ALBUM REVIEW ~ MARTY FRIEDMAN ~ 'DRAMA'

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Icon Axe-man Marty Friedman is back and better than ever with his new album Drama releasing on May 17, 2024! From his humble beginnings with Jason Becker in Cacophony, to taking the stage with his role in Megadeth, and his solo work, Marty has been a leading name in the guitar world for almost forty years! Recorded in Italy, Marty’s latest solo release Drama revisits some of the themes of 1992 release Drama with small stringed orchestra and exotic melodic guitar solos. The access to vintage guitars, as well as Marty’s own signature models during the recording process has allowed him to record a wonderful masterpiece album featuring hard and heavy riffs as well as dainty melodic motifs any music fan will enjoy!

“Illumination” – First track opens with Marty’s silky tone with some blues inspired roots! The gentle piano accompaniment helps accent the guitar melody until the 1:05 mark when the crescendo of electric guitar comes bursting through triumphantly for an exposition. A string bend at 4:50 allows the piano and guitar duo to shine through with sixteenth note runs. The tradeoff of tasty guitar riffs as the song builds and decrescendos all the way through for many modulations of keys allowing Marty to show off his amazing sweep picking techniques.

“Triumph” – The delicate piano and strings played by Mika Maruki (Piano, Keyboard & Synth),

Hiyori Okuda (Cello), and Miho Chigyo (Violin) allow for a change of scenery from Marty’s metal roots as he then accompanies the trio around the 1- minute mark with acoustic that then builds into an arpeggiated lead on electric guitar. The piece allows for amazing imagery of realism for the listening audience. This full band of bass and drums by Wakazaemon and Gregg Bissonette (formerly of Bon Jovi, David Lee Roth, etc) then join in at the 2:30 mark for a driving force of sound leading to the ending with just piano chord tones.

“Thrill City” – A hard and heavy song any of Marty’s early fans will enjoy. The opening guitar chugging is something to get any listener intrigued. Featured musicians on “Thrill City” include rhythm guitarist Naoki Morioka and drummer Chargeeeeee. The 2:35 mark is met with a change of meter back to progressive and speed metal roots.

“Dead of Winter” – Featuring vocalist Chris Brooks (Like A Storm), “Dead of Winter” is an uplifting song about keeping on through the tough times in one’s life. The eerie comforting string accompaniment and keys help to keep the driving pulse of the song. The guitar solo takes over with an encouraging solo adding in the full ensemble pushing through the remaining duration of the tune. The song ends with piano and vocals to allow for a cadence of listener thought.

“Acapella” – Marty’s guitar solo “Acapella” may only be 1:23 minutes long, but it will pull on your emotions for its entirety with the abyss of sound textures. Beginning with blues scales, the melodic chords played throughout the song help to bring direction to the next tune “Tearful Confession.” At the 1:40 mark the smooth and dainty guitar quickly subsided with a melodic motif guitar solo with superb phrasing that becomes stronger as the piece continues. The subsides of the song fade out with single tones played on electric guitar and arpeggiated chords to leave a haunting effect listeners are sure to remember.

Achieving seven-time Grammy nominee guitarist Marty Friedman has released fifteen monumental solo albums beginning with Dragons Kiss in 1988, and this upcoming album Drama is no different! Be sure to pick it up on May 17, 2024 and be mystified!

I’m Music Magazine Writer Angelica Bohurjak