Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 10/25/1990
Cacophony's
Speed Metal Symphony is one of the more extreme entries in the
Shrapnel Records catalog. Rather than being a showcase for merely one guitar hero possessing superhuman technique,
Cacophony brings you two guitar virtuosos,
Marty Friedman and
Jason Becker, who are equally capable of blowing your head off with their state-of-the-art
neo-classical chops. As if that weren't enough, their angular compositions are delivered at warp-speed tempos, with tons of dissonance and odd time signatures thrown into the mix. Imagine twin
Yngwie Malmsteens playing simultaneously over a bed of
Megadeth rhythm tracks, and you'll get the basic idea. The sheer note density on this album is tough to digest, and the brash production (standard for most
Shrapnel releases) makes it all sound like it's happening in a wind tunnel. But underneath the cacophony, two extremely gifted guitarists are at work here.
Friedman's and
Becker's later solo albums are both superior to this slightly convoluted work (and all the better to sample the guitarists' styles individually). And both of them ultimately went on to score high-profile sideman gigs (
Friedman with
Megadeth,
Becker with
David Lee Roth) where their skills are sharpened and focused within the contexts of more conventional song structures. Abrasive singer
Peter Marrino adds vocals to most of the tracks on
Speed Metal Symphony without necessarily making them any more accessible. This is some of the most indulgent music ever recorded. If you've got the constitution for it, dig in.
~Andy Hinds, All Music Guide
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