Marty Friedman Issues New Song 'Whiteworm,' Touring U.S. This Summer

Three years ago, legendary axeman Marty Friedman thrilled metal fans when he released Inferno, marking a return to a more aggressive style of playing, which also featured a number of notable metal guests. It appears he's keeping this momentum moving forward with his forthcoming record, Wall of Sound, which features the newly released cut "Whiteworm."

The song explores a variety of different sounds, opening up with some clean-toned noodling before beating down listeners with a jarring, stuttered rhythmic riff. More slippery guitar playing is laid over this riff, but the energy is quickly stripped away when a danceable moment comes in, highlighted by acoustic guitars. Careening down more new paths throughout the song, Friedman implements weeping melodies, building to an emotional climax. There's a lot going on and only a master like Friedman can rope all of these ideas together into one truly cohesive piece.

"There are many unique playing, composing and arranging concepts on each song [on Wall Of Sound], and they are quite different from each other," Friedman began. "In 'Whiteworm,' it starts with an element that I like, which is to do something that 'doesn't sound like me.' I tend to sound like myself even when I'm not trying to, so it is a little thrill to come up with something that doesn't smell like me at all. Also, I think a subliminal goal in rock music is to have an intro that many people will want to pick up a guitar and play — 'Stairway to Heaven,' 'Smoke on the Water,' etc. Since those days, more challenging things can inspire people too. This intro would have made me run to a guitar to try to learn it when I was 15."

Wall of Sound was produced by Friedman, engineered by Paul Fig (Ghost, Rush, Alice in Chains) and mixed by Jens Bogren (Lamb of God, Opeth) and will see an. Aug. 4 release through Prosthetic Records. Pre-orders for the album can be placed here.

Friedman will return to the U.S. to embark on a headlining tour just before the album's release, kicking it off in Philadelphia on Aug. 2. Joining him on this trek will be progressive instrumentalists Scale the Summit alongside The Fine Constant. See the full list of stops directly below.

Marty Friedman, Scale the Summit + The Fine Constant 2017 U.S. Tour Dates

Aug. 02 — Philadelphia, Pa. @ The Foundry at the Fillmore
Aug. 03 — Boston, Mass. @ Brighton Music Hall
Aug. 04 — New York, N.Y. @ Highline Ballroom
Aug. 05 — Garwood, N.J. @ Crossroads
Aug. 06 — Baltimore, Md. @ Baltimore Soundstage
Aug. 08 — Cleveland, Ohio @ Grog Shop
Aug. 09 — Chesterfield, Mich. @ Diesel
Aug. 10 — Chicago, Ill. @ Reggie's Rock Club
Aug. 11 — Minneapolis, Minn. @ Studio B at the Skyway
Aug. 12 — Omaha, Neb. @ Sokol Underground
Aug. 13 — St, Louis, Mo. @ Fubar
Aug. 16 — Houston, Texas @ Scout Bar
Aug. 17 — San Antonio, Texas @ The Rock Box
Aug. 18 — Dallas, Texas @ Trees
Aug. 19 — Oklahoma, Okla. @ Tower Theater
Aug. 20 — Kansas City, Mo. @ The Riot Room
Aug. 23 — Denver, Colo. @ Marquis Theatre
Aug. 24 — Albuquerque, N.M. @ Launchpad
Aug. 25 — Phoenix, Ariz. @ The Rebel Lounge
Aug. 26 — Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Whisky
Aug. 27 — Anaheim, Calif. @ The Parish @ HOB
Aug. 28 — San Diego, Calif. @ Brick By Brick