Continued from page 34 it’ s called“ For A Friend,” it’ s hard to tell your
guy friends how you really feel deep down. And we love our friends but it’ s not like you go around telling your guy friends that in so many words. And how do you show that to your guy friends? Often times I find it’ s easier through music. I wanted to capture that emotion in the melody. So if you had no words to say to somebody, if you just played this melody or this piece of music to another person, maybe your feelings would get across to that person.
Mosh: I’ ve read that you spent more time working with the tracks compared to previous albums. Did you find yourself overanalyzing them or was it to your advantage? Marty Friedman: It’ s definitely overanalyzing, but overanalyzing is extremely to my advantage in my case. Some people say they don’ t like to overanalyze and keep it fresh and put it out. In my case, that’ s really a copout. You can’ t analyze something enough. You can’ t live with it enough because that gives you a chance to be honest with something. If you love something when you just finish it and then you put it out and then you realize two-three months later that it really sucks. And the only reason you liked it is because it was interesting at that particular moment. But if you live with things for a year or 18 months in my case and be honest. By the time you change it so many times and you really understand what you like about it, why you liked it in the first place and how to make it best. Then I have absolutely no regrets about putting anything out. There’ s nothing that has a shelf life, it all made it through a very long period of time of scrutiny. I’ ve looked in every nook and cranny of these
things and there’ s nothing else I would want to change. At least I know that I put out exactly what I wanted to put out.
Mosh:“ Something to Fight” is the only song with vocals. Did you have Jorgen Munkeby of Shining specifically in mind to sing it? Marty Friedman: He did a collaboration with me on my last album Inferno but he just played sax, which is very strange for a metal context. I had to be convinced. I never thought sax and heavy music should ever go together, but he certainly proved me wrong. We became super friends from that and when this album came around I said he had to sing on it. He’ s a super musician. He’ s more than a sax player or a singer. He also plays guitar and bass on that song and wrote the song with me. I’ m paying him back by working on one of his records now. I think people are going to love the vocals on this song. That’ s the type of vocals I envision for my music.
Mosh: Some of the other tracks sound a little melancholic-yet-uplifting at the same time. Marty Friedman: There’ s a darkness kind of sad and then there’ s an uplifting kind of sad that has a melancholy tinge to it. On that song and also the song“ Miracle,” it’ s a very uplifting, melodic motif. But it kind of has a deep, melancholic undertone which I’ m trying to get you to have goose bumps or get you teared up. I do it in the background without making something sound like scary vampires or something like that.
Mosh: You’ ve played at Reggie’ s before. What is it about Chicago fans that connect with your music?
Continued on page 52
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38 illinoisentertainer. com august 2017