Cacophony was an American heavy metal band formed in 1986 by guitarists

Marty Friedman Marty Friedman (born December 8, 1962) is an American guitarist, best known for his tenure as the lead guitarist for thrash metal band Megadeth from 1990 to 2000. He is also known for playing alongside Jason Becker in Cacophony from 1986 unti ...

and Jason Becker, and signed to

Shrapnel Records Shrapnel Records is an American record label founded in 1980 by record producer Mike Varney. History Guitarist Marty Friedman (formerly of Megadeth and Cacophony), one of the label's most successful artists, first appeared on the album ''U ...

. They released two studio albums and remained active until 1989, after which both guitarists forged their own solo careers and joined other bands.

History

The two albums released by Cacophony, '' Speed Metal Symphony'' (1987) and ''

Go Off! ''Go Off!'' is the second and final studio album by heavy metal band Cacophony, released in 1988 through Shrapnel Records. About two years after the album's release, guitarist Jason Becker was diagnosed with ALS, rendering him paralyzed and c ...

'' (1988), were showpieces of the kind of highly technical playing typical of the 1980s shred era, with songs featuring fast

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

melodic A melody (from Greek μελῳδία, ''melōidía'', "singing, chanting"), also tune, voice or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combina ...

solos, exotic neoclassical scales and dual guitar harmonizations. Several of the tracks were entirely

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instr ...

, which prominently demonstrated Friedman and Becker's renowned technical skills. In a 2009 article by ''

Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists – and fans of guitar-based music and trends – that has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original arti ...

'' magazine, ''Speed Metal Symphony'' was ranked ninth in a list of all-time top ten shred albums.''Guitar World'' Staff (2009-07-09)
"Top 10 Shred Albums of All Time"
''

''.

Future US Future US, Inc. (formerly known as Imagine Media and The Future Network USA) is an American media corporation specializing in targeted magazines and websites in the video games, music, and technology markets. Headquartered in New York City, ...

. Archived fro
the original
on 2011-05-28. Retrieved 2015-08-03. Both Friedman and Becker released their own solo albums—'' Dragon's Kiss'' and ''

Perpetual Burn ''Perpetual Burn'' is the first studio album by the American guitarist Jason Becker, released in 1988 through Shrapnel Records (United States) and Roadrunner Records (Europe). The album was released at around the same time as ''Dragon's Kiss'', ...

'', respectively—in 1988, before the release of ''Go Off!'' Friedman later joined the

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

band

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wi ...

in 1990, remaining with them for nine years as well as releasing several more solo albums, while Becker enjoyed a short stint in David Lee Roth's solo band from 1989 to 1991. Becker's time with Roth was abruptly cut short due to an onset of

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most comm ...

, a degenerative disease that rendered him completely unable to play and, soon afterwards, move or speak.

Band members

*Peter Marrino –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...

*Dan Bryant – vocals (last tour only) *

–

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

* Jason Becker – guitar *Atma Anur –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

Deen Castronovo Deen J. Castronovo (born August 17, 1964) is an American drummer and singer, best known for being a member of classic rock band Journey and hard rock acts Bad English and Hardline. He currently plays drums and shares lead vocals for the bands ...

– drums *Kenny Stavropoulos – drums (live only) *Jimmy O'Shea –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

, backing vocals *Craig Swain – bass, backing vocals (live only)

Discography

*1987: '' Speed Metal Symphony'' *1988: ''

References

External links

Shrapnel Records official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cacophony Musical groups established in 1986 Musical groups disestablished in 1989 Heavy metal musical groups from California 1986 establishments in California Shrapnel Records artists