Post #386
In the last couple years I've discovered a new favorite YouTube channel: Lost In Vegas. These guys are a couple self-described "Hip-Hop Heads", who've adopted a 'free-thinkers' approach to discovering new genres of music.
For a quick intro to their channel I'm going to highlight 3 of my favorite reactions of theirs from September to October of 2017. The first of these, Megadeth's 'Holy Wars', is one of the key reaction videos that I believe started to grow their following. Lost In Vegas, if you're out there reading this, please feel free to confirm or deny this hypothesis.
Lost In Vegas reacts to 'Holy Wars' by Megadeth From (9-15-17)...
For people new to metal music to be given this iconic song to react to early in their journey into the depths of metal, the veteran metalhead may ask (as I did), "If they think so highly of this song, what are they going to think when they hear Metallica's 'Master of Puppets'?" We'll get to that in a moment, but they had another great reaction before they got to 'Master of Puppets', and I'm talking about when they first heard Judas Priest- 'Painkiller'!
From October 6th, 2017... Lost In Vegas reacting to 'Painkiller' by Judas Priest...
And last but not least, Lost In Vegas' reaction to Metallica's 'Master of Puppets' from October 18th, 2017...
Now, these were all from about a year and a half ago, and Ryan and George have kept their youtube channel going strong, as well as adding a Patreon.com page, where they have more reaction videos beyond what they're able to post on youtube. You can follow their Twitter profile, and vote in polls they post. They have also updated their equipment so the audio on their newer reaction videos is much better. See for yourself! So if these three reactions have you entertained, by all means keep checking them out! They do reaction videos to ALL GENRES of music, not just metal, but as I'm a heavy metal reviewer, these are the ones I gravitate to...
Enjoy! And Happy Headbanging to all!
For the original music videos for each of these songs please use the following links:
Megadeth-Holy Wars... ...The Punishment Due
Judas Priest-Painkiller
Metallica-Master of Puppets
Showing posts with label Megadeth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Megadeth. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Monday, July 28, 2014
Rock USA Oshkosh, 2014, Day 2: Megadeth, Rob Zombie
Post #293
On Thursday July 17th I made a trip up to Oshkosh , WI to enjoy what Rock USA Fest had to offer. The line-up for this summer was packed with a versatile line-up of bands ranging from mainstream radio-friendly melodic rock bands like 3 Doors Down and Seether to more extreme metal acts like Megadeth and Slayer.
Unfortunately I was unable to attend the first day of this fest, but I made it for the 2nd. I was in for a treat as this evening's headliners were Megadeth followed by Rob Zombie! This would be the 4th or 5th time I've seen Megadeth, but my first time to see Rob Zombie. I was curious to see what they each would play in their concert set-list. With such a diversity of bands, and the festival format leaving each band with the same amount of performance time (1 hour) I was expecting sets focused on the bands' big hits and fan favorites. I wasn't far off.
Megadeth's set was during sunset hours; they went on at dusk, and played until just after dark. Overall Megadeth didn't play anything much different from what I've seen them play before. Again, this was more likely due to the limited set-time and the desire to appeal to a crowd that may not know more than their hits anyway. They included their biggest classics: Hangar 18, Peace Sells, Trust, and Symphony of Destruction. The one thing that I found entertaining and was a new element I had not seen them do before, is every few songs they would play a clip from a movie between songs. The movie clip always referenced the music of Megadeth. I did not recognize all the movies from which they sampled, but I know one was from one of the Wayne's World films. The one song that was new for me was from their newest album Super Collider, as they performed 'Kingmaker'
Rob Zombie was a different experience for me. I would not call Rob Zombie my favorite band or performer, or even in my top 5, top 10, top 25, or even top 50. I enjoy live music for the raw quality of it; hard-working musicians playing their instruments purely for our entertainment as fans- not as much as when the performance is mixed with a playback of recorded effects and artificial musical elements. I also enjoy hearing a band perform their original works (more than I do cover-songs, although a good cover is often worth hearing, so long as an original band doesn't go overboard on the covers.) Now, in spite of Rob Zombie being guilty of most of these shortcomings from my personal perspective, I do have to say that he did win me over with his performance! Equal credit should be given to his lead guitarist, John 5. John 5 performed an 8-minute guitar solo prior to their encore that I would honestly say was the best concert guitar solo I've witnessed since the last time I saw Eddie Van Halen... in 1998!
In spite of the crowd's inability to express their fanaticism kinetically for the music (due largely to the seating format which included row upon row of plastic lawn chairs the went right up to the stage), Rob still gave a top-notch performance as a front man, and delivered all his best-known songs (Dragula, More Human Than Human, Living Dead Girl), and several good covers (Alice Cooper's 'School's Out', Grand Funk's 'We're an American Band', and to my enthusiastic surprise, Diamond Head's metal classic 'Am I Evil?'). He even outdid himself, by virtue of being the night's headliner, by over-playing his set time by about 30 minutes. He prefaced his closing number by saying: "So we're only allowed to play until midnight... ... so we have one more song. Don't worry though, it's a 20-minute song."
In closing I will say that although Rob Zombie may not be among my favorite bands, he is certainly a formidable live performer. I will watch for him on tour in the future, and I will see him again if opportunity presents itself. I would recommend seeing Rob Zombie live in concert to even his most fair-weather of fans.
Even though I arrived too late for the performances of Hellyeah and All That Remains, I will include their setlists below for reference. I found them online at setlist.fm - an excellent, fan-contributed and edited website for documenting live performances. I would recommend this site to any concert-goer.
Rock USA Setlists from Thursday, July 17th, 2014:
HELLYEAH
-Cowboy Way
-Matter of Time
-Sangre Por Sangre (Blood for Blood)
-Drink Drank Drunk
-Cross to Bier (Cradle of Bones)
-Band of Brothers
-You Wouldn't Know
-Hellyeah!
ALL THAT REMAINS
-The Air That I Breathe
-Now Let Them Tremble
-...For We Are Many
-Some of the People, All of the Time
-What if I was Nothing?
-Asking Too Much
-Six
-Down Through the Ages
-Hold On
-The Last Time
-This Darkened Heart
-Two Weeks
MEGADETH
(Prince of Darkness -played as intro...)
-Hangar 18
-Wake Up Dead
-In My Darkest Hour
-Sweating Bullets
-Public Enemy #1
-She-Wolf
-Trust
-Kingmaker
-Symphony of Destruction
-Peace Sells
--------
-Holy Wars... the Punishment Due
ROB ZOMBIE
-Dragula
-Superbeast
-Living Dead Girl
-Dead City Radio and the New Gods of Supertown
(drum solo)
-More Human Than Human
-Sick Bubblegum
-House of 1000 Corpses
-Never Gonna Stop
-Am I Evil?
