Photo by YouTube

Marty Friedman brought his thrash metal to Megadeth for ten years when he was the band’s lead guitarist from 1990 to 2000. Just before the new millennium hit, Friedman announced he was leaving the band because he wanted to pursue a more aggressive sound as Megadeth was heading towards a more pop-influenced direction.

Friedman moved to Japan in 2003 where he has been working on his own musical endeavors ever since. Despite leaving Megadeth, he and the band’s frontman Dave Mustaine have stayed friends over the past two decades. So it wasn’t too big of a surprise for Friedman to make a guest appearance at Megadeth’s concert at at Tokyo, Japan’s Nippon Budokan Arena over the weekend.

During the show, Friedman jammed with Megadeth on Countdown to Extinction, Tornado of Souls, and Symphony of Destruction. Fans and the band members were equally excited about the reunion.

“Marty and I have remained friends over 23 years, since we last played together. However, I hear his music every night, and he still is among the top guitar players I’ve ever heard.” Mustaine said, “This is an amazing treat for the fans, as well as myself. To be honest, I may drift off while listening to [Megadeth’s] Kiko [Loureiro] and Marty play together!”

Watch Marty Friedman perform with Megadeth on February 27th at Japan’s Nippon Budokan Arena here: