Cacophony ruled, plain and simple. They were an innovative band in the mid-late 80's whose main distinguishing feature was that they had dual lead axemen, both of which could outshred most others AND could play with heart and imagination. Not only did they prove that "shredders" really can be creative, they also proved that not all of them are always egotistical and constantly demanding the spotlight for themselves.

Cacophony-Related Links

So who were these guys, anyway?

Cacophony formed from the guitar duo of Marty Friedman and Jason Becker. Marty had been in a few previous bands (Deuce, Vixen--a Hawaiian heavy metal band, NOT the all-girl pop-metal band--Aloha,and Hawaii) and later went on to record 4 solo albums, release several instructional videos, and play lead in Megadeth for ten years, among other things. Jason Becker, was, at the time, a teenage guitar virtuoso seeking an outlet for his talent and creativity. He later went on to record 2 solo albums, a record with David Lee Roth (filling the huge shoes of Steve Vai), and release some of his demo tapes on CD after having the disease ALS, which prevented him from playing guitar past 1992. These two guitarists together played music that was unheard of before--it had the speed of Yngwie Malmsteen (though they did vary their tempos and not ALWAYS play fast) with melodic stylings based more on traditional music from Asia and other "exotic" parts of the world. Many of the solos were play in perfect harmony with incredible accuracy and ear-grabbing melodies and "ladders." Their original drummer was Atma Anur, who's great drumming can also be heard on Jason's "Perpetual Burn" album. He was later replaced by Deen Castronovo, an incredible drummer who can also be heard on Marty's "Dragon's Kiss" album. He was then replaced by Kenny Stavropoulos, whose drumming cannot be heard on either Cacophony album. On the first cacophony album, "Speed Metal Symphony," Marty played all the bass guitar as well, but when it came time for touring, he couldn't play bass and guitar at the same time, so cacophony recruited Jimmy O'Shea. While most of cacophony's music was instrumentally-focused, many of their songs did have some vocals, whch were done by Peter Marrino (IMO, his vocals were much better on "Go Off!" than on "Speed metal Symphony."). Together, these guys were Cacophony, a musical force that, in the short time and two albums they were together for, left a nice mark on the face of guitar-based music. Unfortunately, they probably did not have nearly as much fan support back then as they would today, but at least we got 2 albums of kick-ass material from this band. If you want to know what has been up with soe of the previous cacophony members, please visit Jason Becker's website (in the links to your left) and read the "New News" section. His site also has some pictures of Cacophony from live shows and other stuff, so check that out too! And remember.....shred on and bow to the most supreme orange swirly!

Operation: Ass-Kick