Swedish 'shredder' Malmsteen to play for first time in India

It is time for rock lovers to get ready for a shredding sound check. Renowned Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen will headline the third edition of the Orange Festival of Adventure and Music (OFAM) in Arunachal Pradesh this month in his maiden show in India, organisers said on Thursday.

Hosted at the breath-taking Lower Dibang Valley's quaint village Dambuk, OFAM returns this year on December 15 as the venue for the world famous metal guitarist Malmsteen's first India show, the organisers said in a statement.

The festival will be held over four days from December 15 to 18.

"I'm very excited to play in India for the first time and can't wait to see all my Indian fans and rock out to a very magical night," Malmsteen was cited in a statement as saying.

Malmsteen is the most technically accomplished hard rock guitarist to emerge during the 1980s.

His largely instrumental debut album, "Rising Force", provided the major catalyst for the 1980s guitar phenomenon known as 'shredding', in which the music's main focus was on impossibly fast, demanding licks rather than songwriting.

Malmsteen released a series of albums over the course of the decade and recorded at a prolific, rapid pace, continuing to play the music he loved in his patented neo-classical style.

"From its first edition, OFAM in Arunachal Pradesh established itself as India's premier festival dedicated to an unusual variety of adventure sports and music and is the perfect venue to host Malmsteen," the statement said.

OFAM 2016 continues to host an array of bands both from the northeast and the mainland, including Menwhopause (Delhi), Ganesh Talkies (Kolkata), Yesterdrive (Arunachal Pradesh), Frisky Pints (Delhi/Mizoram), Shubhangi Joshi Collective (Mumbai) and Ginger Feet (Kolkata/Darjeeling), among others.

Itanagar-based hard rock band Tani and metal band Sacred Secrecy will open for Malmsteen on December 17.

The Baby Boomers from Bhutan will also play in the festival this year.

"The line-up of the adventure activities gets bigger and better this year. Apart from JK Tyres' second edition of their annual off-roading competition, Orange 4x4 Fury, OFAM also welcomes Maruti Suzuki's Rally Championship this year.

"Apart from these competitions, there will also be high adrenaline sports that all festival-goers can enjoy like river rafting, ATV ride, zip-lining, and tackling the Burma bridge," the statement said.

There will be elephant rides and trekking with the first Arunachali woman Everester, Tine Mena, and much more, the organisers added.

--IANS

sgh/sm/dg