10 Rock Music Guitarists Who Outshone Frontmen

You always need to have a certain gimmick if you want to shine a little brighter than the lead singer.

While that normally means working on your craft for days at a time, you usually have to go beyond just a dude standing at the back of the stage pumping out the riffs. If your hands are fast enough though, the crowds will come to you.

In the early days of Yngwie Malmsteen's career, it became abundantly clear that he was the main draw, with his classical influence and amazing dexterity whenever he played.

Hell, the man even had offers to play in much bigger bands like KISS, only to turn them down when he couldn't branch out as much as he'd like. For most of his solo career, it doesn't look like he needs a lead singer either, since a good chunk of his best work is completely instrumental.

Just the name of the band should tell you all you need to know, too. This isn't just Rising Force...the full name is Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force. When you get to the point where you can put your name in front of the band, you know that you've reached a different branch of popularity.

Compared to the band of brothers mentality you find in other acts, the backing musicians behind Yngwie tend to feel more like set dressing as time goes on.