After some trepidation, I have decided to give this a whirl. Some friendly posts from guys on the Sabbath thread helped to make my mind up. As you may know, I am not great with descriptions and my reviews are on the technical side regarding song structure and guitar. I hope other participants will help me out. Also, I am not an expert on the group but I will give it my best. I will make mistakes for sure. Also, I expect to not move the thread fast due to time constraints. I will try to analyze at least one or maybe two songs from each album in detail in my typical minutiae fashion. I will do one of my favorites,(Hangar 18 etc.) and maybe more if time permits. Also, I will keep the Metallica comparisons to a minimum and hope everyone else does. I expect the participants will be a select few but it should be fun. Anyway, to quote Captain Mustaine when he walks out on stage in the Rust in Peace live DVD....."You all know why we're here right? Here we go......" A little history-Late 1981, Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield form Metallica after meeting via a newspaper ad placed by Lars. They met and decided they both wanted to form a band similar to the NWOBHN bands that they loved. After going thru some personnel changes they auditioned Dave Mustaine for lead guitar in late 1981. According to Mustaine he warmed up for about two minutes and asked Lars and James what they wanted to hear. They told him they had already decided to hire him. Apparently they had already seen him play in his current band Panic. Dave's antics with the early Metallica were legendary including dumping a beer into bass player Ron McGovney's bass. McGovney got a heck of a shock when he picked the bass up and started to play. After a while, Mustaine's antics finally started to get to the guys. McGovney finally quit due to the mayhem. There is much speculation what was the final straw for Mustaine's firing from Metallica. Mustaine claims that everyone drank and joked around and were all acting crazy at any given point. According to Mustaine, he bought a dog to "guard" his "stuff" from the other members in the band and hangers on. One night, Mustaine witnessed James Hetfield kick his dog. James claimed it was in retaliation for the dog scratching Lars car. Mustaine punched Hetfield in the face and that was the end of the line for Dave. Hetfield fired him the next morning. Dave realized he needed to carry on and formed his own band with David "Junior" Ellefson on bass, Greg Handevidt on guitar and drummer Dijon Carruthers. Dave came up with the band name based on the term "megadeath" that he saw in a religious pamphlet while on tour with Metallica in 1982. The term was first coined by a military strategist in 1953. Carruthers and Handevidt were subsequently replaced by Gar Samuelson on drums and guitar player Chris Poland. The ground work was set for what has become one of the greatest thrash metal bands in history. Megadeth is often coined as one of the "big four of thrash metal". A little technical stuff on thrash guitar playing-I have been "playing" (more like trying to semi-competently play) thrash metal for many years. Every player of the genre will tell you that the music is extremely difficult to play. For me, the toughest part is the ultra fast rhythmic work. For most players, it takes years to develop enough strength in your picking forearm to play the rhythms in a relaxed manner. Also, the chording typically requires a completely different approach. The chording in many thrash songs are power chords (dropped third) which is a staple in heavy metal such as Black Sabbath. However, the chord changes are so fast that a different technique is usually needed in order to play the rapid chord changes with little hand movement for economy. Mustaine is considered a pioneer in what is known as "spider chording" or fingering. In this case, all four fingers (excluding the thumb mostly) are used in order to jump like a spider using two fingers in unison from one chord to the next on adjacent strings in the same fret position. Chording on the same strings using only two fingers in an up and down fashion are avoided to economize movement. Typically the first and third fingers form chords together and the middle finger and pinky together are used for chording and jumps in those combinations. Check this video out where Captain Mustaine demonstrates the technique. My introduction to Megadeth was in late 1986 shortly after they released Peace Sells. I was already a fan of Metallica. A student that I was giving guitar lessons to, handed me a copy of Peace Sells. I was hooked and have been a fan since then. I tend to favor Megadeth over any other thrash band. Here is a preliminary list of what we will cover- Studio Albums Killing is my Business...and Business is Good! Peace Sells...But Who's Buying? So Far, So Good...So What! Rust in Peace Countdown to Extinction Youthanasia Cryptic Writings Risk The World Need a Hero The System Has Failed United Abominations Endgame Th1rt3en Super Collider EPs Hidden Treasures Compilations Warchest Video Countdown to Extinction Live Rust in Peace Live
Thanks. I realize this will be for a minority of folks on the forum. So, any participation will be great.
I got into Megadeth very late, but have become quite a big fan of theirs! I'll participate, though I fear my responses might be closer to "they RAWK" than what Rose River Bear brings to the table!!!
I only know their first two albums, but I'm looking forward to contribute what little I can! I discovered them in-between Killing and Peace, but then failed to keep up with them after I (in 1987) stopped listening to current metal and got into other genres.
