Marty Friedman Releases 2 Opening Songs Of The Tokyo Jukebox Trilogy Album

Marty Friedman

JAKARTA - Former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman will release the third installment of his Tokyo Jukebox, an album containing a collection of Japanese covers. Studying Japanese culture since living in Sakura Country in 2003, Friedman got a lot of inspiration for this album.

Friedman started the series in 2009 with the initial album Tokyo Jukebox followed by a sequel two years later.

Now, the guitarist is turning the project into a trilogy with his third release on April 16 through The Players Club/Mascot Label Group.

“I've played songs from the first two Jukebox albums live around the world, and it's taken a life of its own. Especially in places like North and South America, Australia, Italy, France, and even India," Friedman explained as quoted by Loudwire, Friday, February 19.

"My fan base is very dedicated, and what I found was that many new fans were introduced to Japanese music and culture through me, which was very satisfying. In this tour, it seems that apart from dedicated guitar fans, Japanese fanatics have grown a lot, so now felt like the time was right to do the Tokyo Jukebox 3. "

Friedman said it's not as simple as choosing a song for the cover of this new release. He explained that closing material is a more complicated process in Japan.

“In Japan, you have to get permission to record and release a cover version, and it can be a very complicated and lengthy process. So, the last thing I want to do is ask permission to compose a song, only not to record it for whatever reason. That would be very disrespectful," said the guitarist who once held a clinic in Indonesia.

"I spent several weeks selecting songs and demonstrating to see if I could come up with a version I could get excited about, before I even approached any publisher. I came up with a shortlist of 20 songs, and from here picked about 15 that I know I can absolutely make."

To help arouse metalheads' appetite for Friedman's new album, a pair of songs - Makenaide and The Perfect World - will be available for album pre-order as a tribute to the virtuoso.