In a brand new interview with Michael Christopher of Vanyaland, Marty Friedman was requested in regards to the so-called feud between Dave Mustaine and METALLICA which reached its peak throughout Marty‘s time with MEGADETH. The guitarist mentioned: “I do not assume we [in MEGADETH] cared as a lot about METALLICA as individuals put within the press. We have been positively our personal band, our personal entity, so far as I am involved. We admired METALLICA for the good work that they did, and so they’re enjoying an analogous style of music to what we have been doing. So, there isn’t a query that we have been watching their each transfer, what they have been doing, what we may study from it, what we may adapt to our scenario from their success. I imply, we’re each heavy metallic bands, and Mustaine pioneered this heavy metallic rhythm guitar model. [James] Hetfield [METALLICA frontman] pioneered this heavy metallic guitar model. They each have been very, essential within the formation of thrash metallic.
“I believe we may each study from one another and we may actually study from METALLICA‘s nice success. And so there was no query that we watched that. Nevertheless, it wasn’t like several sort of, ‘Look, we hate METALLICA‘ and ‘We need to beat them.’ There was completely no — not that I noticed — any sort of feud kind of pondering, however I don’t know what Dave‘s private relationships are with these guys. I simply keep in mind the journalists, it is a juicy headline, and they also go together with it, and that stuff goes on to today. However that half was in all probability fabricated lots within the media from our facet. We have been simply approach, approach too busy with our personal music, our personal careers, to essentially comply with them that a lot. Nevertheless, we did respect them lots. I revered them lots. I proceed to respect them, and I believe they’re an superior band and [there’s still] heaps to study from them.”
Friedman beforehand spoke about his appreciation for METALLICA throughout a January 2021 look on “Communicate N’ Destroy”, a podcast about all issues METALLICA, hosted by longtime journalist and METALLICA fan Ryan J. Downey.
“After I heard the METALLICA demo, [I thought], ‘That is it. These are the blokes. It appears like punk rock, but it surely appears like metallic, and it simply kills. That is it,'” Friedman recalled. “I keep in mind I simply liked that demo lots. I do not keep in mind if I heard the demo earlier than I received concerned with [the] ‘Metallic Bloodbath [II]’ [compilation with my band ALOHA in 1982] or not, but it surely was in all probability proper round that point. And I simply thought they have been the shit.”
“Nothing was extra underground than METALLICA at the moment, and so they have been simply doing underground higher than anyone else on the time, or at the least extra in my explicit style,” he continued. “So I used to be simply blown away [when METALLICA got a record deal and released ‘Kill ‘Em All’]. I used to be shocked, I used to be completely satisfied, I used to be a bit jealous. As a result of up till that time, we have been sort of in the identical circles. We would be in the identical little Xeroxed fanzines and stuff, and there’d be a overview of a METALLICA demo after which there’d be a overview of a VIXEN demo [Marty‘s pre-ALOHA band] and sort of in the identical factor. I did know that I believed they have been simply a lot cooler than the bands I used to be making, however I did not see it coming that they have been gonna get a report [deal] and have the report sound that good and look that good and simply be that cool proper at that time. So I used to be blown away and simply stoked that the world was prepared to begin accepting some heavy metallic music, for higher or for worse.”
Talking in regards to the variations between “No Life ‘Til Leather-based” and “Kill ‘Em All”, Marty mentioned: “I simply keep in mind sonically, the report sounded a bit higher, however I believed that I preferred the demo a bit bit higher, for no matter purpose. These are intangible issues. You reside with one thing, and then you definitely hear a unique model. And I used to be, like, ‘Nicely, I am going to return to the unique.’ ‘Trigger I simply liked the demo. I believed the album did it justice, and if I had not heard the demo earlier than I heard the album, I might have liked the album simply as a lot. However I wasn’t dissatisfied. I believed it was an amazing model of it.”
Friedman additionally talked about METALLICA‘s musical evolution between “Kill ‘Em All” and “Journey The Lightning”, saying: “[I was] actually, actually extraordinarily impressed that the album, initially, a second album got here out, third of all, it was on a significant label, and fourth of all, it was fucking heavier than ‘Kill ‘Em All’ — let’s simply fucking name a spade a spade. I imply, the album opens with ‘Combat Hearth With Hearth’. There was nothing heavier than that on the time, so you have gotta enable them a ballad someplace in there. It was by far the heaviest factor Elektra had ever thought of releasing. It was a significant, main cool factor. A few individuals have been saying, yeah, they offered out, however no matter. The album was unbelievable. It was simply, like, wow, metallic is gonna be within the mainstream, and it is not gonna be shitty metallic; it is gonna be nice metallic. So it was very, very inspiring.”
Friedman kicked off his “Reside Drama 2025” U.S. tour on January 25 at Depend’s Vamp’d in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Marty‘s newest solo album, “Drama”, got here out final Might through Frontiers Music Srl.
Friedman‘s autobiography, “Dreaming Japanese”, arrived on December 3, 2024 through Permuted Press.