Any participation will be appreciated. I feel like a babe in the woods on this one. I am pretty sure that Paul McCartney was in Megadeth at one point wasn't he?
My first Megadeth CD was Rust in Peace, i bought it on the release day in 1990! Later i got it autographed by all band members!
Oh yes, i'm glad to have it! What do you prefer the Remasters/Remixes 2004 or the original ones? Do you know the Mfsl version of CTE?
Dave Mustaine is a musical genius! When i first heard Megadeth i was blown away by how good the songs were. Dave probably should of hired a lead singer though! Would love some Megadeth Box sets like the King Crimson ones!
My ears are talented enough to tell the difference between remasters and non, but after getting into Megadeth with the remasters I went back and found used copies of the first four pre-remaster cd's. That said, it was the remaster of Rust in Peace that made me a fan, because it simply destroyed me and left me for dead on the side of the road!!! Classic from top to bottom!!
I'm not at all well-versed in subgenres of metal, don't know much about "thrash" and, generally, most of what constitutes metal is largely an unknown territory to me (apart from heavy and hard rock groups of the 70's), so please feel free to laugh me out of this thread - I don't mind. Having said that, I have had a soft spot for Megadeth ever since I first heard their music. My introduction was Countdown to Extinction, in 1992, after first hearing Symphony of Destruction on TV and realizing that I quite liked the song. I found Countdown - much to my surprise, it must be said - to be an excellent album throughout. Rust in Peace was another highly commendable recording and I pretty much enjoyed So Far, So Good… So What!, too. My discovering Megadeth prompted me to check out a couple of other then current metal bands, too, but none made such an impression on me as Megadeth did. As it turned out, this was not just a passing fancy - I still appreciate those albums and listen to them whenever I'm in a mood for metal. There just seems to be something in Megadeth that sets them apart from other "similar" groups; I have never been quite able to pin down what that something might be, but I hope this thread will enlighten me.
I love the first decade of Megadeth, but jumped off after Youthanasia, which did next to nothing for me. I'll be watching and possibly waffling about my favourite albums too. Thanks for taking up this one, Bear!
I prefer the original releases on Combat and such because I tend to listen to them loud. However, I have all of the remixes for obvious reasons.
It is a masterpiece in Rock music IMO. I will be detailing a couple of songs on that album along with an overall review.
Great thread, Frank, and an outstanding opening post. This is an interesting band. Traditionally regarded as #3 of the big four. IMO, if you consider the quality of the last 5 releases, they reign supreme in the metal/thrash genre. They've not only become the most prolific, they keep making really good records. Timing has not been their friend. It seems that earlier, for each great album they'd release, Metallica would release a masterpiece, or the most commercially successful record of their career. It's a shame that Metallica's "black" album diverted so much attention to "Countdown To Extinction", a phenomenal record.
Peace Sells.....and Rust, are two of the greatest metal albums, thrash or not, that have ever been created.
Getting into a band late sometimes gives interesting perspectives. For me, though I know how loved it is, Peace Sells is easily my least favorite of the original four releases. Part of that is the overplayed nature (live and on compilations) of the title track, Wake Up Dead and Devil's Island. If I had initially heard My Last Words and Bad Omen to the same degree, my feeling might be different on the album as a whole! Black Friday and The Conjuring are in the middle in terms of the fact that they are highly represented and deservedly so, both classic tracks!
Hetfield had it coming! I'd love to talk Megadeth, though I haven't heard anything they've done since Youthanasia. I respect Dave and his refusal to go quietly after his dismissal. I got into Megadeth around 7th grade after seeing a video for Peace Sells on MTV's Headbangers Ball. I love those first five Megadeth albums and still give them a spin regularly.
Thanks RRBear for starting this thread. I began my Megadeth journey soon after they released Peace Sells. I saw the video on MTV and I was hooked. I do have all of their CD's except for a couple of live albums. Maybe this thread will convince me to pick them up if they are covered.
The initial post in this thread is inaccurate concerning Dave's being fired from Metallica. That punching incident happened in California but it didn't permanently get Dave kicked out. Dave went with Metallica when they drove to New York to record what would become Kill Em All. While there, Dave was famously woken up by the rest of the band who informed him he was fired, and drove him to the bus station where he headed back to California. On that bus ride Dave says he found an advert for a politician that mentioned "the arsenal of megadeath" which is where he got the name for his band!
Big Megadeth fan here. Lots to choose from. Peace Sells...But Who's Buying: is very consistent and awesome. Rust in Peace and Countdown to Extinction: are both over rated in my opinion. Recent albums: hit and miss. Endgame is really good in my opinion. 13 is a good mix. My personal favorite is still 'The World Needs A Hero' which is probably their most dislike record, so take my opinions with a grain of salt.
