Cacophony
This speed metal band was formed in the USA in 1986, built around the nucleus of up-and-coming guitar wizards Marty Friedman and Jason Becker. Recruiting drummer Atma Anur and ex- Le Mans vocalist Peter Marrino, they debuted with SPEED METAL SYMPHONY; a predominantly instrumental album, that fused classical, blues and hard rock styles. Friedman and Becker then went on to record individual solo albums in a similar vein, before commencing work on another band project. GO OFF, released in 1989, saw the arrival of Jimmy O'Shea and Kenny Stavropoulos on bass and drums, respectively. This album reinforced the band's hi-tech instrumental approach, and featured complex passages where the guitars of Friedman and Becker duelled for supremacy. The album was a commercial failure and Cacophony subsequently dissolved in 1990, with Stavropoulos joining Starship, Becker teaming up with Dave Lee Roth and Friedman being recruited by Megadeth.