MARTY FRIEDMAN Shares Official Visualizer For ‘A Prayer’ Single From ‘Drama’ Album

Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman has shared the official visualizer for his new single “A Prayer”. The track is taken from his latest solo album, “Drama”, which came out last May via Frontiers Music Srl.Marty comments on the new single: “‘A Prayer’ was one of the first songs I wrote for ‘Drama’. It is an unapologetic tearjerker, and it set the melancholy tone for the entire album. I always wanted to do a full album of wistful songs like this, but only recently have I developed the ability to put together elaborate arrangements like this that sound deceivingly simple and uplifting.”Recorded in Italy, “Drama” showcases Marty’s unique touch, for the first time using both vintage and modern guitars, delivering a pure delight for lovers of music everywhere. From the captivating first single “Illumination”, which can be streamed below, to the album’s breathtaking “Mirage” and 10 other emotionally charged mini-symphonies, Marty paints atmospheric elements with a modern and exotic flair, promising an unforgettable musical experience.”Drama” track listing:01. Illumination02. Song For An Eternal Child03. Triumph (Official Version)04. Thrill City05. Deep End06. Dead Of Winter07. Mirage08. A Prayer09. Acapella10. Tearful Confession11. Icicles12. 2 Rebeldes (Dead Of Winter) (Spanish version)12. Mirage (Guitar Karaoke Version) (bonus track Japan)Recording lineup:Marty Friedman – GuitarWakazaemon – BassGregg Bissonette – DrumsMika Maruki – Piano, Keyboard & SynthHiyori Okuda – CelloMiho Chigyo – ViolinVocals on “Dead Of Winter”: Chris Brooks (LIKE A STORM)Vocals on “2 Rebeldes”: Steven Baquero VargasBass on “Mirage”: Or LubianikerRhythm guitar on “Thrill City”: Naoki MoriokaKeys and synth on “Sanctuary”: Takuro IgaDrums on “Thrill City”: ChargeeeeeeDuring the question-and-answer portion of the November 2023 Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp’s “Metalmania III” in Los Angeles, Friedman spoke about “Drama”. He said: “I’ve got 15 solo albums now, and each time I try to do something new and something I’ve never done before. I don’t want ever to be heard as one of those guys, ‘Ah, his early albums were great.’ You know what I mean? I used to say that about my favorite guitarists — sadly — and I never wanted that to be said about me. So I’m always challenging myself on new stuff. On this new album, the closest thing I can relate it to is an album I had called ‘Scenes’ [1992], which I released quite a while ago. It was very dramatic and orchestral, and there was a lot of other type of instruments — violins, cellos and all that type of stuff. So it’s more of a dramatic, orchestral concept. But everything that I’ve learned since that ‘Scenes’ album has just exponentially grown, so it’s a much bigger scale. So if you like that ‘Scenes’ album at all, I think this one will be right up your alley.”Marty previously talked about “Drama” in October 2023 in an interview with Chris Akin Presents.Asked what challenges and motivates him to keep pushing forward with his music, Marty said: “I’m not really so much into trying something that I haven’t done for the sake of trying something I haven’t done. I’m trying to impress me with something that I’ve never done before. It’s not like I’m gonna suddenly wake up one day and say, ‘Okay, I’m gonna be a rapper’ or something. I do what I do and I have my musical vision and sound. I just try to do deeper things with it. I try to make more complex emotions, deeper emotions in the music, more interesting, melodic twists and turns, more adventurous things, things that I wasn’t deep enough to do last year or two years ago, or five years ago, things that I couldn’t hear back then, things that I can only hear because life has given me more experiences since then, and, of course, more musical experiences, and just to consciously be aware of stuff that I’ve already done and not repeat it. It’s a natural challenge that I’ve been doing forever, and the hardest part is that blank sheet when I just start from zero. It’s, like, ‘How am I going to top that last thing that I just did? I worked my ass off. I’m completely done. I have nothing left. I’ve got zero.’ And so that’s the challenge.”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.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.Friedman’s autobiography, “Dreaming Japanese”, arrived on December 3, 2024 via Permuted Press.Photo credit: Takaaaki Henmi[embedded content]