Marty Friedman
London Underworld
London, England
April 2, 2007
By Alissa Ordabai
(SugarBuzz London)
SugarBuzz Magazine
For those who were unsure what Marty Friedman meant when he said that his old band wasn’t adventurous enough for his taste, this show at London Underworld on April 2 provided the answer. It demonstrated just how much fresh and infectious creative energy there is in Friedman and why he was compelled to go solo after quitting Megadeth in 1999. His current material wholly warrants his present independence: the music is not only exceptionally enjoyable, but is also compulsively versatile and full of unique ideas. Throughout the set he never had to repeat himself or turn to the old paradigms for inspiration.
Friedman’s music is totally approachable and instantly engaging, which makes him a people’s guitarist, although he has always been a guitarist’s guitarist too, ranking in the highest echelons of his craft and to this day continuing to inspire young players all over the world. But Friedman is a kind of musician who can combine being a top grade pro with making instrumental guitar music as accessible as it possibly can be, his melodies clear-cut and immediately appealing, and his approach to playing free, open and spontaneous. Despite being an incredibly disciplined musician, he never sounds self-obsessed or gratuitously self-indulgent, attracting a widest possible audience with his combination of an astounding technique, a dexterous understanding of composition and a free and unrestrained expression of motion.
Friedman’s current dazzling line-up consists of Ron Jarzombek, Chris Catero and Jeremy Colson, and is a perfect vehicle for the formidable energy of his music. Jarzombek is an astounding player on his own right, and the tandem of Catero and Colson provides an exceptionally tight, dynamic rhythm section whose disciplined fury backs the guitars perfectly.
The band is touring in support of the Loudspeaker album released last year, and material for a live album is being recorded during this tour. Talking to the audience, Friedman said that the band was recording a night before in Holland, and that he wished they recorded in London instead, maybe because the London crowd was hugely receptive, now and then breaking into spontaneous chants of his name between the songs.
Most live reviews highlight songs that stood out during the set. This how, however, didn’t have any highlights because every piece that the band played was a gem, richly detailed, full of lush melodic ideas and unexpected discoveries. Friedman’s technique, even though stunning, is never a goal in itself, because composition and melody for him are far more important. This emphasis on melody and emotion made the show into an exciting rollercoaster, the band going from raging aggression to intimate, reflective moments and then back to the unstoppable thrash-and-burn pace, keeping things in focus no matter how wild the proceedings became.
While being a true master of his craft, Friedman is also a kind of musician who manages to successfully escape the trap of being obsessed with technique which so many gifted guitarists become entangled in. The accessibility of his music is a blessing that ensures packed-out venues and a strong fan base, which is invaluable to a musician like Friedman, for whom the audience is everything. His powerful, opulent instrumental rock vision and exuberant energy are something that we in the UK encounter these days only in the visiting American guitarists, but this is not the only reason why the Underworld was crowded on the night. It was also because of the universal appeal of Friedman’s irresistible melodies and of how he can still preserve genuine feeling in his playing, which is a structural element of rock and cannot be added by stage clothes or props, and which in Friedman is more palpable these days than ever before.