-Thunder Kiss '65
(guitar solo)
-School's Out/Thunder Kiss '65 (continued)
--------
-We're an American Band
On Thursday July 17th I made a trip up to Oshkosh , WI to enjoy what Rock USA Fest had to offer. The line-up for this summer was packed with a versatile line-up of bands ranging from mainstream radio-friendly melodic rock bands like 3 Doors Down and Seether to more extreme metal acts like Megadeth and Slayer.
Unfortunately I was unable to attend the first day of this fest, but I made it for the 2nd. I was in for a treat as this evening's headliners were Megadeth followed by Rob Zombie! This would be the 4th or 5th time I've seen Megadeth, but my first time to see Rob Zombie. I was curious to see what they each would play in their concert set-list. With such a diversity of bands, and the festival format leaving each band with the same amount of performance time (1 hour) I was expecting sets focused on the bands' big hits and fan favorites. I wasn't far off.
Megadeth's set was during sunset hours; they went on at dusk, and played until just after dark. Overall Megadeth didn't play anything much different from what I've seen them play before. Again, this was more likely due to the limited set-time and the desire to appeal to a crowd that may not know more than their hits anyway. They included their biggest classics: Hangar 18, Peace Sells, Trust, and Symphony of Destruction. The one thing that I found entertaining and was a new element I had not seen them do before, is every few songs they would play a clip from a movie between songs. The movie clip always referenced the music of Megadeth. I did not recognize all the movies from which they sampled, but I know one was from one of the Wayne's World films. The one song that was new for me was from their newest album Super Collider, as they performed 'Kingmaker'
Rob Zombie was a different experience for me. I would not call Rob Zombie my favorite band or performer, or even in my top 5, top 10, top 25, or even top 50. I enjoy live music for the raw quality of it; hard-working musicians playing their instruments purely for our entertainment as fans- not as much as when the performance is mixed with a playback of recorded effects and artificial musical elements. I also enjoy hearing a band perform their original works (more than I do cover-songs, although a good cover is often worth hearing, so long as an original band doesn't go overboard on the covers.) Now, in spite of Rob Zombie being guilty of most of these shortcomings from my personal perspective, I do have to say that he did win me over with his performance! Equal credit should be given to his lead guitarist, John 5. John 5 performed an 8-minute guitar solo prior to their encore that I would honestly say was the best concert guitar solo I've witnessed since the last time I saw Eddie Van Halen... in 1998!
In spite of the crowd's inability to express their fanaticism kinetically for the music (due largely to the seating format which included row upon row of plastic lawn chairs the went right up to the stage), Rob still gave a top-notch performance as a front man, and delivered all his best-known songs (Dragula, More Human Than Human, Living Dead Girl), and several good covers (Alice Cooper's 'School's Out', Grand Funk's 'We're an American Band', and to my enthusiastic surprise, Diamond Head's metal classic 'Am I Evil?'). He even outdid himself, by virtue of being the night's headliner, by over-playing his set time by about 30 minutes. He prefaced his closing number by saying: "So we're only allowed to play until midnight... ... so we have one more song. Don't worry though, it's a 20-minute song."
In closing I will say that although Rob Zombie may not be among my favorite bands, he is certainly a formidable live performer. I will watch for him on tour in the future, and I will see him again if opportunity presents itself. I would recommend seeing Rob Zombie live in concert to even his most fair-weather of fans.
Even though I arrived too late for the performances of Hellyeah and All That Remains, I will include their setlists below for reference. I found them online at setlist.fm - an excellent, fan-contributed and edited website for documenting live performances. I would recommend this site to any concert-goer.
Rock USA Setlists from Thursday, July 17th, 2014:
HELLYEAH
-Cowboy Way
-Matter of Time
-Sangre Por Sangre (Blood for Blood)
-Drink Drank Drunk
-Cross to Bier (Cradle of Bones)
-Band of Brothers
-You Wouldn't Know
-Hellyeah!
ALL THAT REMAINS
-The Air That I Breathe
-Now Let Them Tremble
-...For We Are Many
-Some of the People, All of the Time
-What if I was Nothing?
-Asking Too Much
-Six
-Down Through the Ages
-Hold On
-The Last Time
-This Darkened Heart
-Two Weeks
MEGADETH
(Prince of Darkness -played as intro...)
-Hangar 18
-Wake Up Dead
-In My Darkest Hour
-Sweating Bullets
-Public Enemy #1
-She-Wolf
-Trust
-Kingmaker
-Symphony of Destruction
-Peace Sells
--------
-Holy Wars... the Punishment Due
ROB ZOMBIE
-Dragula
-Superbeast
-Living Dead Girl
-Dead City Radio and the New Gods of Supertown
(drum solo)
-More Human Than Human
-Sick Bubblegum
-House of 1000 Corpses
-Never Gonna Stop
-Am I Evil?
-Thunder Kiss '65
(guitar solo)
-School's Out/Thunder Kiss '65 (continued)
--------
-We're an American Band
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Heavy Metal Madness: Elite Eight Summary, Pt.1
Post # 218
In Heavy Metal Madness 2012, the FINAL FOUR is just around the corner! Last month the first half of the Elite Eight was decided, and the second half is currently open for voting. Two more excellent bands were eliminated as two others punched their ticket to the Final Four...
The Classic Metal/Thrash bracket had come down to Metallica and Megadeth. Is it poetic, that Metallica- perhaps the most iconic band from the 80's thrash-metal scene, and Megadeth- the band founded by original Metallica guitarist, Dave Mustaine, clash once again for bragging rights in this tournament? It may have been a golden opportunity for payback for Megadeth, but it wasn't in the cards, at least not this year. Metallica won a decisive victory 20-15.
In the Hardcore/Metalcore bracket, a different story had unraveled, as many projected favorites had been slowly eliminated, sometimes by surprising upsets, as each round progressed to the next. It was down to Disturbed and System of a Down. Disturbed looked poised to make the Final Four, after eliminating a formidable opponent in Avenged Sevenfold. System of a Down had become something of a giant-killer, eliminating the likes of Korn and Tool by close margins. This time System of a Down pulled out a close match, again! Final vote tally: System of a Down 17, Disturbed 14.
Once again, I honor the fallen bands with a selected song from each...
Megadeth-Sweating Bullets
Disturbed-Inside the Fire
Keep voting! We'll who the next 2 bands to reach the Final Four will be next month...
Saturday, October 20, 2012
GIGANTOUR 2012: Lacuna Coil, Volbeat, Motorhead, Megadeth
Post # 217
On February 12, 2012, it was time to hit the road for another great rock n' roll/heavy metal show... Our destination this time: Milwaukee's Rave/Eagles Club for Megadeth's GIGANTOUR!
