Former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman recently spoke with Guitar World about his new album Wall Of Sound, his influences, and his hate for the term "shredder" in reference to himself. Following is an excerpt from the interview.

Q: Do you mind being thought of as a shredder?

Friedman: "I’m not a shredder. That is a lame-ass term and I fucking hate ever being called it, at any tier. A shredder, at least to me, is a guy who plays fast meaningless shit all the time. Shredders are the guys in your friend’s basement who play insanely fast, and it just looks so mind-blowing and amazingly cool with their fingers flying all around the neck, but if you close your eyes and actually listen, what you hear is a pile of shit. You all know what I’m talking about.

I beg you all not to be impressed with finger work, and be impressed by how the music you are hearing makes you feel. Listen, slang terminology has different meanings for different people and I certainly don’t have the right to tell you that the term, 'shredder' is good or bad. If you like shredding and you think 'I’m a great shredder' then I love ya! We are buds! Apparently since I have been out of the U.S., that term has taken on a new life and I’m not really sure what it means anymore. I just know that the term and the sound that it conjures up in my mind makes me want to dry heave.

Read the complete interview here. 

Marty Friedman’s new album, Wall Of Sound, will be released on August 4th. The album track “Sorrow And Madness” featuring Jinxx of Black Veil Brides is available for streaming below.

The album was produced by Friedman, engineered by Paul Fig (Ghost, Rush, Alice In Chains) and mixed by Jens Bogren (Lamb of God, Opeth). Legendary Queen producer, Mack, came on board to handle the mixing on two tracks, “Streetlight” and “For A Friend”, which Friedman proclaimed was, “an honor for me, for sure”.

Wall Of Sound tracklisting:

“Self Pollution”
“Sorrow And Madness” (featuring Jinxx of Black Veil Brides)
“Streetlight”
“Whiteworm”
“For A Friend”
“Pussy Ghost” (featuring Shiv Mehra of Deafheaven)
“The Blackest Rose”
“Something To Fight” (featuring Jorgen Munkeby of Shining)
“The Soldier”
“Miracle”
“Last Lament”

“Sorrow And Madness” (featuring Jinxx of Black Veil Brides):

“Miracle”:

“Whiteworm”:

“Self Pollution”:

Formats:

White Black Swirl LP - 300 Worldwide
Clear Black Smoke LP - 100 Worldwide
Glow in The Dark LP - 100 Worldwide
Clear Black Swirl LP - European retail exclusive, 100 Worldwide
White LP - US indie retail exclusive, 100 Worldwide

In the video below, Friedman showcases his brand new Jackson MF-1 signature model. The 10+ minute clip showcases Marty playing this new guitar amidst rare, intimate discussions about his decision to return to Jackson. In addition, the video features song clips from Wall Of Sound.

Friedman is set to unveil his headlining tour in support of Wall Of Sound. The 22-show trek will feature support from Houston's top progressive outfit, Scale The Summit, along with Madison, WI-based technical progressive three-piece, The Fine Constant. The tour kicks off in Philadelphia on August 2nd, just two days before Wall Of Sound is released.

Friedman comments, "We’re coming to you direct from Tokyo, to make you smile or make you cry, or even drag you up on stage with us. What`s for sure is that we will definitely get your blood pumping."

About the band, in Friedman's own words: "Kiyoshi is the most aggressive bassist on the planet. You will either fall in love with her, admire her skills or both. Jordan Ziff is an up-and-coming guitar superstar. The youngest of the select few who have played beside me in the band. Anup Sastry (on the first week of the US tour) played drums on Inferno as well as Wall Of Sound, and is the most innovative young drummer I’ve ever seen. Chargeeee (on the remainder of the US tour) has been my touring drummer for 8 years - he steals the show from me every night. He has an inhuman amount of energy."

US fans who pre-order Friedman's new album at Prosthetic Records' official store will be entitled to a VIP meet and greet for one of the dates below. Pre-orders are available here. Once ordered, please email martyvip@prostheticrecords.com with your order number and what date you would like to attend. Please note, tickets to the show will still need to be purchased. The pre-order VIP offer will expire on June 30th at which time VIP packages will only be available at here.

Tour dates:

August
2 - The Foundry at the Fillmore - Philadelphia, PA
3 - Brighton Music Hall - Boston, MA
4 - Highline Ballroom - New York, NY
5 - Crossroads - Garwood, NJ
6 - Baltimore Soundstage - Baltimore, MD
8 - Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH
9 - Diesel - Chesterfield, MI
10 - Reggie's Rock Club - Chicago, IL
11 - Studio B at the Skyway - Minneapolis, MN
12 - Sokol Underground - Omaha, NE
13 - Fubar - St. Louis, MO
16 - Scout Bar - Houston, TX
17 - The Rock Box - San Antonio, TX
18 - Trees - Dallas, TX
19 - Tower Theater - Oklahoma, OK
20 - The Riot Room - Kansas City, MO
23 - Marquis Theatre - Denver, CO
24 - Launchpad - Albuquerque, NM
25 - The Rebel Lounge - Phoenix, AZ
26 - The Whisky - Los Angeles, CA
27 - The Parish @ HOB - Anaheim, CA
28 - Brick By Brick - San Diego, CA