In a holiday season marked by renewed tensions within the neoclassical metal community, vocalist Jeff Scott Soto is taking the high road. Following a recent social media tirade by guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen—in which he blasted former singers for “trying to capitalize from [his] brand”—Soto has clarified that the outburst was not directed at him, while simultaneously making a public plea for reconciliation with his former bandleader.
Soto, who lent his voice to Malmsteen‘s seminal early works Rising Force (1984) and Marching Out (1985), addressed the drama during a new interview on “Artists On Record With Stefan Adika.” When asked about the current state of their relationship, the singer was blunt about the silence between them but hopeful for the future.
“Well, you gotta pay a little more attention to Blabbermouth and all that stuff going on out there, because if you did, you’d know that there’s absolutely no relationship between Yngwie and I right now,” Soto stated. “I’m trying to change that. Even on your show, I’ve been trying to extend that olive branch and trying to fix and change it.”
The controversy erupted on December 18, when Malmsteen posted a scathing message targeting unnamed former vocalists. While many fans immediately assumed Soto—one of the guitarist’s most prominent collaborators—was the target, the singer was quick to dispel the rumors. He emphasized that his extensive discography, which spans over 100 records including work with Talisman, W.E.T., and Journey, insulates him from accusations of relying solely on Malmsteen‘s legacy.
“My phone was blowing up for two days [after Yngwie posted that]. Everybody thought he was talking about me again. And he wasn’t,” Soto explained. “He was talking about two other former singers that are going out and doing shows based on a tribute to Yngwie or a tribute to the time that they spent with Yngwie… Nothing to do with me.”
He continued, defending his own career standing: “You definitely can’t put that on me, because if you look at the past 30, 40 years, I’m on easily over a hundred records… You can’t ask, what have I done? I’ve done a lot.”
Pressed by host Stefan Adika to send a direct message to the guitarist, Soto delivered a heartfelt appeal to bury the hatchet, emphasizing that at 60 years old, he wants a “clean slate” before his time is up.
“Hey, listen, Yngwie. We’ve got a lot of history, man. We go back over 41 years… Let’s put ’em aside. Let’s break bread again. Let’s be buddies. I don’t need anything from you. You don’t need anything from me, but I just wanna be your friend again. There’s my olive branch extended once again.”
Soto‘s comments come in response to a December 18 statement from Malmsteen, where the guitarist expressed frustration with former employees performing his material under his name.
“So it has come to my attention that these hired and paid singers that I hired for my solo records are all trying to capitalize from my brand!” Malmsteen wrote. “Let’s be clear: performing on MY SOLO records does not equal ownership, authorship, or legacy… If the only way you can tour or get attention is by leaning on my brand and using my name and album titles and my SOLO catalog, then you’ve already answered the question of who actually built something.”
The outburst is widely believed to be triggered by recent announcements from other former vocalists. Mats Levén (who sang on 1997’s Facing The Animal) recently announced shows in Japan for May 2026 focusing on that specific album. Additionally, former singers Mark Boals and Michael Vescera have announced a European tour dubbed “The Seventh Trilogy Tour,” billing themselves as “The Voices Of Yngwie Malmsteen.”
