Guitarists MARTY FRIEDMAN (ex-MEGADETH) and YOSSI SASSI (ORPHANED LAND) sat down with LoudGuitars.com during a stop on their European tour this October. Check it out below:

Friedman, Sassi and Stéphan Forté (ADAGIO) performed at Divan du Monde in Paris, France on October 15th. Footage from the gig is available below.

Friedman issued the following message regarding the tour:

"Yossi and I became friends on my 2011 solo tour, we came up with the idea of putting together a concert tour with decidedly unique and exotic guitarists, each from a different part of the world with their own ethnic sound and approach to their music. I didn`t know just how cool Middle Eastern flavors could mix with amazing rock guitar playing until I heard Yossi Sassi, I was quite impressed."

After reissuing three recent studio albums by Friedman over the summer, Prosthetic Records will now introduce North American audiences to the guitarist's two Tokyo Jukebox albums. Released in Japan in 2009 and 2011, respectively, Tokyo Jukebox Vols. 1 & 2 - the 9th and 11th chapters in Friedman's influential solo discography - will make their North American debuts on November 20th as a limited-edition, specially-priced 2CD release featuring artwork exclusive to this pressing and new liner notes by Friedman himself. The double-album is now available for pre-order.

Soon after leaving Megadeth following a 10-year run in which the iconic band sold some 10 million albums worldwide, Friedman - perhaps the most revered lead guitarist in thrash metal history - moved to Japan, where over the past decade he became a household name. Between his solo releases and collaborations with Japanese stars, he has played on and written numerous Top 10 hits (including two #1's); he has also made hundreds of appearances on mainstream Japanese television and performed at legendary venues such as Budokan and the Tokyo Dome.

Tokyo Jukebox Vols. 1 & 2 feature energetic instrumental covers of Japanese pop (J-pop) songs that can be enjoyed by anyone with a sweet tooth for melody, and capture Friedman's passion for the music of his adopted home country - although, as he warns in the liner notes for this release, "I took the liberty of destroying and reconstructing them my own way."

In the below video (which has been posted at Prosthetic's newly-launched Friedman mini-site, where additional Tokyo Jukebox-related videos will be unveiled in the coming weeks), Friedman further describes the collection, calling it some of the heaviest and best work of his career:

Featuring Jeremy Colson (STEVE VAI, BILLY IDOL) on drums, the self-produced and self-arranged Tokyo Jukebox features reconstructed covers of J-pop and J-Rock hits selected by readers of Japan's top entertainment magazine. Tokyo Jukebox 2, meanwhile, was recorded in Los Angeles at The Village (AEROSMITH, KISS), and features guest performances by Jason Bittner (SHADOWS FALL) and Keshav Dhar (SKYHARBOR). The albums feature tracks originally performed by acclaimed Japanese acts such as MR. CHILDREN, SMAP, PERFUME and MAXIMUM THE HORMONE.