Marty Friedman

At the end of the 20th Century, few guitar virtuosi were as respected and revered as

MARTY FRIEDMAN. After first rising to prominence alongside fellow six-string whiz

Jason Becker in the influential band Cacophony and via his well-received solo debut

"Dragon's Kiss," FRIEDMAN joined Megadeth, with whom he soon wrote and recorded

the thrash landmark "Rust In Peace." His 10-year tenure with the iconic group -- during

which they sold more than 10 million albums worldwide and earned multiple Grammy

nominations -- saw the band's dream lineup reach its greatest heights, and

FRIEDMAN's unique sonic contributions became heavy metal DNA that to this day

continues to inspire new generations of metal fans.

On paper, it seemed as if FRIEDMAN was living the dream as a well-respected player

in a multi-platinum act, but after a decade of cryptic, risky countdowns, the Washington,

D.C.-native found himself anxious to explore new challenges. Soon after the release of

1999's "Risk," FRIEDMAN announced his departure from Megadeth and -- at least to

many American fans -- vanished. A fanatical devotee of current Japanese music and

pop culture, he rather suddenly moved to Tokyo, where continued to record and release

albums that further solidified his guitar hero reputation overseas. Meanwhile, his

absence from America seemed to be a catalyst to the legend and influence of his

previous catalog growing greater with each passing year.

In Japan, FRIEDMAN became an enigma of sorts: Armed with a fluency in the

Japanese language, he left a platinum-selling American band to start from nearly zero

to pursue his longtime dream of making his mark on the Japanese domestic music

world. That mission was accomplished far beyond his wildest expectations, as

FRIEDMAN has since performed at the largest venues in Asia, including three shows at

the Tokyo Dome and five at Budokan. In addition, he played on and wrote several

Japanese Top 10 hits, including a #1 single in 2011 and a #3 single in 2012. At the

same time, FRIEDMAN also became a popular Japanese television personality who not

only hosted several programs, but was even featured in several long-running national

ad campaigns. He estimates he has made well over 600 network TV appearances in

Japan, including three televised sold-out solo performances with the Tokyo

Philharmonic Orchestra.

In 2012, Prosthetic Records -- a U.S.-based independent label that introduced the world

to Lamb of God, Animals As Leaders and All That Remains, among others --

approached FRIEDMAN about giving proper American releases to four of his Japanese

studio albums and reissuing another that had become unavailable Stateside. Those

conversations led to discussions about making a new record that would see FRIEDMAN

remind the world outside of Japan of his phenomenal talents and why he's considered

the greatest lead guitarist in thrash metal history.

That wasn't enough for FRIEDMAN, though. "I wanted to create a new landmark to

which my future music will be compared," he says. "That idea of just going completely

balls-out -- knowing what the full potential of my music and my playing could possibly

be, and actually making it a reality -- was what drove me through the whole process."

The result: "Inferno," FRIEDMAN's first album of original material in four years and his

first in more than a decade to be released worldwide simultaneously. Recorded in Los

Angeles with engineer Chris Rakestraw (Children of Bodom, Danzig) and mixed by Jens

Bogren (Opeth, Amon Amarth), the album features what FRIEDMAN told Guitar World

is "the most intense writing and playing I can do," with the goal of "go(ing) completely

ape-shit, in the most 'Marty' way possible."

"I'm extremely proud of the work I've done with Cacophony and Megadeth, but I was

never interested in looking back or stopping there," FRIEDMAN says. "'Inferno' is the

album that fans of my work with those two bands have always wanted me to make. I've

finally made it, and completely on my own maniacal terms."

Notably, "Inferno" includes several collaborations with players influenced by

FRIEDMAN, including Alexi Laiho (Children of Bodom), Revocation guitar whiz David

Davidson, the flamenco/metal acoustic duo Rodrigo y Gabriela and acclaimed rocker

Danko Jones. In addition, the album features FRIEDMAN's first songwriting

collaboration with Jason Becker since the pair played together in Cacophony.

Ultimately, though, it's arguably the most compelling chapter yet in FRIEDMAN's

improbable international journey -- one for which he's excited to have fans in all

countries along for the ride.

Upon its release, "Inferno" became FRIEDMAN's first-ever solo record to crack the

Billboard Top 200, while readers of Guitar World magazine voted it "best shred album"

of 2014. Major features from Rolling Stone and Billboard were also firsts for Marty as

the US mainstream picked up on "Inferno" and Marty`s unique story of leaving a multi-

platinum band only to find greater success in another country and another culture. His

story spawned both a documentary and a biography that are currently in production. To

support the release of "Inferno", FRIEDMAN has toured extensively internationally

alongside the likes of Arch Enemy, Kreator, Shining and Gus G in addition to performing

at major international events such as Loud Park (Japan) and Guitarfest (Chile). Earlier

this year, he also embarked a 20-date Brazilian clinic tour, which Rolling Stone Brazil

called "the most extensive and ambitious guitar seminar tour in South America's

history." This fall, FRIEDMAN will embark on the eagerly anticipated North America tour

for "Inferno".