''Go Off!'' is the second and final studio album by heavy metal band

Cacophony Phonaesthetics (also spelled phonesthetics in North America) is the study of beauty and pleasantness associated with the sounds of certain words or parts of words. The term was first used in this sense, perhaps by during the mid-20th century and ...

, released in 1988 through Shrapnel Records. About two years after the album's release, guitarist

Jason Becker Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He w ...

was diagnosed with ALS, rendering him paralyzed and completely unable to play to this day. Also two years later, guitarist

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 ...

joined the 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 wit ...

. The album was re-released on CD in 1991.

Critical reception

In a contemporary review, Wolfgang Schäfer of ''

Rock Hard "Rock Hard" is a single by the Beastie Boys, released by Def Jam Records on 12" in 1984. The track contains samples from the AC/DC song "Back in Black", which was used without obtaining legal permission, causing the record to be withdraw ...

'' was not overly impressed by the album but remarked how Friedman and Becker refrained "from superfluous solo escapades", making the music more accessible and fueling the suspicion that

Mike Varney Mike Varney is an American record producer and music publisher. He is the founder of the Shrapnel Label Group, which includes Shrapnel Records, Tone Center Records, and Blues Bureau International. He also has a 50% stake in Magna Carta Recor ...

wanted "to repeat the success of the dissolved Racer X with this band." Andy Hinds at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

found ''Go Off!'' an improvement on their 1987 debut album '' Speed Metal Symphony'' and compared the "slightly more song-oriented approach" to contemporaries Racer X. He praised Friedman and Becker's technical craft as "a very interesting listen at times" and that "there are even some beautiful moments, like the outro of the title track", while also noting an element of restraint in their playing compared to ''Speed Metal Symphony''. However, much criticism was directed at singer Peter Marrino, with Hinds lambasting his vocals as "annoying" and the lyrics "ridiculous".

Martin Popoff Martin Popoff (born April 28, 1963) is a Canadian music journalist, critic and author. He is mainly known for writing about the genre of heavy metal music. The senior editor and co-founder of ''Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles'', he has additionall ...

reviewed positively the album and considered it "too crazy, professional and intense for its day", becoming "a cult classic" and "a mid-years progressive metal cornerstone." He was also critical of Marrino's vocals, but praised

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 Jo ...

's performance as "possibly his chopsiest of a long career."

Track listing

Personnel

Cacophony *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 without ...

–

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 stri ...

, producer *

– guitar, producer *Jimmy O'Shea – bass *Kenny Stavropoulos - drums (appears on the cover but does not play on the album) Additional musicians *

– drums Production *Steve Fontano – producer,

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

*Joe Marquez, Scott Tatter, Michael Rosen – engineers *Dino Alden, Marc Reyburn – assistant engineers *George Horn – mastering at

Fantasy Studios Fantasy Studios was a music recording studio in Berkeley, California, at the Zaentz Media Center, known for its recording of award-winning albums including Journey's ''Escape'' and Green Day's ''Dookie''. Built as a private recording studio for ...

, Berkeley, California *

– executive producer

References

External links

Story Behind The Song - Cacophony's Go Off!
at martyfriedman.com

at Guitar Nine Records {{Authority control Cacophony (band) albums Jason Becker albums Marty Friedman albums 1988 albums Shrapnel Records albums Albums produced by Mike Varney