Review by Jason Williams, photos by Karina Diane
September 30th 2015, The Whisky-A-Go-Go, West Hollywood CA: Former member of a worldwide commercially successful metal band, rock/pop icon in Japan, influential amongst guitarists and musicians world wide… this combination wouldn’t seem to fit together, but a man named Marty Friedman happens to combine all these traits. Spanning his career from Cacophony, a super group that also included another standout guitar player in Jason Becker, to a decade-long ride with Megadeth, to his own solo material played all across the world and especially in his home of Japan, Marty Friedman has seen it all. Known for his gorgeous, fluid and memorable guitar magic, Friedman’s work continues to be worshipped and revered, and with his newest album ‘Inferno’ released last year, fans all across the US highly anticipated for his first stateside tour in more than a decade. Alongside his talented band mates, the rising stars and virtuosos in Exmortus joined him as main support for the tour, the dream of witnessing one of the greatest metal guitarists of all time was now to be finally realized.
I walked in to the Whisky right at 8 PM, a few minutes before Salems Lott would take the stage. Despite the Toxic Holocaust and the Soilwork/Soulfly/Decapitated gigs happening in town on the same night, there was still a very decent turnout inside. While I’m really against having so many shows on the same day, taking place in the exact city, each gig would have their own audiences and it would not really hurt any of the mentioned shows that took place, as evident from this crowd. LA’s glam/shock rock/speed metal group Salems Lott opened this Wednesday evening at 8:05 PM, immediately overwhelming the crowd with their fast-paced riffs and flashy fretboard attack. Glam hair galore, their musicianship was fairly decent, and even topping off with some dissonant riffing and energizing gallops. Lead guitarists Jett Black and his brother Monroe Black who was also in charge of the singing, were rather impressive in their guitar work, however Monroe’s singing was simply difficult to endure. Constant highs that sounded lost in the mix, spoken word passages that muffled in and out of the mic, and overall, just rather annoying to hear. But “Smoke and Mirrors” and “Wings of Duress” had enough speed metal elements to ensure that their catchiness and mild intensity would not be missed. The crowd gave a proper applause after each song, and their following in LA continued to grow based off the overall reaction. Despite vocal flaws, Salems Lott opened the show solidly.
Nearly a year after opening for Gus G. on a Wednesday at the Whisky, State Line Empire were next on the bill. Being a whole year since encountering STE, I was curious to see how much they’ve grown musically and as a live band, and aside from some nuances and improvements, not too much changed for me. State Line Empire incorporate a late 90s grunge rock mix, but also play some new material that pays tribute to stoner rock riffing and pace. Guitarist “Cat”, as the last time I saw, played on his neon glowing guitar that shined throughout the venue, with a noticeable improvement in his lead work. And I must say, the band’s sound was much heavier, and clearer this time around, with drummer Jay Michaelis pumping the crowd with energy and pounding his kit six feet below. Vocalist Tyson Yen sounded much more confident on stage than before, moving around and worked even harder to get the crowd going. The crowd became more involved as their set progressed, with the venue slowly packing more fans inside. A better performance than last year’s show, State Line Empire had a blast on stage and was welcomed with cheers and applause throughout the Whisky.
Amidst chants of their name and a large number of their shirts worn all around in sight, Exmortus came out to by far the largest crowd reaction up to this point. Embracing the touring grind consistently for the past two years, including a special East Coast tour more recently, their fantastic guitar style and blistering musicianship is truly a sight for sore eyes. Not only is their display of wonderful guitar work entertaining and dexterous to witness, their main riffs and songs are tasteful as well. The opening riff to ‘Immortality Made Flesh’ was even being sung by a large group of people, showing you don’t need to go 666 notes a second in every part of the song. Leader, vocalist and guitarist Conan, with his partner in crime David Rivera, matching every chaotic and monstrous note for note, were both wearing Cacophony shirts showing cartoon versions of Marty Friedman and Jason Becker, a beautiful gesture and tribute to Becker, especially, due to his wonderfully promising guitar career cut tragically short from Lou Gehrig’s disease. An Exmortus set would not be complete without their delightful Beethoven cover of ‘Moonlight Sonata (Act 3)’. Some might criticize the band in saying it’s an excuse to show off their dexterity and hard-to-follow musicianship, but their lead work simply shines bright on this cover, and the note selection is worthy, memorable and diverse. Six of their seven songs are off their latest record, ‘Slave To The Sword’, plus the latest single ‘For The Horde;, for which they had a 7 and 12 inch vinyl available. Conan dedicated the song to “anyone who loves World of Warcraft”. The mosh pits finally came alive during their set, with the venue especially packed by the middle of the set. This was my seventh time seeing Exmortus, and so far, the best show I’ve seen them play. With the amount of touring and hard work they’ve clearly put in, their name will continue to rise through the ranks in no time.
