Swedish vocalist Mats Levén — known to metal fans for his work with YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, THERION, CANDLEMASS, and VANDENBERG — made a rare and memorable appearance in Tokyo earlier this month, performing the full YNGWIE MALMSTEEN album "Facing The Animal" (1997) across two sold-out nights at Otsuka Hearts Plus.
Backed by a Japanese band featuring guitarist Jien Takahashi, bassist Ollie Bernstein, keyboardist Kohta, and drummer Kouta Mikawa, Levén performed all 15 tracks from the album — the only MALMSTEEN record he appeared on. The setlist also included encores drawing from VANDENBERG, SWEDISH EROTICA, and AT VANCE.
Speaking backstage to Roppongi Rocks, Levén called the challenge "ridiculous" in the best sense: "It was a lot of work to relearn all the lyrics in the original keys 28 years later. I refused to use a monitor, so I just had to remember it all. But we did it really well." Further shows featuring the full album are possible but not yet confirmed.
The Tokyo concerts come amid ongoing controversy between Levén and MALMSTEEN. In December 2025, Yngwie publicly attacked former vocalists he claimed were "capitalizing from his brand", insisting they were "hired singers" with no creative ownership. Levén has firmly disputed this, stating he wrote 30–35% of Facing The Animal, including lyrics and full melodies for "Enemy" and the title track.
Levén remains active with VANDENBERG for the rest of 2026. Former MALMSTEEN vocalists Mark Boals and Michael Vescera have separately announced a joint European tour for September 2026, dubbed "The Seventh Trilogy Tour."