Skip to main content

MEGADETH

Image
By Dr. Sulabh Shrestha
Early Days:
After being kicked out of Metallica in 1983, guitarist Dave Mustaine started Megadeth. The original lineup included bassist David Ellefson, guitarist Kerry King and drummer Lee Rash. Shortly thereafter Kerry King left for his old band Slayer and was replaced by Chris Poland and Lee Rash was replaced by Gar Samuelson. In 1985 their debut album Killing Is My Business...And Business Is Good was released.

Thrash Titans:
The success of their debut drew the attention of major labels, and Capitol Records signed Megadeth for their second album, 1986's Peace Sells...But Who's Buying. It was huge successful, and the band was poised to battle Metallica to be the most popular thrash metal band.

Problems:
Mustaine's behavior was becoming erratic due to drug and alcohol problems. Prior to their third album he fired Poland and Samuelson, who were replaced by guitarist Jeff Young and drummer Chuck Behler. There were several more lineup changes over the years, culminating in the acrimonious exit of original member David Ellefson in 2002.

Injury and Recovery:
In 2002, Mustaine suffered a nerve injury and it was initially thought he may not be able to play guitar again. He used the downtime to remaster Megadeth's previous releases with added bonus material. Luckily he recovered and reformed the band with a new lineup to release 2004's very well received The System Has Failed. Mustaine also put together the Gigantour Festival that Megadeth headlined in the summer of 2005.

Current Megadeth Band Members:
Dave Mustaine - Vocals, guitar (Fallen Angels, Metallica, Panic, Sanctuary)Glen Drover - Guitar (Dimension Infinite, Eidolon, King Diamond)James Lomenzo - Bass (Black Label Society, White Lion)Shawn Drover - Drums (Dimension Infinite, Eidolon)

Megadeth Discography:
1985 Killing Is My Business...And Business Is Good! (Combat)
1986 Peace Sells....But Who´s Buying? (Capitol)
1988 So Far, So Good, So What? (Capitol)
1990 Rust In Peace (Capitol)
1992 Countdown To Extinction (Capitol)
1994 Youthanasia (Capitol)
1997 Cryptic Writings (Capitol)
1999 Risk (Capitol)
2000 Capitol Punishment (Capitol)
2001 The World Needs A Hero (Metal-Is)
2002 Rude Awakening (live) (Metal-Is)
2004 The System Has Failed (Sanctuary)
2005 Back To The Start: Greatest Hits (Sanctuary)
2007 United Abominations (Roadrunner)
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Henrik Klingenberg: Sonata Arctica Keyboardist

By Dr. Sulabh Shrestha
Henrik "Henkka" Klingenberg (born October 21, 1978 in Mariehamn Ã…land, Finland) is a keyboardist and singer. He joined Sonata Arctica in late 2002 and currently resides in Kokko L.A, Finland, when not on tour. Keyboardists who have influenced him include Matt Guillory, Kevin Moore, and Jon Lord. He claims that his musical inspiration is pulled from life itself. Career: Henrik plays both a keytar and a normal portable synthesizer in the bands Sonata Arctica and Silent Voices as well as being the vocalist for a Thrash/Groove Metal band called Mental Care Foundation. He has recenlty started a Melodic Death Metal side project called Graveyard Shift with his Sonata Arctica bandmate Jani Liimatainen. Before joining Sonata Arctica, he had participated in a large enough number of bands that he does not bother to list them on his bio page on the official Sonata Arctica website.
Post a Comment
Read more

TO LIVE IS TO DIE: LAST WORDS OF CLIFF BURTON

By Dr. Sulabh Shrestha
When a Man Lies He Murders Some Part of the World These Are the Pale Deaths Which Men Miscall Their Lives All this I Cannot Bear to Witness Any Longer Cannot the Kingdom of Salvation Take Me Home This song is a tribute to Metallica's bassist Cliff Burton, wh o died in a tour bus crash. It is instrumental except the spoken word piece near the end - this was a poem that Cliff wrote before he died The line, "These are the pale deaths which men miscall their lives" comes from the book Lord Foul's Bane, Book One of the series "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever" by Stephen R. Donaldson. In the book, the main character decides to write a poem to amuse himself. The full poem is as follows: These are the pale deaths which men miscall their lives: for all the scents of green things growing, each breath is but an exhalation of the grave. Bodies jerk like puppet corpses, and hell walks laughing. Metallica Singer James Hetfield explained to Moj
Post a Comment
Read more

Lars Mikael Åkerfeldt: The Backbone Of Opeth

By Dr. Sulabh Shrestha
Lars Mikael Åkerfeldt is a Swedish musician who achieved fame as the lead vocalist/lead guitarist and songwriter of progressive death metal band Opeth as well as the lead vocalist of death metal band Bloodbath. He is known for his progressive rock-influenced songwriting style and his frequent use of both clean and growled vocals. A native of Stockholm, Mikael Åkerfeldt was the vocalist for Eruption, a death metal band which he formed in 1988. After Eruption came to an end in 1990, he joined Opeth, ostensibly as a bassist. When vocalist David Isberg insisted Åkerfeldt join the band, all other members left. Isberg assumed guitar duties, and when he left Opeth two years later, Åkerfeldt replaced him as the vocalist. Åkerfeldt is a collector of obscure 1970s rock and heavy metal albums. He also tends to show his influence from these obscure bands, making reference to them in titles of Opeth songs, such as "Blackwater Park", "Still Life" and "Master
1 comment
Read more