounting frustration, Yngwie made the decision to leave Polygram in what was to be a less than amicable parting. As Yngwie has often said, his life always seems to be "fire and ice, either really good or really bad with no in-between." Once the negative situation with Polygram had been eliminated, things began to look up. New manager Nigel Thomas was hard at work on Yngwie's behalf, and by March of 1991 Yngwie had signed with Elektra Records.

Yngwie's debut for Elektra, Fire & Ice, reached back to the noncommercial perfection of his best compositions. The album burned with his personal emotions while showcasing the classical structures of the Baroque composers who are his heros. With this album, Yngwie was finally able to accomplish a lifelong desire to record with an orchestra; this occurs in his arrangement of Bach's "Badinerie" from Orchestral Suite No. 2, which is embedded in "No Mercy," and in the classical-inspired solo break for "Cry No More." Critically acclaimed for composition and performance, Fire & Ice debuted in Japan at #1 ("Ichi-ban") and sold over 100,000 copies on the day of its release. The album reached gold and platinum status across Europe and Asia. By June 1992, Yngwie returned to Miami to rest and eventually begin work on new compositions.

Unfortunately, development of the new album was hampered by a devastating series of events. Hurricane Andrew flattened much of Miami in August 1992, then Nigel Thomas, Yngwie's manager for 4 years, died of a heart attack in January, 1993, and in March Yngwie learned that Elektra had dropped him from their roster. In July, 1993, Yngwie broke his right hand in a freak accident, and in August he was the victim of a false arrest which made international news.

In September, all charges against Yngwie were dropped, and by October his hand had healed completely. A contract was signed with Japan's Pony Canyon label, and serious recording got underway with new singer Michael Vescera (ex-Loudness), drummer Mike Terrana (ex-Tony McAlpine), keyboardist Mats Olausson, and Yngwie on bass. Barry Sparks from L.A. was later chosen as the tour bassist.

Yngwie Signs with Pony Canyon and Begins a New Phase of His Career

On Feb. 3 the new band lineup began rehearsals for the upcoming world tour. The new album, The Seventh Sign, was released in Japan on Feb. 18, 1994. The raw, aggressive power of the album brought immediate comparison to one of his earliest works, Marching Out. It quickly reached #1 on the International charts and was certified triple platinum in Japan. CMC International Records picked up the distribution rights for Europe and America, and worked vigorously to promote the new album worldwide. Yngwie's 7th Sign tour played to sold out audiences in Japan, followed by club appearances in Europe and the U.S. New label CMC worked vigorously to rebuild Yngwie's core audience and get the new album played on the airwaves. Although the U.S. still proved to be a difficult market due to the current popularity of "grunge" music, The Seventh Sign outsold all other Yngwie albums in Japan and Asia.

In September and October, Pony Canyon released two mini-albums, Power and Glory (with Yngwie's theme for Japanese wrestling champion Takada) and I Can't Wait (with two previously unreleased tracks and several live tracks from Yngwie's concert at Tokyo's Budokan). A Japanese version of the Budokan show was released as a concert video, with worldwide distribution to be handled through CMC. After nearly a year on the road, Yngwie ended the tour in November 1994, and the band went home for a much needed break.

In December 1994, construction began on Yngwie's own recording studio in Miami, with state-of-the-art mixing board, tape drives, and monitoring equipment. Work also began on Yngwie's next album, Magnum Opus, with a target release date of June, 1995, from Pony Canyon. Yngwie and his manager agreed to part ways with CMC due to lack of distribution capability, and negotiations for a new European/USA label deal began as soon as the master tapes were shipped to Pony Canyon.

The Magnum Opus tour got underway in September 1995 in Japan, covering an unprecedented 17 cities and drawing his largest crowds ever. From there, the band headed to England and Europe for two months. Midway through the tour, Michael Vescera developed bronchitis from a cold and had to drop out of the tour for 5 shows. The concerts went on as scheduled, however, with Yngwie himself stepping into the singer's role, although songs that were not in his range had to be eliminated from the playlist. Mike rejoined the band in Germany, taking part in a festival minitour with 4 other bands, including metal veterans Saxon. At year's end, Yngwie and the band flew home to the U.S. on Christmas Eve, for a well-deserved rest.

Yngwie Records His First Album in Studio 308

Beginning in January, Yngwie put his Studio 308 to good use, flying in several old friends and musicians-- including Joe Lynn Turner, Jeff Scott Soto, David Rosenthal, Marcel Jacob, and Mark Boals--to work on a new project. For many years, Yngwie kept in the back of his mind the desire to record some of the songs he grew up with that influenced both the way he plays and the way he writes songs. Of course, that meant the music of Deep Purple, Rainbow, U.K., Kansas, Scorpions, Rush, and Jimi Hendrix. With old pals the Johansson brothers providing drum tracks and some of the keyboards, the "Inspiration" album began to take shape. By mid-April, the tapes were mastered and cover artwork was commissioned: a painting by Japanese artist Asari Yoda, featuring visual elements representing the bands covered on the album. With the Magnum Opus lineup disbanded and most of those players moving on to other projects, Yngwie assembled a touring band that proved to be as tight and powerful as any he's worked with: Mats Olausson continuing to anchor the keyboards slot, Live in Leningrad veteran Barry Dunaway on bass, Trilogy vocalist Mark Boals, and drummer extraordinaire Tommy Aldridge of such bands as Ozzy, Whitesnake, and Pat Travers. South America was the first site of attack for the new lineup, with crowds of delirious Brazilians and Agentinians packing the large concert halls each night. The tour continued unabated into the U.S., Japan, and Europe, proving that Yngwie's turbo-charged brand of melodic hard rock was not only NOT dead, it had found new life.

