In a new interview with Popdose.com's Matt Wardlaw, guitar legend Marty Friedman discusses his latest release, Inferno.

Q: I like your comment in the bio for this new album, about how you wanted to go “balls out” when it came to your approach to this record. Before I read that, I was listening to the opening track and title track of this album and I found myself thinking, “Man, he is not messing around on this one.”

A: [Laughs] "Definitely not. It’s kind of my first simultaneous international release in a long time. The record company was pumped even before we started, so I didn’t want to let them down and I didn’t want to let anybody down. I knew if I did my normal amount of work on something that it would be great, but if I just went to the verge of killing myself on the record, it would be fantastic. So that’s what I did!"

Q: As you mentioned, it’s been a long time since your last proper solo release here in the States, Music For Speeding in 2003, if I’m correct. You’ve continued to create in that time with your Japanese releases. With this being your first proper American release in a while, did you find yourself writing with a certain purpose or goals, or does it all end up as the same songwriting and creative process?

A: "It usually is the same, but actually you’re right, I did have different goals this time. I was definitely conscious of concerning myself with what I thought the entire world as a whole wanted from me. You know, I could fool myself and tell everybody that they want me to do this exploratory experimental Japanese avant garde thing, but that would just be fooling myself. I was honest with myself and I knew that I think for the most part, people want me to play my ass off and play aggressively, which is fine, and in a metal context, which is also fine. But I also wanted to be sure that I wasn’t looking back and repeating something I did before or getting nostalgic or anything like that. It was of the utmost importance to me to do something new, challenging, modern and totally fresh at the same time. So with those two criteria in mind, that’s how I approached the entire album."

Read the full interview at this location.

Below is a preview of the upcoming music video for "Hyper Doom", from Friedman's Inferno, featuring live footage from his European tour with Gus G. (Firewind, Ozzy Osbourne).

Inferno, out now, was recorded primarily in Los Angeles with engineer Chris Rakestraw (Danzig, Children Of Bodom) and mixed by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Amon Amarth). Inferno also includes notable guest appearances by several artists influenced by Friedman, including flamenco/metal acoustic guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela, Children Of Bodom front man Alexi Laiho, Skyhardbor mastermind Keshav Dhar and Revocation guitar whiz David Davidson.

Tracklisting:

"Inferno"
"Resin"
"Wicked Panacea" (feat. Rodrigo y Gabriela)

"Steroidhead" (feat. Keshav Dhar)

"I Can"t Relax" (feat. Danko Jones)

"Meat Hook" (feat. Jørgen Munkeby)

"Hyper Doom"
"Sociopaths" (feat. David Davidson)

"Lycanthrope" (feat. Alexi Laiho & Danko Jones)

"Undertow"

"Horrors" (co-written by Jason Becker)

"Inferno" -reprise-

In addition, Inferno breaks all genre rules and creates new ones with an exhilarating and musically daring mash-up with Jørgen Munkeby of Shining, as well as two tracks featuring vocals by rock guru Danko Jones. Overall, Inferno is by far Friedman's most thrilling and adventurous effort to date.

"Sociopaths" lyric video:

"Meat Hook":

"Inferno" video:

"Steroidhead'":