We were cutting it a little close for our arrival time, rushing into the venue as we heard music blaring already. Lacuna Coil had already taken the stage! We arrived in the actual music hall in time to catch most of their set. My favorite part of their set came between Fragile and Kill the Light, as Cristina looked up the the lighting tech-booth and said, "I think it's time we Kill the Light..." She likes making plays on the words of their song titles. I thought it was clever, and the song was awesome!
Lacuna Coil delivered an excellent set, culminating with their hit 'Spellbound' from their Shallow Life album a couple years ago. During the intermission, we edged our way in a little closer, and segments of the crowd shifted either for drinks or the rest rooms. We agreed to repeat this practice between each band through the evening to see how close we could get by the time Megadeth came on.
But next up was Volbeat! From Denmark, Volbeat are a metal band not quite like any other. They are heavy, sure, but they blend in a lot of old-school rock n' roll (almost the likes of Elvis Presley), resulting in a heavy, melodic, and catchy style of metal that's almost impossible not to dig. Currently they are getting a lot of air-play on hard rock radio with their hit 'A Warrior's Call'.
It may be no surprise, then, to hear that they opened with that very song. The opening lyric, "Let's get ready to rumble!!" almost made it feel like we were at a WWF event, but the music was much louder and heavier! Volbeat had it cranked up pretty loud, and their choice of songs displayed their versatility. Their softer side came across best on the tune 'Fallen', which has since become a frequent radio hit for them as well. Check that one out if you haven't... it's a great song!
Just as they were about to wrap things up, in the middle of their last song, they broke into the main riff from Slayer's 'Raining Blood'. So the crowd whipped back up into a true frenzy just as they closed their set. Now we were totally amped for Motorhead...
During the intermission, my buddy and I again crept slightly closer to the stage. Better view, more centrally located within the venue, alright!
Motorhead came out to the stage in a nonchalant sort of mood. Lemmy Kilmister simply walked up to the mic and asked if we were ready for some rock and roll. Then he let us have it, Motorhead were off and rolling... or perhaps rumbling is the better word. Drummer Mickey Dee was like a machine, driving the locomotor-sized engine of the rock'n'roll-meets-metal beast that is Motorhead. Their set was mostly composed of older songs that are fan-favorites, but they did play 'I Know How To Die' from their most recent album, The World Is Yours.
Lemmy was the classic business-like front man, keeping any intros between songs very short in favor of getting to the music quickly. The only down side may be that their set flew by pretty quickly, with the exception of Mickey's drum solo. They closed with two of their best-known songs, 'Ace of Spades' and 'Overkill' before leaving us to gather out breath for Megadeth...
Megadeth took the stage to near-deafening cheers. By this point we had secured a spot on the floor much closer to the stage. We braced for some furious thrash-metal... and once the drums started to thunder, indicating the beginning of the first song, 'Trust', we became engulfed in a throng of moshers. The mosh pit had started in earnest now, and we to a few minutes to fight our war into a spot to stand. Cramped and sweating with the raw energy, we locked in and pumped our fists to some of Megadeth's classics, like 'Hangar 18' and 'Wake Up Dead'.
Unlike the last time I saw Megadeth, back on American Carnage, this time they mixed up their set with several of their more melodic-metal songs. As the opportunity was here, Dave Mustaine invited Cristina Scabbia to join him to sing the duet-version of 'A Tout Le Monde'. The more obscure song 'Foreclosure of a Dream' was played as well. They also performed a string of 3 tracks from their new album 13 before closing with the encores 'Peace Sells' and 'Holy Wars'.
What an incredible night of metal mayhem!
The set lists for each band were...
Lacuna Coil
-Our Truth
-Upsidedown
-Fragile
-Kill the Light
-Trip The Darkness
-Spellbound
VolBeat
-A Warrior's Call
-Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood
-The Human Instrument
-Sad Man's Tongue
-Hallelujah Goat
-Who They Are
-Fallen
-The Mirror and the Ripper
-Pool of Booze, Booze, Booza
-Still Counting (Raining Blood)
Motorhead
-Bomber
-Damaged Case
-I Know How To Die
-Stay Clean
-Over The Top
-The Chase is Better Than the Catch
-The One to Sing the Blues
-Going to Brazil
-Killed by Death
-Ace of Spades
-Overkill
Megadeth
-Trust
-Wake Up Dead
-A Tout Le Monde (w/ Cristina Scabbia)
-Hangar 18
-She-Wolf
-Foreclosure of a Dream
-Dawn Patrol
-Poison Was The Cure
-Head Crusher
-Public Enemy No.1
-Who's Life (Is It Anyway?)
-Guns, Drugs, and Money
-Symphony of Destruction
-Peace Sells
-Holy Wars... The Punishment Due
On February 12, 2012, it was time to hit the road for another great rock n' roll/heavy metal show... Our destination this time: Milwaukee's Rave/Eagles Club for Megadeth's GIGANTOUR!
We were cutting it a little close for our arrival time, rushing into the venue as we heard music blaring already. Lacuna Coil had already taken the stage! We arrived in the actual music hall in time to catch most of their set. My favorite part of their set came between Fragile and Kill the Light, as Cristina looked up the the lighting tech-booth and said, "I think it's time we Kill the Light..." She likes making plays on the words of their song titles. I thought it was clever, and the song was awesome!
Lacuna Coil delivered an excellent set, culminating with their hit 'Spellbound' from their Shallow Life album a couple years ago. During the intermission, we edged our way in a little closer, and segments of the crowd shifted either for drinks or the rest rooms. We agreed to repeat this practice between each band through the evening to see how close we could get by the time Megadeth came on.
But next up was Volbeat! From Denmark, Volbeat are a metal band not quite like any other. They are heavy, sure, but they blend in a lot of old-school rock n' roll (almost the likes of Elvis Presley), resulting in a heavy, melodic, and catchy style of metal that's almost impossible not to dig. Currently they are getting a lot of air-play on hard rock radio with their hit 'A Warrior's Call'.
It may be no surprise, then, to hear that they opened with that very song. The opening lyric, "Let's get ready to rumble!!" almost made it feel like we were at a WWF event, but the music was much louder and heavier! Volbeat had it cranked up pretty loud, and their choice of songs displayed their versatility. Their softer side came across best on the tune 'Fallen', which has since become a frequent radio hit for them as well. Check that one out if you haven't... it's a great song!
Just as they were about to wrap things up, in the middle of their last song, they broke into the main riff from Slayer's 'Raining Blood'. So the crowd whipped back up into a true frenzy just as they closed their set. Now we were totally amped for Motorhead...
During the intermission, my buddy and I again crept slightly closer to the stage. Better view, more centrally located within the venue, alright!
Motorhead came out to the stage in a nonchalant sort of mood. Lemmy Kilmister simply walked up to the mic and asked if we were ready for some rock and roll. Then he let us have it, Motorhead were off and rolling... or perhaps rumbling is the better word. Drummer Mickey Dee was like a machine, driving the locomotor-sized engine of the rock'n'roll-meets-metal beast that is Motorhead. Their set was mostly composed of older songs that are fan-favorites, but they did play 'I Know How To Die' from their most recent album, The World Is Yours.
Lemmy was the classic business-like front man, keeping any intros between songs very short in favor of getting to the music quickly. The only down side may be that their set flew by pretty quickly, with the exception of Mickey's drum solo. They closed with two of their best-known songs, 'Ace of Spades' and 'Overkill' before leaving us to gather out breath for Megadeth...
Megadeth took the stage to near-deafening cheers. By this point we had secured a spot on the floor much closer to the stage. We braced for some furious thrash-metal... and once the drums started to thunder, indicating the beginning of the first song, 'Trust', we became engulfed in a throng of moshers. The mosh pit had started in earnest now, and we to a few minutes to fight our war into a spot to stand. Cramped and sweating with the raw energy, we locked in and pumped our fists to some of Megadeth's classics, like 'Hangar 18' and 'Wake Up Dead'.
What an incredible night of metal mayhem!
The set lists for each band were...
Lacuna Coil
-Our Truth
-Upsidedown
-Fragile
-Kill the Light
-Trip The Darkness
-Spellbound
VolBeat
-A Warrior's Call
-Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood
-The Human Instrument
-Sad Man's Tongue
-Hallelujah Goat
-Who They Are
-Fallen
-The Mirror and the Ripper
-Pool of Booze, Booze, Booza
-Still Counting (Raining Blood)
Motorhead
-Bomber
-Damaged Case
-I Know How To Die
-Stay Clean
-Over The Top
-The Chase is Better Than the Catch
-The One to Sing the Blues
-Going to Brazil
-Killed by Death
-Ace of Spades
-Overkill
Megadeth
-Trust
-Wake Up Dead
-A Tout Le Monde (w/ Cristina Scabbia)
-Hangar 18
-She-Wolf
-Foreclosure of a Dream
-Dawn Patrol
-Poison Was The Cure
-Head Crusher
-Public Enemy No.1
-Who's Life (Is It Anyway?)
-Guns, Drugs, and Money
-Symphony of Destruction
-Peace Sells
-Holy Wars... The Punishment Due
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Megadeth- Th1rt3en
Post #213
Megadeth. In all practicality, they are perhaps my favorite metal band. They are certainly one of the bands I review most frequently, if you've been following this blog, and with their newest release, Th1rt3en, they give me 13 more reasons to affirm that opinion. In fact, I've probably been playing this album more thoroughly than I've played any Megadeth album since Rust In Peace. If you've been reading my Megadeth posts since the inception of this blog, then you know that's saying a lot!
Th1rt3en is an album that maintains a balance of rhythmic and melodic elements like the band used to do back in the mid 90's. One reason for this familiar vibe is that a couple of the songs were actually written back in that era, but never were selected for an album until now. Die-hard Megadeth fans will recognize these songs since they have appeared as bonus tracks on the Megadeth remasters as 'previously unreleased demos'.
In spite of the fact that almost a fourth of this album's songs were refined from previous demos or B-sides, the way they're interspersed amongst the new material yields an impressive final product. Several of the new songs fit in well with Megadeth's recent work, as Dave Mustaine keeps his unyielding attitude and politically critical tongue focused on more current events. This time around, Dave seems to get this out of his system relatively quickly, as most of these politically-themed songs appear on the first half of the record. Other songs are based on more neutral themes you can bang your head to, even if you haven't been reading the headlines. In both cases, the songs are driven by powerful and intricate riffs; ranging from slow, methodical classic-metal to the ripping and shredding of traditional thrash.
Th1rt3en sees Megadeth literally fusing pieces of their past with the present. This fact is also relevant in the band's line-up, as former bassist David Ellefson returned to Megadeth prior to recording this album. Some of those songs that are reworked demos even list former band members Marty Friedman and Nick Menza as co-writers. However, I shouldn't take away any credit from the newer members: guitarist Chris Broderick, and drummer Shaun Drover, who both execute this collection of technical thrash metal with the utmost perfection that Megadeth have become known for.
Now comes the hard part: picking songs to recommend from Th1rt3en, and narrowing it down to the best of the best... I must reiterate: this is probably the best album Megadeth have done since Rust In Peace. It simply keeps growing on me each time I listen to it. It'll be hard not to recommend the whole album, but still, I will try. Be prepared for a long list...
-Sudden Death (OK, originally this song appeared in the Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock game. Dave said he wanted to write a song that "Challenged the limits of guitar-playing." Fast riffs and furious soloing ensues...)
-Public Enemy No. 1 (My first taste of this song was when Megadeth played it live at Mayhem Fest, before the album's release. It's been a favorite of mine ever since.)
-Never Dead
-New World Order (This one was previously available as a demo/bonus track on the remastered version of Youthanasia. It has one of those unique riffs that Mustaine is known for. Great, heavy tune.)
-Fast Lane (You might guess, with the word 'Fast' being in the title, that this is one of the faster selections from this album. You would be correct! A true highlight.)
-Black Swan (Another song that had already been out there... as a 'pre-order' bonus track on United Abominations. Here it becomes available to everyone, and it deserves high marks. Catchy, killer riffs and lead guitars.)
-Millennium of the Blind (Again, a previous version of this song was on the remastered Youthanasia, but it was only half as long, and didn't contain most of the lyrics found here in this 'complete' version. Dave has truly polished this one into a fine gem of melodic heavy metal!)
-13 (Like he once did with the song 'Victory', back in '94, Dave again gives us an auto-biographic song. This one sets a new standard. More melodic in parts, but at the same time dark and heavy.)
Megadeth. In all practicality, they are perhaps my favorite metal band. They are certainly one of the bands I review most frequently, if you've been following this blog, and with their newest release, Th1rt3en, they give me 13 more reasons to affirm that opinion. In fact, I've probably been playing this album more thoroughly than I've played any Megadeth album since Rust In Peace. If you've been reading my Megadeth posts since the inception of this blog, then you know that's saying a lot!
