Although he remains best known to many for his time in Megadeth, Marty Friedman moved to Japan in 2003 to become a television personality, a prolific solo artist and established himself as a unique and influential figure outside of the metal boundaries of his former band. Drama is his sixteenth solo release and sees him re-embrace some of the more atmospheric elements of previous albums such as 1992’s Scenes.
Opening the album with Illumination, Friedman wastes no time in creating an utterly mesmeric and tangible tapestry of intrigue. Accompanied firstly by Mika Maruki on piano, Illumination is a masterpiece of patient musical layering that develops beautifully over its six and a half minutes. Ranging from drawn out evocative notes to stunning, rapid, melodic sections, the track drips with stunningly gorgeous emotion as at different points, Friedman is joined by the wonderful band he has put together including Miho Chigyo’s violin and Hiyori Okuda’s cello. Just before the five-minute mark, Maruki takes the lead and when he is once again joined by Friedman, the track builds towards a staggeringly colossal conclusion.
Song For An Eternal Child continues in a similar vein, continuing the effortless melodic power of Illumination, while some quieter moments hint at the Japanese influences Friedman has engaged with so effectively during his career. Triumph will be familiar to fans of Scenes. Here the track is labelled the Official Version and has some notable differences to the original. Beginning with piano instead of the lush early nineties synths of the original makes for a more subtle and elegant introduction. During the track, Friedman uses everything from gently picked acoustic guitar to soaring glissandos on the electric to convey the story he is telling. Each track on the album has a clear narrative and is never simply reduced to how many notes can be played within a certain timeframe. Every member of the band is fully utilised on Drama and on Triumph, drummer extraordinaire Gregg Bissonette illustrates why he has been so highly revered over such a long period of time.
Well positioned on the album and opening with some chugging riffs, fourth track Thrill City changes the atmosphere, tempo and timbres considerably. There is a celebratory feeling to the energetic fervour of the piece and in parts, it is strangely redolent of a section of the Meat Loaf instrumental Back Into Hell. Deep End returns the listener to calmer waters as Mika Maruki’s slow and graceful piano sets a peaceful scene. This continues for the first minute of the track until minor keys begin to infiltrate the bucolic major notes. The rest of the band then return and Friedman unleashes a solo that creates a cocoon of warmth and mystery. With fingers dancing fluently across the fretboard, he gives a masterful display which climbs to a euphoric high.
Dead Of Winter (which appears twice – once in English and once in Spanish at the end of the album) is a slight anomaly on the album being that it is the only track with vocals. An uplifting power ballad, it speaks of the struggle of enduring through dark times in our lives. Daylight drifts away just like a memory / Painted skies of grey remind of all you feel inside / Shadows fill the sky and leave you empty / In the night the only light is all you left behind. It breaks no new ground in terms of the genre it inhabits but there is something irresistibly infectious about Like A Storm’s Chris Brooks’ (Steven Banquero Vargas on the Spanish version) vocal gymnastics, the rhythmic hooks, Friedman’s thrillingly resonate solo and the message of hope and rebirth. When the day has come and gone / When the night is cold and long / When it’s all wrong / Just keep holding on / When you feel overcome / By the shadow of the sun / Hold on / Always remember / I will be with you / Through the dead of the winter.
Mirage and A Prayer cast a more tranquil, melancholic and lamenting spell. As the crescendos build on each track, Wakazaemon’s bass is precise and effective, while Marty’s electrifying control is testament to the transcendent power of music and his ability to leave a listener both awestruck and elevated. The short Acapella - which serves as an introduction to Tearful Confession, into which it segues - features Friedman alone on the guitar, allowing us the opportunity to focus solely on his dextrous finger picking. Tearful Confession itself initially continues the mood and timbres of Acapella with mournful longing and sombre colours. Once the track ignites, the solo unleashes a torrent of passion in a flurry of notes, each rich with poignant sorrow. The melody twists and turns like a river of sound rushing over rocks of underlying turmoil. It is a cathartic release that captures the complexity of sadness, transforming it into a rich, visceral aural experience.
Icicles closes the album proper (the Spanish Version of Dead Of Winter acts more as bonus track) and brings together everything that Drama has offered the listener thus far. Traversing several different musical sections, it begins slowly with an expressive and affecting solemnity. After a minute, there appears to be approaching light, and joyous acoustic guitar and piano are introduced. The initial opening returns but this is more short-lived and is soon replaced by vibrant, swelling electric guitar. After a brief moment of tempestuous darkness, Friedman returns with resplendent effervescence and Icicles builds in imposing pillars of sound. With an exquisite long note at four and a half minutes leading to a glorious key change and a final flourish of exceptional finesse, the song reaches its climax. All that remains is thirty seconds of delicate piano and the last notes of farewell from Friedman.
For fans of Friedman’s solo work, Drama is one of the best of his career and for those less familiar, it would be the ideal introduction to this fascinating and talented guitarist, although those hoping for an album sounding like his work in Megadeth should look elsewhere. It is an album for the mind, the senses and the spirit. Finding the perfect equilibrium between atmosphere, power, melody and emotion while employing consummate manipulation of both complexity and simplicity, Marty Friedman has once again proved just why is so respected the world over.
Drama is released on 17th May 2024 on Frontiers Music
