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Megadeth: Hanging on to life by the skin of my teeth
Megadeth is an American speed/thrash metal band. Megadeth is led by Dave Mustaine. The group was formed in 1983, disbanded
in 2002, and reformed in 2004.
The Early Years
Shortly after lead guitarist Dave Mustaine was fired from Metallica due to alcohol problems and personality conflicts,
Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson formed Megadeth. As Mustaine himself says, "I could only focus on one thing [after
being kicked out of Metallica]: I wanted blood... theirs." After searching for a vocalist and not finding what he wanted,
Mustaine became the band's singer and primary lyricist as well as the main songwriter and lead guitarist. The band soon added
jazz fusion drummer Gar Samuelson and guitarist Kerry King (of Slayer fame). King was only a temporary member, covering a
handful of live dates. He was replaced later the same year by Chris Poland, a friend of Gar's.
The debut line-up
In late 1984, they were signed to Combat Records, and in May 1985 they released their first album, entitled Killing Is
My Business... And Business Is Good!. The band had been alloted $8,000 to record and produce the album, but spending half
of that budget on drugs, the sound quality left much to be desired. The band was forced to fire their original producer and
produce the album themselves. Even with its somewhat poor production, Megadeth's debut was a well-received album that blended
elements of thrash, speed metal and punk rock.
In November 1986 they released their second album, Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?, which is regarded by many critics
as Megadeth's finest hour and a ground-breaking thrash metal album. Better production and more sophisticated songwriting earned
Megadeth immense respect and cemented their place alongside Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax in the "Big Four of Thrash".
Later that same year, Megadeth signed with Capitol Records, who also bought the rights to Peace Sells... from Combat.
Gar Samuelson and Chris Poland were fired from the band after the final show of a Hawaiian tour, amidst rumors of drug
abuse by the entire band. Mustaine claimed that Samuelson had become too much to handle when intoxicated and that Poland had
been selling band equipment to fund his drug habit. Because of this, Mustaine wrote the song "Liar" and dedicated
it to Poland. The replacements were Chuck Behler on drums and Jeff Young on guitars.
[edit]
So Far, So Good... So What!
In March 1988, the new line-up released their next album, So Far, So Good... So What!. The album, although a commercial
success [1], [2], was widely panned by critics, who complained that the album sounded "stale" [3] and was inconsistent.
A cover of the Sex Pistols' Anarchy In The UK polarized fans, with some enjoying it and others seeing as indicative of the
entire album's failure. The band appeared in Penelope Spheeris' 1988 documentary The Decline of Western Civilization II: The
Metal Years. The video for In My Darkest Hour (inspired by the death of Metallica bassist Cliff Burton) was filmed by Spheeris
and used in the movie. Also the band was interviewed, including Mustaine talking about not wanting to be a celebity and Chuck
discussing that he doesn't do drugs. An outtake for the movie, in which Mustaine claims "GLAM stands for Gay LA Music"
appears on the Megadeth episode of Behind the Music. On Megadeth's Rusted Pieces VHS Mustaine and Ellefson discuss the movie
as a disappointment which paired them with "shit bands." The lineup that had recorded So Far, So Good... So What!
was short-lived, as Chuck and Jeff were fired in 1988.
Nick Menza was hired to replace Behler on the drums, and the group recorded a cover of Alice Cooper's "No More Mr.
Nice Guy," the only song ever recorded by Megadeth as a trio. Mustaine held tryouts for many guitarists, one of them
being the late Darrell Abbott, (Dimebag Darrell) whom Mustaine liked but did not hire because Abbott would not play without
his brother Vinnie Paul playing drums, and Mustaine had just hired Menza. Marty Friedman, who had played in Cacophony with
Jason Becker, was initially ruled out by Mustaine for having two-tone hair, but was eventually hired to replace Young on lead
guitar.
The Rust In Peace era
The Mustaine, Ellefson, Friedman and Menza line-up became the most stable and successful of Megadeth's career, recording
four well-received albums, and created Megadeth's reputation as a band that could not only play metal well, but also create
more commercially acceptable offerings.
In 1990, Megadeth showed no sign of weakening. The band's fourth album, Rust in Peace, is still regarded by many to be
one of, if not the most technically sophisticated and exciting speed/thrash metal album ever released. Singles for "Hangar
18" and "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" were successful, as Megadeth's characteristically caustic and catchy
lyrics and raw, fast, thrash-metal riffs were finally captured with a clear and precise production, which allowed all the
nuances of Mustaine's guitar compositions to be heard. Rust in Peace showcased a level of technical complexity akin to progressive
metal.
The band's first home video Rusted Pieces was released in 1991 and showcased all the music videos up to that point. In
between the videos the band was interviewed with reflections on the career and the introduction of Nick and Marty to the band.
In July 1992, Megadeth released the album Countdown to Extinction. It became an instant hit, reached #2 on the Billboard
album charts, and went multi-platinum: Mustaine himself said that he measured his future successes against those of Countdown.
The album featured noticeably simpler song structures, catchy melodic "hooks," and an increased emphasis on the
singer's voice. Megadeth, however, successfully integrated these changes into their typical cynical, ironic and heavily political
lyrical themes. The song Architecture of Aggression features the sound of CNN and ABC reporters excitedly watching and commenting
on the opening shots of the Gulf War and Foreclosure of a Dream, a song discussing the recession and its particular effect
on American agriculture, has the infamous "Read my lips" promise of George H. W. Bush (under the pressure from the
U.S. Congress, this promise was later to be broken) of not raising taxes.
Arguably, the album was Megadeth's first true attempt at breaking into the mainstream rock market in which they had never
gained a major foothold. Mustaine and the rest of the band members were frustrated, however, that Billy Ray Cyrus kept them
out of Billboard's number-one spot with Achy Breaky Heart and although they were nominated for a grammy Nine Inch Nails took
home the award for Wish.
The band released their second home video, Exposure of a Dream, in 1993. The video featured all the music videos from
Countdown as well as the video for "Go to Hell." This video was a part two of the band's music videos continuing
in a similar to fashion to Rusted Pieces.
The following album, Youthanasia, was delivered in 1994, and it also became a great success. Continuing the new direction
indicated by Countdown To Extinction, Youthanasia featured a still-more-relaxed sound and generally slower songs —
slower than some older fans could tolerate. The unusual Beats Per Minute (BPM) parity on the album is attributed to producer
Max Norman, who apparently made Megadeth use around 120 BPM on every song in order to try and make Megadeth's music more acceptable
to rock radio. This led to some backlash from long term fans and the "sell out" term was starting to show up.
The band's recording experience for Youthanasia was captured for Evolver: The Making of Youthanasia, in which the building
of the recording studio, recording, mixing, artwork, and photography was explained. Dave Mustaine starred in this video as
a teacher, explaining the recording process to elementary school children. This was to become the band's third home video
and included the music video for "Train of Consquences."
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Cryptic Writings and Risk
Their next album, entitled Cryptic Writings was released in 1997. This album had more pop influences than the previous
ones, but its sound was still unmistakably Megadeth's. Nick Menza had left due to an injury in 1998, and replaced by Jimmy
DeGrasso, a drummer Mustaine had worked with on his MD.45 project.
In 1999 computer game development company 3D Realms announced that they would be using various unreleased Megadeth tracks
on their promotional album "Duke Nukem: Music To Score By". Megadeth also recorded a rendition of the famous Duke
Nukem theme song "Grabbag", originally composed by Lee Jackson.
The pop influences were even more evident on the following album, 1999's Risk, which suffered from lacklustre sales and
poor response from critics and fans alike. Shortly after its release Marty Friedman left the band and was replaced by Al Pitrelli
formerly of Savatage. Looking for a way to end their contract with Capitol Records, the band released a greatest-hits collection
entitled Capitol Punishment: The Megadeth Years (2000). This compilation included two new tracks 'Kill the King' and 'Dread
and the Fugitive Mind' that the band was contractually obligated to give to Capitol.
[edit]
From Capitol to Sanctuary
In 2001 Megadeth signed a deal with Sanctuary Records. Shortly thereafter, they put out a new album, entitled The World
Needs a Hero, which received a generally positive reception. Many fans heralded it as a return to form, based on great new
songs like "Recipe for Hate... Warhorse" and "Burning Bridges". Still, many felt that it fell short of
their expectations for the band, and Mustaine himself likened the album to the first major turn of a huge ship at sea, trying
to right itself and get back on course. The band toured for the album in 2001, and finished up with a couple of concerts in
Arizona which were recorded and released as a double-disc live album and DVD called Rude Awakening. (Originally the live album/DVD
was to be recorded in Argentina, but those dates were cancelled due the September 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S.A.)
[edit]
The world without Megadeth
On April 3, 2002, Mustaine announced in a press release that he was leaving the band, officially due to an injury that
caused nerve damage to his left arm. He was diagnosed with radial neuropathy that was induced by falling asleep with his arm
over the back of a chair, causing compression of the radial ulner nerve - a devastating injury for any musician. This seemed
to mark the end of the band's nearly twenty-year career.
[edit]
Megadeth returns, sans 3 members
Gradually, physical therapy helped Mustaine's arm heal, though he admits he had to "relearn" much of his guitar
playing skill. After writing his first consciously solo album and masterminding the reissue of Megadeth's catalogue (remixed
and remastered), he enlisted the help of Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, Chris Poland (who had played with Megadeth in the 1980s)
on lead guitar and session musician Jimmy Sloas on bass to record his new album originally titled Blackmail The Universe,
but later renamed The System Has Failed (2004). Due to pressure from his record label he was forced to change this from a
solo album to the final Megadeth album owed to Sanctuary. As Dave Mustaine said, "Megadeth is slowly rising from the
ashes." Mustaine then contacted all the members of the Rust In Peace lineup to offer them a spot on a tour to promote
the new album. Nick Menza was rehired as the drummer, but Mustaine could not reach agreement with Ellefson or Friedman.
Early July of 2004 saw the entire The System Has Failed album leaked onto the Internet. Mustaine is said to have been
deeply upset by this, but the scheduled release date of September 2004 was maintained. The System Has Failed made its debut
at #18 on the Billboard charts, and received overall positive reviews from critics, hailed as a return to Megadeth's 'golden
days' of the late 80s and early 90s.
At the same time, Ellefson filed an $18.5-million lawsuit in the New York federal court against Mustaine and the band,
claiming he was entitled to a greater share of the band's profits. In January 2005, the federal court dismissed the case,
finding that Ellefson had released his claims in a May 2004 settlement agreement with the band. Mustaine and the band filed
a counter suit against Ellefson in the California state court for breach of the settlement agreement. That suit eventually
was settled.
Shortly following the release of The System Has Failed, Mustaine appointed Glen Drover, formerly of King Diamond and Eidolon,
as Megadeth's new guitarist. Additional line-up changes were James MacDonough, formerly of Iced Earth on bass, and Shawn Drover
(the brother of Glen Drover) on drums. Shawn Drover was hired to be Megadeth drummer 5 days before the first show of the "Blackmail
The Universe Tour" apparently because Menza was no longer capable of playing Megadeth songs.
The Blackmail The Universe World Tour, running from late 2004 until late 2005 (with a staggered touring schedule), proved
to be a true 'comeback' and return to form for Megadeth, and their first large scale tour for several years. Previously Mustaine
had also announced that it was the final Megadeth tour and that the band would be disbanding immediately afterwards; however,
as of March 2005, Dave Mustaine announced Gigantour, Megadeth's largest tour ever.
In July 2005, the band released a greatest hits record entitled Back to the Start: Greatest Hits.
Megadeth lives on
In 2004, Dave Mustaine stated that album The System Has Failed would be the last Megadeth record before he would end the
band and become a solo artist himself. However, following the launch of Gigantour in 2005 and a clear revitalisation in the
future prospects of Megadeth from the year previous, Mustaine decided to instead to 'allow' Megadeth's continued existence.
This was clearly stated on the Official Megadeth Website: "MEGADETH will continue as a band. MEGADETH will record
a new album. MEGADETH will continue to play."
