MARTY FRIEDMAN Says His Next Solo Album Will Be 'Basically A Grown-Up Version Of 'Scenes''

In a new interview with Justin Hunt of The Entertainment Outlet, former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman was asked if he is working on a new album of all-original material. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've been working on it for the last year and a half. And I actually recorded about half of it last summer. I went over to Italy and I recorded about half of an album. And I'm really, really excited about it. And I've been working on demos for the remaining half of the album."

Regarding what fans can expect from his upcoming LP, Marty said: "I think it's gonna please a lot of people who liked my [1992] album 'Scenes', one of my earlier albums. It's kind of in that vein, but much more modern. And it's got all the things that I've added to my musical — I don't know how to say it — palette, or what I'm trying to do musically. It's basically a grown-up version of 'Scenes', really, so far. But I haven't finished it. And I will probably say next summer [it will be ready for release]. It's taking a long time, but, you know, tender love and care. And it's coming along great."

Friedman went on to say that his current U.S. tour as the support act for QUEENSRŸCHE is a "perfect" way to inspire him to complete his new album. He explained: "This tour I'm playing really my most aggressive music with my most aggressive band. And that is perfect for my mentality for writing stuff like 'Scenes'. That's how 'Scenes' happened in the first place, because I was touring with MEGADETH like a maniac, and I was playing all this really, really heavy stuff every single night, and now I'm doing the exact same thing with my band. And so what I write is the complete opposite. So it's kind of like a really good creative time. And things are moving along really nice."

Marty's tour with QUEENSRŸCHE will run through April 16, when it wraps up in St. Petersburg, Florida. Along the way, the trek will make stops in New York City (April 10) and Nashville, Tennessee (April 14),to name a few.

Marty's latest album, "Tokyo Jukebox 3", came out in April 2021 via The Players Club/Mascot Label Group. The record, which was made available in Japan in October 2020, is the third in a series that began with "Tokyo Jukebox" in 2009, and then "Tokyo Jukebox 2" following in 2011. The trilogy presents Friedman's inspired performances to Japanese repertoire he's chosen to cover.

Marty's presence in the world of music, the world of guitar and Japanese pop culture is mystifying, bizarre, and nothing short of inspiring. His first major impact in music was in the game-changing guitar duo CACOPHONY, which he founded with equally enigmatic and now-legendary guitarist Jason Becker. He then spent 10 years as lead guitarist in the genre-defining thrash metal act MEGADETH before moving to Tokyo due to his love for Japanese music, language, and culture.

Following his move, he landed a starring role for a new TV comedy "Hebimeta-san" ("Mr. Heavy Metal") and its spinoff, "Rock Fujiyama", which ran for six seasons and propelled him into the living rooms of Japan's mainstream. He has since appeared in over 800 TV shows, movies and commercials, including a two-year campaign with Coca-Cola for Fanta, authored two best-selling novels and was the first-ever foreigner to be appointed as an ambassador of Japan heritage and perform at the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Marathon in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022.

At the same time, Marty has continued his career in music with several solo albums in addition to writing and performing with the top artists in Japanese music, racking up countless chart hits, including a No. 1 with SMAP, two No. 2 songs with MOMOIRO CLOVER, a No. 2 with SOUND HORIZON — just to name a few.