Review by Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck
No rating supplied
Two young guitar prodigies named Jason Becker and Marty Freidman released
"Speed Metal Symphony" in 1987. They called themselves Cacophony.
The term cacophony in the dictionary is referred to as harsh noise.
The only aspect of this album that is actually harsh is the vocals
of Peter Martino. He does his best Rob Halford (Judas Priest) impression
to try to match the great speed of light guitar licks of Becker and
Freidman. I could appreciate the vocals at times; for the most part
the sheer enjoyment I experienced was all of the incredible six-string
madness that was going on. The title for this album was no doubt suitable,
as it really is a speed metal symphony. I read once that rock and
roll is nothing more than Beethoven and Bach played faster. Well here
is proof of that statement within this shiny metal disc. Becker and
Freidman make no bones about their influence right from the start
with the word symphony strategically placed in the title of this release.
"Savage" jump-starts the proceedings giving credence to their supporters
Shrapnel Records and their balls to the wall name. All of the words
fit… savage, shrapnel, speed; they are all a very explicit and descriptive
terms about the music that is being played. "Concerto" will give you
a good look at how classical and rock are so expertly combined. I
imagine when most kids heard this when it was first released they
felt that it really rocked, and I would be willing to bet that there
weren’t to many listeners that had enough insight into what was really
going on in the music. Well now we all know better and can see the
value and worth of the artistry present on this recording. This was only the beginning…
1. Savage (Friedman)
2. Where My Fortune Lies (Becker/Friedman)
3. The Ninja (Friedman)
4. Concerto (Becker/Friedman)
5. Burn the Ground (Becker/Friedman)
6. Desert Island (Friedman)
7. Speed Metal Symphony (Becker/Friedman)
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