Marty Friedman On Megadeth’s ‘Symphony Of Destruction’: ‘It Was Maybe Our First Pop Song’

Former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman recently shared his perspective on his influential tenure with the band and offered insights into the creation of one of their most iconic tracks, “Symphony Of Destruction,” notably referring to it as possibly their “first pop song.” Friedman, who contributed to landmark albums such as Rust In Peace and Countdown To Extinction between 1990 and 2000, discussed the distinct nature of his era within the thrash metal giant’s history.

In a new interview with Brazil’s Gustavo Maiato, Friedman was asked if there was a clear difference between the music Megadeth created during his time compared to before and after. He responded (as transcribed by Blabbermouth): “Oh, definitely. In my opinion, completely. Megadeth was a great band before I joined and they were a great band after I left. But my era in Megadeth has its own particular sound and a particular look, and I think it’s very different from all of the other eras. And, yeah, it was very cool.”

The conversation also turned to “Symphony Of Destruction,” the highly streamed single from the 1992 album Countdown To Extinction. Friedman shed light on the collaborative songwriting process within Megadeth, a topic he explores in his autobiography, “Dreaming Japanese,” which was released on December 3, 2024.

“I wrote a lot about this in my autobiography… And an important thing that I wrote in the book was the fact that no matter whose name was on the song, whose credit, all four bandmembers worked exactly the same amount of time on that writing. They all worked the same amount of time songwriting, starting the song from zero and completing it,” Friedman explained.

He then specifically addressed “Symphony Of Destruction,” offering a surprising take on its classification: “And so if I remember, ‘Symphony Of Destruction’ was on the second album that I did with the band, and at that time I was more comfortable in the band because I’d been in the band for almost two years. And it was maybe our first pop song. It was like a pop song, if you could say that. And I was glad because you’ve gotta have pop songs if you wanna reach massive amounts of people. And I think we did it without losing our heavy metal fans, you know what I mean? You can make a pop song, but if you lose your core audience, it’s not something that we wanted to do.”

Friedman’s career has been marked by significant musical evolution. Before his decade with Megadeth, he co-founded the influential guitar duo Cacophony with Jason Becker. Following his departure from Megadeth, he relocated to Tokyo, immersing himself in Japanese music and culture, where he has achieved considerable success, collaborating with top J-pop artists and releasing several solo albums. His latest solo effort, Drama, arrived in May 2024, and he recently completed the “Live Drama 2025” U.S. tour.

In “Dreaming Japanese,” Friedman also recounts details of a potential reunion of Megadeth’s Rust In Peace era lineup in 2014. He revealed that financial terms were a significant factor in the discussions not moving forward, writing about the offer presented: “Let’s just say he wasn’t even in the ballpark. Hell, he wasn’t even in the parking lot for the ballpark. The amount they offered was right around the first salary I got when I joined Megadeth in 1990. If I’d had any idea they would lowball me like this, I never would have met with them in Anaheim. Had I taken that offer, I would have been paid less in a week than I made in a normal day in Japan. I was stunned and angry and told them I couldn’t even consider it. I made a counteroffer, which was the bare minimum I could accept, and far less than I have received from any of the artists I’ve toured with in Japan.’”