In spite of the fact that almost a fourth of this album's songs were refined from previous demos or B-sides, the way they're interspersed amongst the new material yields an impressive final product. Several of the new songs fit in well with Megadeth's recent work, as Dave Mustaine keeps his unyielding attitude and politically critical tongue focused on more current events. This time around, Dave seems to get this out of his system relatively quickly, as most of these politically-themed songs appear on the first half of the record. Other songs are based on more neutral themes you can bang your head to, even if you haven't been reading the headlines. In both cases, the songs are driven by powerful and intricate riffs; ranging from slow, methodical classic-metal to the ripping and shredding of traditional thrash.
Th1rt3en sees Megadeth literally fusing pieces of their past with the present. This fact is also relevant in the band's line-up, as former bassist David Ellefson returned to Megadeth prior to recording this album. Some of those songs that are reworked demos even list former band members Marty Friedman and Nick Menza as co-writers. However, I shouldn't take away any credit from the newer members: guitarist Chris Broderick, and drummer Shaun Drover, who both execute this collection of technical thrash metal with the utmost perfection that Megadeth have become known for.
Now comes the hard part: picking songs to recommend from Th1rt3en, and narrowing it down to the best of the best... I must reiterate: this is probably the best album Megadeth have done since Rust In Peace. It simply keeps growing on me each time I listen to it. It'll be hard not to recommend the whole album, but still, I will try. Be prepared for a long list...
-Sudden Death (OK, originally this song appeared in the Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock game. Dave said he wanted to write a song that "Challenged the limits of guitar-playing." Fast riffs and furious soloing ensues...)
-Public Enemy No. 1 (My first taste of this song was when Megadeth played it live at Mayhem Fest, before the album's release. It's been a favorite of mine ever since.)
-Never Dead
-New World Order (This one was previously available as a demo/bonus track on the remastered version of Youthanasia. It has one of those unique riffs that Mustaine is known for. Great, heavy tune.)
-Fast Lane (You might guess, with the word 'Fast' being in the title, that this is one of the faster selections from this album. You would be correct! A true highlight.)
-Black Swan (Another song that had already been out there... as a 'pre-order' bonus track on United Abominations. Here it becomes available to everyone, and it deserves high marks. Catchy, killer riffs and lead guitars.)
-Millennium of the Blind (Again, a previous version of this song was on the remastered Youthanasia, but it was only half as long, and didn't contain most of the lyrics found here in this 'complete' version. Dave has truly polished this one into a fine gem of melodic heavy metal!)
-13 (Like he once did with the song 'Victory', back in '94, Dave again gives us an auto-biographic song. This one sets a new standard. More melodic in parts, but at the same time dark and heavy.)
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Heavy Metal Madness: Sweet Sixteen Summary, Part 1
Post #211
In mid-August, another round of polling closed and your votes have determined who won and who lost in the first half of the Sweet Sixteen of Heavy Metal Madness! It was exciting to see the results unfold, as once again there were upsets, and close matches that came down to the last couple votes on the last day of polling.
In the Classic Metal/Thrash Block:
METALLICA beat IRON MAIDEN 27-22,
and MEGADETH came from behind to beat JUDAS PRIEST 27-25.
While in the Hardcore/Metalcore Block:
TOOL failed to hang onto their lead in the last day of voting as they lost to SYSTEM OF A DOWN 23-26,
and DISTURBED pulled a dominating upset against AVENGED SEVENFOLD 26-18!
Don't miss your chance to vote in the next round!
Now, the recommended songs for those bands now eliminated:
Iron Maiden-2 Minutes To Midnight
Judas Priest-Painkiller
Tool-Schism
Avenged Sevenfold-Welcome to the Family
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Heavy Metal Madness: Second Round Summary, part 2!
Post #208
Back on July 20th, the Heavy Metal Madness 2012 Tournament officially reached the 'Sweet Sixteen', as 8 more bands were eliminated as the second round polls closed. The results for last month's voting were as follows...Megadeth beat Motorhead 25-11,
Judas Priest upset the #2 seed Slayer 21-14,
Nirvana beat Rob Zombie 21-15,
Alice In Chains dominated Lacuna Coil 30-7,
AC/DC beat Queen 23-14,
Led Zeppelin edged out a close match with Ozzy Osbourne 20-17,
Tool came from behind to beat Bullet for My Valentine 23-12,
and System of a Down won a close match with Korn 18-15.
With these results in the bag, it is now on to the Sweet Sixteen! The first half of this round is now open for voting through August 19th. Cast your votes in the right hand column before then. >>>>>>>>
Now let's reflect a moment on the bands who were just eliminated. Here's a recommended song from each of them:
Motorhead-Overkill
Slayer-South of Heaven
Rob Zombie-American Witch
Lacuna Coil-Trip the Darkness
Queen-Bohemian Rhapsody
Ozzy Osbourne-No More Tears
Bullet for My Valentine-Scream, Aim, Fire
Korn-Another Brick in the Wall
Until the next round summary... Happy Headbanging!
Remember to keep voting....
Sunday, May 27, 2012
MAYHEM FEST 2011!!! (8-5-11)
Post #197
In the summer of 2011 I attended Mayhem Fest for the second time. This time around it featured...
On the rotating Jegermeister and Rock Star Energy Drink stages: Kingdom of Sorrow, Suicide Silence, Unearth, Athiarchists, and Hatebreed.
And on the MAIN STAGE: Machine Head, Megadeth, Godsmack, and Disturbed
This year, I was lucky enough to receive a fan package as a birthday gift: 4 lawn tix, a T-shirt, bottle opener and arm-band! Totally hyped for this great line-up of bands, I called on some close friends to join me for some Mayhem...
We got there in good enough time, perhaps missing the first couple opening bands on the 2nd and 3rd stages, but still as early as I've ever arrived for an all-day metal fest. The first band we truly got to see on this day was Suicide Silence. They were intense; filling the air with shredding riffs, and screech/scream vocals. Essentially delivering on their hardcore/death metal sound.
Next up was Unearth. These guys were considerably less death-metal, more hard-core. Personally I liked them much better than Suicide Silence. The main thing was that the 4 of us were having a good time, and enjoying some metal music. Unearth were more of a straigh-forward, hardcore/metalcore band. Not too much shrieking, not very 'deathy' vocals, just hard-core power-screams, and of course, plenty of up-tempo heavy riffs! Before their set finished, a couple of their guitarists got on top of the tour bus and shredded some headbanging riffs up there.
Flip back to the other stage, and another band had began to warm up... or were they playing already? It didn't appear so, as there were only 2 guys on stage (maybe three if you count the roadie hauling some equipment around). We edged closer to see better what they were doing... On-stage were two scruffy looking dudes, jamming the hell away on guitar and drums. A banner with their name 'The AtheiArchists' hung in the background, and as the guitarist began singing some hardcore vocals, we assumed they had already begun their set. We didn't quite know what to think of them... We're they trying to be a super-fast, and super-heavy version of The White Stripes? During one numbed they started insulting and teasing each other, rousing some laughs from the crowd. Without a doubt, by the end of their set we gave them an 'A' for effort! They even closed with a cover of Slayer's 'Raining Blood'. If you look them up online you may find videos of them playing death-metal to rush-hour traffic out the side of their U-Haul-converted-to-stage vehicle.