Set List:
01. Rising
02. Immortality Made Flesh
03. Slave to the Sword
04. Foe Hammer
05. For the Horde
06. Moonlight Sonata (Act 3) (Beethoven cover)
07. Metal is King
Exmortus photos:
Although I still believe a sold-out show for this special occasion should have been in order, the crowd capacity was still near to full and chants of “Marty!” echoed the ears and the venue, loud and proud. Slightly behind schedule, by only about 15 minutes, the PA music turned off and the roars increased ever so greatly, and at 10:45 PM, Marty Friedman himself, and his bandmates graced the stage, opening up appropriately with ‘Hyper Doom’. Admittedly not having heard very much of his solo work, I was absolutely curious to see what kind of journey would be embarked upon through this set, and as the notes that Friedman carefully and beautifully creates, the variety was tremendous. Despite the pop influences throughout the years, I was really impressed by the various metal styles displayed. I also truly enjoyed how unique and talented his band mates are. None of them were big-name musicians, and as announced later, this was their first show in LA. Asking anyone to keep up with Friedman would be a noticeable task, and Jordan Ziff played a fantastic set alongside him, even showcasing his own mind-numbing solos and riff intensity. Worth noting, Marty Friedman had no problems letting his band members shine, with bass wizard Kyioshi, displaying a clean, chunky and proficient bass slapping style. I always tremendously applaud and admire women having the opportunity to show their musical talents. Her energy on stage was also riveting, looking like she was having the time of her life. The song selection was quite varied, especially to the old school fans delight of hearing ‘Forbidden City’ and ‘Dragon’s Mistress’ from Friedman’s first solo album back in 1988, ‘Dragon’s Kiss’. Conan from Exmortus joined the stage for ‘Dragon’s Mistress’, humbly and happily engaging Friedman in a friendly guitar duel. ‘Inferno’, the title track from his newest record, also really held my attention and showed me the quality displayed had no bounds or limits.
Quite simply, Marty Friedman was a joy to witness. Being an avid Megadeth fan, I was captivated knowing this man played alongside Dave Mustaine for ten years, including their very best work in my humble, ‘Rust in Peace’. To the blissful ears of all in attendance, his acoustic passage from “Holy Wars…The Punishment Due”, and “Tornado of Souls”, considered to be Megadeth’s best guitar solo, found its way into a medley as well. You can imagine the crowd going Donkey, Diddy and Dixie Kong Country bonkers, alongside cell phones wishing to record these precious and unique moments. Friedman’s soulful energy, passion through his face and body movements, his very presence, and vast guitar knowledge, created a unity of quality, quantity, and a rarity in the aspect of guitar virutosos. I was certainly surprised by the sound of the riffing and non-solo playing, with no aspect left unnoticed and no detail lacking. Not wanting to take all the credit for his name, his other band mates were more than allowed to compliment the music, and let their own instruments speak the language themselves. Friedman, throughout the night, gave his most heartfelt thanks and appreciation to this supportive and alluring crowd, promising not to make them wait another ten years before returning to the States. This 100-minute set was certainly outstanding and yearning to be remembered.
For Megadeth fans, Marty’s solo work, and just anyone wishing to see elite guitar playing, Marty Friedman delivered the goods and then somee. No constant boasting, cockiness and any sense of undeserved entitlement was ever to be found with Marty Friedman. Friedman, throughout the night, gave his most heartfelt thanks and appreciation to this supportive and alluring crowd, promising not to make them wait another ten years before returning to the States. This 100-minute set was certainly outstanding and one to be remembered. Tonight, the Whisky was met with an amazingly heated inferno.
Set List:
01. Hyper Doom
02. Amagigoe (Sayuri Ishikawa cover)
03. Street Demon / Holy Wars (acoustic passage only)
04. Elixir
05. Stigmata Addiction
06. Devil Take Tomorrow
07. Tibet
08. Angel
09. Kyioshi Bass solo
10. Ashes to Ashes/Forbidden City/Tornado of Souls (solo only)
11. Ripped
12. Jordan Ziff Guitar solo
13. Inferno
14. Undertow
15. Dragon Mistress
16. Thunder March/Ballad of the Barbie Bandits
17. Kaeritakunatta Yo (Ikimonogakari cover)
Marty Friedman photos:
