Megadeth

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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 rhythm 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.

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 left much to be desired in terms of sound quality. 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 a tour in Hawaii, amidst rumors of drug abuse by the entire band. Mustaine claimed that Samuelson and Poland had been selling the band's equipment to fund their drug habits. 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.

In March 1988, the new line-up released their next album, So Far, So Good... So What!. The album was widely panned and failed to capitalize on the success of Peace Sells..., with fans responding to only a few songs such as "Into the Lungs of Hell", "In My Darkest Hour", "Set the World Afire", and "Mary Jane". A cover of the Sex Pistols' "Anarchy In The UK" on the album was particularly derided and was seen as a symbol of the whole album's failure. The lineup that had recorded So Far, So Good... So What! was short-lived, as Chuck and Jeff were fired in 1989. 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.

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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, however, 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 of all time. 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.

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 Iraq 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 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.

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 was fired in 1998, and replaced by Jimmy DeGrasso, a drummer Mustaine had worked with on his MD45 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 lackluster sales. 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.

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 09/11/2001 attacks on the U.S.A.)

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 which cause compression of the radial ulner nerve, a devastating injury for any musician. The remaining members discussed finding a new vocalist, but in the end decided to dissolve Megadeth. This seemed to mark the end of the band's nearly twenty-year career.

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 Lee 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. This is a compilation of some of the bands greatest material.

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October 09, 2005 - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Pepsi Music Rock Festival
In 2004, Dave Mustaine said that "The System Has Failed" would be the last Megadeth record before he went as a solo artist. After the inaugural launch of Gigantour, Dave Mustaine finally made up his mind regarding the future of Megadeth.

Before playing this special version of "Coming Home", (with the song's lyrics changed from the original "I'm coming home to Arizona" to "I'm coming home to Argentina") Dave Mustaine said "I told you earlier tonight that I was gonna let all of you know first before the rest of the world what our decision was - whether or not we were gonna continue with Megadeth or not."
Immediately after the song ends, Mustaine said "The answer is yes." The crowd erupted in joy, and Megadeth started playing "Symphony Of Destruction" accompanied by the crowds screaming "Megadeth! Megadeth! Aguante Megadeth!" (loosely translated as "Megadeth! Megadeth! Keep Megadeth Alive!")

As posted on the Official Megadeth Website: "MEGADETH will continue as a band. MEGADETH will record a new album. MEGADETH will continue to play."

Dave Mustaine also mentioned that he has been working with his 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.

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), the aftermath of war (Ashes In Your Mouth), and the Israel Palestine conflict (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, 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 "Last Rites / 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".

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.