Neoclassical Metal

Neoclassical metal fuses metal’s speed and power with the harmony, counterpoint, and virtuosity of Baroque and Romantic classical music, foregrounding fast, ornate lead guitar built on harmonic-minor scales, diminished arpeggios, and rapid sequences. Sweden’s Yngwie Malmsteen set the template on 1984’s Rising Force, playing at breakneck speed with violin-like phrasing. Sweep picking, alternate picking, and precise articulation are central, often echoed on keyboards. It is metal as classical showpiece.