Before I forget to mention it, during the entire afternoon of 2nd stage performers, there was a troop of stunt-motorcycle riders doing fancy jumps in the parking lot for entertainment. I believe they were called the Metal Mullitia. Pretty cool stuff!
Last act for the 2nd stage was Hatebreed. These guys were true to form: straight up, hardcore metal! They delivered plenty of killer riffs and hard-edged screaming vocals. I did catch a title for one of their brand-new songs, ' ', but beyond that, I am still not very familiar with Hatebreed's back-catalog. My group of friends and I decided after a song or two, to begin heading toward the lawn to get a good view of the main-stage. We were all much more hyped up for all the big-name acts!
This was my first time ever seeing Machine Head, but one of my buddies had seen them once before. We were both anxious to hear some of their new stuff from their Unto The Locust album. They came out and got the crowd going with a couple of their classic songs. Then they spoke to the crowd a bit to see who had been to a Machine Head show before, and who was seeing them for the first time. Only one of our group had been to a Machine Head show before, so the rest of us were being initiated. Then they mentioned their new album was just out, and gave us their performance of the title-track 'Locust'. It was a killer track, and featured a breakdown section with an eerie sounding guitar solo. Perhaps meant to imitate the sound of a plague of insects munching through that summer's crops...
That song was pretty long, and they only had time for 2 more songs before their set time was up. Then we prepared for the next course... Megadeth!
Megadeth had some t-shirt for sale at this show proclaiming it the 25th anniversary of Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? So I wondered if perhaps they were going to try to play the whole album. But on a huge fest like this, all the bands have shorter set-times, except perhaps the headliner, so they didn't play the complete Peace Sells.. They did feature the two most memorable songs from that album, 'Wake Up Dead' and 'Peace Sells' in their set. Otherwise they delivered a good mix of new and old tracks, plus they unveiled a new track from their new album Th1rt3en (which was released a couple months later), 'Public Enemy Number One'.
Next came Godsmack. By comparison to many of the other bands, they were perhaps not as heavy, but they came to win us over with music. Their lead singer, Sully Erna, walked onto the stage and said as much, saying they left out the pyro and fancy effects in favor of delivering a great rock n' roll show.
True to their word, Godsmack had the crowd rockin' with some of the best selections from their music catalog. The best part of their set had to be the drum solo/dual where drummer Shannon Larkin kept us entertained while a 2nd drum set was wheeled onto the stage, and Sully himself put down his guitar to do some drumming of his own! Toward the end of the drum battle, the rest of the band came back to the stage and commenced to jam on some classic rock and metal riffs, part of which included Black Sabbath's 'War Pigs', where the crowd sang the lyrics as the band played.
Last up was Disturbed, and they had a tough act to follow! Their stage included a huge video back-drop. During the intro, 'Remnants', the video played an interesting short-film, where David Draiman was catatonic. head-trippy images flashed intermittently between scenes of Draiman on a stretcher. At one point, on the film, David regained consciousness, just in time to run onto the stage to begin singing 'Asylum'. Disturbed had opened their set, and hit the ground running.
While the video screen kept playing different imagery during the show, the band pretty much kept jamming out their songs. They delivered on top-notch performances of the songs, but were a bit limited in their showmanship, largely due to their stage set. It was quite different from Godsmack's approach, but the metal was still enjoyable. Mayhem had been thoroughly enjoyed!
Now, as usual, I leave you with the set lists from my favorite acts from this show...
Sets for Main Stage:
MACHINE HEAD
-Imperium
-Beautiful Mourning
-Locust
-Asthetics of Hate
-Halo
MEGADETH
-Trust
-Hangar 18
-Wake Up Dead
-Sweating Bullets
-Head Crusher
-Public Enemy Number One
-Symphony of Destruction
-Peace Sells
-Holy Wars...
GODSMACK
-Cryin' Like a Bitch
-The Enemy
-Forever Shamed
-Straight Out of Line
-Awake
-Speak
-Love-Hate-Sex-Pain
-Voodoo
-Drum Dual
-Whatever
-I Stand Alone
DISTURBED
-Remnants
-Asylum
-The Game
-Prayer
-Liberate
-The Animal
-Inside the Fire
-Warrior
-(Sickness Medley) Fear/Meaning of Life/Numb/Voices
-Another Way to Die
-Stupefy
-10,000 Fists
-Indestructible
-Down With the Sickness
In the summer of 2011 I attended Mayhem Fest for the second time. This time around it featured...
On the rotating Jegermeister and Rock Star Energy Drink stages: Kingdom of Sorrow, Suicide Silence, Unearth, Athiarchists, and Hatebreed.
And on the MAIN STAGE: Machine Head, Megadeth, Godsmack, and Disturbed
This year, I was lucky enough to receive a fan package as a birthday gift: 4 lawn tix, a T-shirt, bottle opener and arm-band! Totally hyped for this great line-up of bands, I called on some close friends to join me for some Mayhem...
We got there in good enough time, perhaps missing the first couple opening bands on the 2nd and 3rd stages, but still as early as I've ever arrived for an all-day metal fest. The first band we truly got to see on this day was Suicide Silence. They were intense; filling the air with shredding riffs, and screech/scream vocals. Essentially delivering on their hardcore/death metal sound.
Next up was Unearth. These guys were considerably less death-metal, more hard-core. Personally I liked them much better than Suicide Silence. The main thing was that the 4 of us were having a good time, and enjoying some metal music. Unearth were more of a straigh-forward, hardcore/metalcore band. Not too much shrieking, not very 'deathy' vocals, just hard-core power-screams, and of course, plenty of up-tempo heavy riffs! Before their set finished, a couple of their guitarists got on top of the tour bus and shredded some headbanging riffs up there.
Flip back to the other stage, and another band had began to warm up... or were they playing already? It didn't appear so, as there were only 2 guys on stage (maybe three if you count the roadie hauling some equipment around). We edged closer to see better what they were doing... On-stage were two scruffy looking dudes, jamming the hell away on guitar and drums. A banner with their name 'The AtheiArchists' hung in the background, and as the guitarist began singing some hardcore vocals, we assumed they had already begun their set. We didn't quite know what to think of them... We're they trying to be a super-fast, and super-heavy version of The White Stripes? During one numbed they started insulting and teasing each other, rousing some laughs from the crowd. Without a doubt, by the end of their set we gave them an 'A' for effort! They even closed with a cover of Slayer's 'Raining Blood'. If you look them up online you may find videos of them playing death-metal to rush-hour traffic out the side of their U-Haul-converted-to-stage vehicle.