Yngwie concluded the "Inspiration" tour in December '96 with nearly a dozen guitar clinics held in England and Europe. Fan response to these intimate sessions with their hero was so positive that Yngwie promised to try to do more such appearances in the future. After a brief stay in England, hanging out with long-time friend Uli Jon Roth, Yngwie returned home to Miami to begin work on his next studio album as well as his much-anticipated work for electric guitar and orchestra.

The Orchestral Work Fans Have Been Waiting for Becomes a Reality

After months of intensive work sequestered in his Miami Studio 308, Yngwie produced his first completely classical work, Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar and Orchestra in Eb minor, Op. 1. In June of 1997, Yngwie flew to Prague for a date with the prestigious Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, which had recently celebrated the 100th year since its founding. In three intensive days of recording, with Atlanta Symphony conductor Yoel Levi wielding the baton, Yngwie's dream to record a work of his own with a full symphony orchestra had become reality. Anxious fans would have to wait until 1998 to hear the astonishing results, but they didn't mind... many of them had been waiting for this since Yngwie's debut album in 1984!

Not one to rest on his triumphs, Yngwie returned to Miami to put the finishing touches on his 1998 studio album, Facing the Animal, featuring none other than Cozy Powell behind the drums. Fueled with passion and a dark brooding intensity, Facing the Animal was highly regarded by both critics and the majority of fans as one of the Maestro's strongest offerings in years. Distributed outside Japan on the Mercury label, Yngwie was able to get initial promotional support and gave numerous press interviews for the album.

Fatherhood and Other Life Changes

On March 6, 1998, one of the most momentous events in Yngwie's life occurred: his first child, Antonio Yngwie Johann Malmsteen, was born in Miami, Florida. Yngwie and his wife April hardly had time to get used to their new role as parents, however, because tour dates booked long in advance now had to be honored. So at age three weeks, tiny Antonio obtained his first passport! Luckily for April and Yngwie, he turned out to be a real road dog like his dad, and he was happiest throughout the tour whenever they were moving in planes, trains, buses, and taxis.

However, while Yngwie was celebrating the birth of his son, he also suddenly had to cope with a tragic loss. Just as he was preparing to take the Facing the Animal Tour on the road, a horrific nighttime car accident in England claimed the life of Cozy Powell. Shaken, but determined to carry on, Yngwie hired Jonas Ostman as tour drummer, and the crew set out for Japan, South America, and selected dates in Europe and the U.K. During several sold-out shows in Brazil, a new concert video and CD were recorded, called simply Yngwie Malmsteen LIVE!! Unfortunately for fans, the U.S. and Canadian leg of the tour had to be scrapped due to poor response from promoters and the loss of record company support, because of the sale of Mercury/Polygram to Seagram/Universal. Thus, Yngwie returned home to Miami with his family, and settled down for the rest of the year, getting used to his new role as father.

By early 1999, he had begun work on his next rock album, Alchemy. Released in September 1999, this album gave many of Yngwie's hardcore fans something they'd been hoping for: a return to his heaviest roots and themes. Of this album, Yngwie said, "I wanted to make an album where my playing was as extreme as possible, with no thought to its commercial value. I wrote all the lyrics, using topics that are most interesting to me, such as Leonardo da Vinci." Yngwie explains, "I chose this title because 'alchemy' is where science and magic meet - the science of the recording process meshed with the magic of the music." For this return to the "Rising Force" sound and approach, Yngwie chose Trilogy singer Mark Boals, who outdid himself on the demanding, often operatic vocals Yngwie crafted for Alchemy. The album also featured the stunning graphic design of Ioannis of Vivid Images, which departed from the usual "photobook" CD liner design for a total design concept that incorporated a separately illustrated panel for each song. Alchemy was heralded as Yngwie's "guitar manifesto" for the new Millennium, once again blazing a trail for others to follow in a "quantum leap" forward into the next phase of his career.

Goodbye Lewis Entertainment, Hello Spitfire

Early in the year 2000, Yngwie hired new management, replacing Lewis Entertainment which had not been able to advance his career satisfactorily in the USA. His new manager, Miami businessman Michael Spitzer, brokered Yngwie's contract with Spitfire Records, which released Yngwie's album War to End All Wars in November 2000, as well as his entire Japanese back catalog. Spitfire backed a media publicity blitz in the USA, resulting in Yngwie's best selling album in the USA in years.

Yngwie's life has been a continual series of ups and downs, and the beginning of the new Millennium was no exception. The successful launch of Yngwie on a new, aggressive USA label got underway with a "guest artist" slot on label-mate Dio's Magica Tour. Following this highly visible month of touring, Yngwie launched his own headlining ambitious 45-date American tour in March 2001. For the first month of the tour, rave reviews from fans poured into the Fan Club and across the Internet. But this success was short-lived, when two band members quit the band in mid-tour, leaving Yngwie with no way to continue the tour and forcing the cancellation of over a dozen remaining USA dates.

Fans were devastated, and the Internet became saturated with rumors of who said and did whatever to ruin the tour. But with typical Malmsteen determination, Yngwie put these setbacks behind him and immediately began auditioning new band members to take on the overseas portion of his 2001 WAR tour, with the hope of rescheduling the lost USA dates after his return from Japan.

In addition to rock touring dates in Europe, Asia, UK, and South America, the second half of 2001 also brought Yngwie his first opportunity to perform his critically acclaimed Concerto Suite for Electric Guitar , with the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra in Tokyo. The DVD/CD/VHS package of this groundbreaking performance became Yngwie's first release of the year in January 2002, with numerous offers to play the Concerto Suite for other orchestras around the world.

The biography was taken from Yngwie.org.