Mustaine, during a concert in Argentina in 2005 (following his first mention of the continuation of the band), mentioned
that he has been working with his current bandmates (The Drovers and MacDonough) on writing the next Megadeth album. This
was also confirmed by Mustaine during a Megadeth concert in Puerto Rico on October 15, 2005, 6 days after the one in Argentina;
"The answer is yes"
On February 10th, 2006 James MacDonough announced he was leaving the band for as of yet unexplained reasons, although
there are rumors he was going to rejoin his former band, Iced Earth. Mustaine said that he would let Ellefson rejoin the band
if he wanted to, and claims to be over feuds with Ellefson (and Metallica, for that matter)[4]. On February 12th, 2006 James
LoMenzo was hired as the new bass player, laying the rumors of Ellefson's return to rest.
Mustaine has also said a bunch of times in the past that he would like to see him, Ellefson, Hetfield and Ulrich team
up in order to revive their particular magic in thrash metal. Many fans of one band, are usually also fans of the other and
tend to be enthusiastic of the idea.[5][6]
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Lyrical themes
Aside from Megadeth's unmistakable guitar style, there are several recurring lyrical themes across their albums. War and
military themes — particularly nuclear war (as in "Set The World Afire," originally titled "Megadeth")
— is a common theme for many of the band's songs. In fact, the band's name is a play on the word megadeath, a term
coined by the US military to mean one million deaths. However, beyond nuclear war, topics for Megadeth songs include the military-industrial
complex (Architecture of Aggression, Hangar 18), the aftermath of war (Ashes In Your Mouth), and sectarian violence (Holy
Wars... The Punishment Due). The video clip for "In My Darkest Hour" was banned from MTV as it was interpreted to
have been written about suicide (though it was written as a tribute to Cliff Burton), a theme which arose more blatantly in
"Skin o' My Teeth" and "A Tout Le Monde".
Politics is also a common theme to many Megadeth songs. Mustaine is scathing in his assessment of Tipper Gore, the PMRC,
and music censorship in the song "Hook In Mouth", attacks gambling in "Train of Consequences", takes an
environmentalist stance in "Countdown to Extinction", and shuns dictators in songs like "Warhorse", "Symphony
of Destruction", and "Ashes in Your Mouth". Mustaine's general cynicism about politics shines through on tracks
like "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?" and "The World Needs A Hero". "Blackmail the Universe"
includes an Alex Jones soundbyte.
While Megadeth has recorded songs about relationships, they tend to be songs either about breaking up, or have a dark
twist. "Trust", "Almost Honest", "Addicted To Chaos", and "1000 Times Goodbye" are
examples of the former. Examples of the latter include "Promises", an eerie ballad from beyond the grave, and "Loved
to Deth", a song about a man who is angry that he can't have the woman he loves, and seeks to kill her. The one exception
to this was the Risk track "I'll Be There", and is often held up as an example of what was "wrong" with
that particular album's pop-rock influences.
A few of Megadeth's songs feature references to Marvel characters, such as The Punisher in both "The Punishment Due"
(second part of "Holy Wars...The Punishment Due") and "Killing is My Business...And Business is Good!",
and Deathlok in "Psychotron".
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Controversy
In May 2005, during preparation for the band's "Gigantour" festival, Dave Mustaine threatened to cancel non-related
shows in Greece with Rotting Christ and Israel with Dissection which in turn caused the two black metal bands to cancel their
appearances.
Both groups' supposed "lyrical subject matter" (past or present) and Mustaine's identification as a born-again
Christian was said to be the reason. However, skepticism had arisen about actual intentions, since Megadeth had upcoming tours
scheduled with other bands of a sacrilegious or semi-sacrilegious nature (including another gig with Dissection and because
many of Megadeth's vintage songs had questioned the institutions of organized religion).
[edit]
Yet More Lineup Changes
In February, 2006, one day out of the blue bass player James MacDonough announced on the Megadeth Bulletin Board that
he would no longer be playing for Megadeth. Baffled and wanting answers, Megadeth fans were answered when Megadeth.com's webmaster,
Dave McRobb announced, that Megadeth would be getting a new bass player, James Lomenzo, formerly of David Lee Roth and Black
Label Society. The exact cause of MacDonough's departure remains a mystery, MacDonough stating "There is no animosity
here Droogs, just personal differences and this is all I'll ever say about it".
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