Before I forget to mention it, during the entire afternoon of 2nd stage performers, there was a troop of stunt-motorcycle riders doing fancy jumps in the parking lot for entertainment. I believe they were called the Metal Mullitia. Pretty cool stuff!
Last act for the 2nd stage was Hatebreed. These guys were true to form: straight up, hardcore metal! They delivered plenty of killer riffs and hard-edged screaming vocals. I did catch a title for one of their brand-new songs, ' ', but beyond that, I am still not very familiar with Hatebreed's back-catalog. My group of friends and I decided after a song or two, to begin heading toward the lawn to get a good view of the main-stage. We were all much more hyped up for all the big-name acts!
This was my first time ever seeing Machine Head, but one of my buddies had seen them once before. We were both anxious to hear some of their new stuff from their Unto The Locust album. They came out and got the crowd going with a couple of their classic songs. Then they spoke to the crowd a bit to see who had been to a Machine Head show before, and who was seeing them for the first time. Only one of our group had been to a Machine Head show before, so the rest of us were being initiated. Then they mentioned their new album was just out, and gave us their performance of the title-track 'Locust'. It was a killer track, and featured a breakdown section with an eerie sounding guitar solo. Perhaps meant to imitate the sound of a plague of insects munching through that summer's crops...
That song was pretty long, and they only had time for 2 more songs before their set time was up. Then we prepared for the next course... Megadeth!
Megadeth had some t-shirt for sale at this show proclaiming it the 25th anniversary of Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? So I wondered if perhaps they were going to try to play the whole album. But on a huge fest like this, all the bands have shorter set-times, except perhaps the headliner, so they didn't play the complete Peace Sells.. They did feature the two most memorable songs from that album, 'Wake Up Dead' and 'Peace Sells' in their set. Otherwise they delivered a good mix of new and old tracks, plus they unveiled a new track from their new album Th1rt3en (which was released a couple months later), 'Public Enemy Number One'.
Next came Godsmack. By comparison to many of the other bands, they were perhaps not as heavy, but they came to win us over with music. Their lead singer, Sully Erna, walked onto the stage and said as much, saying they left out the pyro and fancy effects in favor of delivering a great rock n' roll show.
Last up was Disturbed, and they had a tough act to follow! Their stage included a huge video back-drop. During the intro, 'Remnants', the video played an interesting short-film, where David Draiman was catatonic. head-trippy images flashed intermittently between scenes of Draiman on a stretcher. At one point, on the film, David regained consciousness, just in time to run onto the stage to begin singing 'Asylum'. Disturbed had opened their set, and hit the ground running.
While the video screen kept playing different imagery during the show, the band pretty much kept jamming out their songs. They delivered on top-notch performances of the songs, but were a bit limited in their showmanship, largely due to their stage set. It was quite different from Godsmack's approach, but the metal was still enjoyable. Mayhem had been thoroughly enjoyed!
Now, as usual, I leave you with the set lists from my favorite acts from this show...
Sets for Main Stage:
MACHINE HEAD
-Imperium
-Beautiful Mourning
-Locust
-Asthetics of Hate
-Halo
MEGADETH
-Trust
-Hangar 18
-Wake Up Dead
-Sweating Bullets
-Head Crusher
-Public Enemy Number One
-Symphony of Destruction
-Peace Sells
-Holy Wars...
GODSMACK
-Cryin' Like a Bitch
-The Enemy
-Forever Shamed
-Straight Out of Line
-Awake
-Speak
-Love-Hate-Sex-Pain
-Voodoo
-Drum Dual
-Whatever
-I Stand Alone
DISTURBED
-Remnants
-Asylum
-The Game
-Prayer
-Liberate
-The Animal
-Inside the Fire
-Warrior
-(Sickness Medley) Fear/Meaning of Life/Numb/Voices
-Another Way to Die
-Stupefy
-10,000 Fists
-Indestructible
-Down With the Sickness
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
HEAVY METAL MADNESS: First Round Summary, Part 3
Post #193
The March-April segment of the ongoing Heavy Metal Madness tournament again featured some exciting match-ups between some of the best bands in rock and metal music. While some heavily favored bands went on to comfortable victories, there were a couple surprises. Let me summarize the upsets first, then I'll give the full list of results.
In the #8 vs #9 match of the Alternative/Punk/Gothic Metal block, Rob Zombie (#9) pulled off the upset over Godsmack (#8) by the narrow margin of 35-29. In a bigger surprise, the #13 seed Lacuna Coil upset #4 Green Day in dominant fashion, doubling the vote-count 42-21!
The remaining results for this block were as follows:
Nirvana (#1) topped Stone Temple Pilots (#16) 48-19.
Alice In Chains (#5) beat Faith No More (#12) 50-12.
Meanwhile, in the Classic Metal/Thrash/Progressive Metal block, the results were a little more predictable, as each favored seed advanced.
Motorhead (#6) beat Dream Theater (#11) 42-18.
Megadeth (#3) dominated Testament (#14) 59-5.
Judas Priest (#7) beat Sepultura (#10) 52-11.
Slayer (#2) comfortably eliminated Exodus (#15) 53-8.
Vote results have been steady over the first 3 months of this contest. I hope this pattern can continue over the summer. Keep the votes coming! Keep sharing this blog and the polling contest with your friends and on your favorite social networks...
Now some recommended songs from those bands eliminated last month:
Stone Temple Pilots-Plush
Godsmack-Shine Down
Faith No More-Epic
Green Day-American Idiot
Dream Theater-Pull Me Under
Testament-Three Days In Darkness
Sepultura-Roots Bloody Roots
Exodus-Toxic Waltz
The March-April segment of the ongoing Heavy Metal Madness tournament again featured some exciting match-ups between some of the best bands in rock and metal music. While some heavily favored bands went on to comfortable victories, there were a couple surprises. Let me summarize the upsets first, then I'll give the full list of results.
In the #8 vs #9 match of the Alternative/Punk/Gothic Metal block, Rob Zombie (#9) pulled off the upset over Godsmack (#8) by the narrow margin of 35-29. In a bigger surprise, the #13 seed Lacuna Coil upset #4 Green Day in dominant fashion, doubling the vote-count 42-21!
The remaining results for this block were as follows:
Nirvana (#1) topped Stone Temple Pilots (#16) 48-19.
Alice In Chains (#5) beat Faith No More (#12) 50-12.
Meanwhile, in the Classic Metal/Thrash/Progressive Metal block, the results were a little more predictable, as each favored seed advanced.
