Marty Friedman / Jason Becker CACOPHONY: Go off [tape cassette CBS 1988] RARE. Check video + review video

Description

Check all SAMPLES:  www.allmusic.com/album/go-off%21-mw0000201034

1. X-Ray Eyes
2. E.S.P.
3. Stranger
4. Go Off!
5. Black Cat
6. Sword of the Warrior
7. Floating World
8. Images

5.0 out of 5 stars
If you are reading this review, you’ve probably heard about Jason Becker and are starting to seek out some of his lesser-known work. Perpetual Burn and Speed Metal Symphony seem to be slightly more esteemed than this album, but I’d say they are all about equal.

While the songwriting on this album can hardly be called masterful, experimentation with different elements definitely works better on this album than on the previous one- I love the song Speed Metal Symphony, it helped me get into shred, but at the same time I feel that 9 minutes is just a little bit too long for it, especially with that cacophonous ending. With this album loose ends like that seem less in evidence. The intro to Black Cat, for example, really builds up suspense, making great use of sound effects (specifically rain, making you feel like you’re in some kind of Japanese hut waiting for a storm to pass).

Some of the shredding on here is unbelievable, of course. The short trade-off solo around the two minute mark of ‘X-Ray Eyes’ is easily one of my favourite Becker moments, with great backing chords that remind you of the clean delay-laden intro to the solos of ‘Desert Island’ on the first album. ‘Images’ is an understated piece of melodic brilliance (understated save for a chunk of sweep picking of course, which is predictably brilliant as well). Even ‘Floating World’, their most obvious attempt at a catchy chorus, is fun to listen to. I don’t know if I genuinely think it musically good or if I just think it cute that they came up with such a poppy chorus though…

The title track is a tour de force of ridiculous syncopation, also containing a short passage which I believe was ripped off from a Mozart piece that is so perfect and catchy that I spent about two years trying to nail it perfectly on guitar. In other words, buy the album.