Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman has finished laying down his guitar tracks on the follow-up to his 2014 album “Inferno” for a tentative early 2017 release via Prosthetic. The new disc is currently being mixed by Swedish producer Jens Bogren, who performed the same duties on “Inferno” and has also worked with such acts as KREATOR, SEPULTURA, DRAGONFORCE and PARADISE LOST.

Marty says: “So far five songs are done. Jens is knocking them out of the park. He is super fast and knows my sound, as you can hear on ‘Inferno’.”

Regarding the musical direction of Friedman‘s new album, the guitarist states: “This time it’s even more ambitious than that album was, a bit more dense, and, with any luck, more exciting for those of you who will hear it.”

He adds: “There will be 11 or 12 songs in total. Sometimes a song you really love doesn’t make it to the album because it doesn’t fit nicely in the sequencing. Either way, we’re pushing 60 minutes, so it won’t be a short album.”

Marty‘s new CD was recorded in part at Dave Grohl‘s Studio 606 in California with engineer Paul Fig (ALICE IN CHAINS, RUSH, DEFTONES) and was previously described by Friedman as “a way more intense version” of its predecessor: “deeper, sadder, happier and more aggressive.”

Like “Inferno”, Friedman‘s upcoming album will feature several guests, including prog-thrashers MUTOID MAN, Jørgen Munkeby of the Norwegian avant-garde jazz-metal outfit SHINING and Jinxx of Los Angeles theatrical rockers BLACK VEIL BRIDES.

Regarding how the collaboration with Jinxx came about, Friedman told Guitar World: “I’m a big fan of Jinxx and BLACK VEIL BRIDES. He came to my show in L.A. in 2015. Right after that, I was told that he plays violin. I didn’t even know that! Then light bulbs went off. I thought now’s the chance to really turn some heads by doing something that’s a little bit, well, a lot, unexpected to my fans and his fans.”

Fonte: Blabbermouth.net