Motorhead (#6) beat Dream Theater (#11) 42-18.
Megadeth (#3) dominated Testament (#14) 59-5.
Judas Priest (#7) beat Sepultura (#10) 52-11.
Slayer (#2) comfortably eliminated Exodus (#15) 53-8.
Vote results have been steady over the first 3 months of this contest. I hope this pattern can continue over the summer. Keep the votes coming! Keep sharing this blog and the polling contest with your friends and on your favorite social networks...
Now some recommended songs from those bands eliminated last month:
Stone Temple Pilots-Plush
Godsmack-Shine Down
Faith No More-Epic
Green Day-American Idiot
Dream Theater-Pull Me Under
Testament-Three Days In Darkness
Sepultura-Roots Bloody Roots
Exodus-Toxic Waltz
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Books That Rock: "MUSTAINE"
Post # 192
Last year the legendary Dave Mustaine released his autobiography, Mustaine, with Joe Layden. Given the folklore behind Dave's life, with the time he spent as a member of Metallica, to his controversial exit from that band, to success and struggles with his own band, Megadeth, this promised to be a very captivating read for any die-hard heavy metal fan. After reading it myself, I have to say it exceeded all my expectations! Not only do you glean a better understanding of how Dave has persevered through the turmoil of substance abuse, and phases of instability with his band's line-up, but you also get a glimpse into his childhood, teenage years, and the primordial stage of Metallica in the early 80's.
What really went down on the long road-trip from San Francisco to New York that led to Dave's ouster from Metallica? What artists and musicians were Dave's inspiration to pursue a career in heavy metal music? What was his family life like? What was the real reason behind the firing of Chris Poland and Gar Samuelson? Who's decision was it for Megadeth to push for a more popular sound in the 90's? Has Dave made amends with any of his numerous former band-mates? What was Megadeth's best-selling album? Who prevented Megadeth from earning a #1 Billboard album? Will Mustaine ever record music with Hetfield and Ulrich again? Is Dave really clean and sober today? If you want the answers to these questions and more, all you have to do is read MUSTAINE. The book will not disappoint!
True, there are several rock stars who have had many ups and downs, but in Dave's life the ups are pretty high, and the downs are pretty severe as well. All the stories from his dark, black past, and the back-stories most of the chapters in Megadeth's history are captured in honest, detailed reminiscence, and presented in this biography. It reads so well you'll be mostly finished with the book before you know it! As the book concludes, you have a fresh perspective of exactly where Dave Mustaine came from, what the state of Megadeth really is, his true feelings towards former band members (both in Megadeth AND Metallica), and what the future might hold not just for Megadeth, but also the man behind the heavy metal titan: Dave Mustaine.
Some songs that have inspired Dave Mustaine through the years:
-Bad Motor Scooter by Montrose
-Detroit Rock City by Kiss
-Breadfan by Budgie
Some key Megadeth songs that already tell you a little bit of the larger story you'll find in the pages of MUSTAINE:
-Mechanix
-Set the World Afire
-Skull Beneath the Skin
-In My Darkest Hour
-Skin O' My Teeth
-Victory
-Tornado of Souls
-Sweating Bullets
-13 (I know this song was not released until AFTER this biography came out, but as a biographic themed song, it makes sense on this list.)
What really went down on the long road-trip from San Francisco to New York that led to Dave's ouster from Metallica? What artists and musicians were Dave's inspiration to pursue a career in heavy metal music? What was his family life like? What was the real reason behind the firing of Chris Poland and Gar Samuelson? Who's decision was it for Megadeth to push for a more popular sound in the 90's? Has Dave made amends with any of his numerous former band-mates? What was Megadeth's best-selling album? Who prevented Megadeth from earning a #1 Billboard album? Will Mustaine ever record music with Hetfield and Ulrich again? Is Dave really clean and sober today? If you want the answers to these questions and more, all you have to do is read MUSTAINE. The book will not disappoint!
True, there are several rock stars who have had many ups and downs, but in Dave's life the ups are pretty high, and the downs are pretty severe as well. All the stories from his dark, black past, and the back-stories most of the chapters in Megadeth's history are captured in honest, detailed reminiscence, and presented in this biography. It reads so well you'll be mostly finished with the book before you know it! As the book concludes, you have a fresh perspective of exactly where Dave Mustaine came from, what the state of Megadeth really is, his true feelings towards former band members (both in Megadeth AND Metallica), and what the future might hold not just for Megadeth, but also the man behind the heavy metal titan: Dave Mustaine.
Some songs that have inspired Dave Mustaine through the years:
-Bad Motor Scooter by Montrose
-Detroit Rock City by Kiss
-Breadfan by Budgie
Some key Megadeth songs that already tell you a little bit of the larger story you'll find in the pages of MUSTAINE:
-Mechanix
-Set the World Afire
-Skull Beneath the Skin
-In My Darkest Hour
-Skin O' My Teeth
-Victory
-Tornado of Souls
-Sweating Bullets
-13 (I know this song was not released until AFTER this biography came out, but as a biographic themed song, it makes sense on this list.)
Saturday, October 8, 2011
The American Carnage Tour (2010), Part II: Testament, Megadeth, & Slayer!
Post # 165
Picking up where I left off from part I of this review (post #146), my new friends and I left the VIP suite as Megadeth bid us farewell as they went backstage to prepare for the show. We were granted early entry to the floor-level and vendors. I made a short detour to get a souvenir tour T-shirt (I chose the Megadeth: RUST IN PEACE 20th Anniversary Tour shirt). Then I entered the arena floor and got right up close to the front barricade. There was one row of people in front of me, and I had a great view of the stage. This was sure to be an awesome show!
Time seemed to drag for a while. I conversed here and there with other fans, and watched the crowd slowly fill in the standing-room-only floor level. But finally the wait paid off: Testament took the stage to deliver their set of killer thrash-metal!
When it comes to thrash metal, everyone probably think of the Big Four first, particularly in the last couple years when they have been performing select shows together for the first time. However if there was a 5th thrash band on the totem-pole when it comes to significance in the genre, it is probably Testament. Their energy, bone-crushing heavy riffs, and seriously fast-paced tempos served to prove that they were right at home with two of the Big Four whom they were opening for.
They opened their set with the intro from their latest album The Formation of Damnation. This album was a true return to form for Testament, and they are helping bring traditional thrash back to prominence in today's metal scene. Inevitably, with the break-neck pace of their music came the break-neck intensity of the mosh-pit. It had erupted about 3 or 4 rows of people behind me, and the people who opted out of moshing crammed more closely together. The physical pressure of being packed so tightly together and close to the front barricade built to an uncomfortable level many times, but I'd be damned if I was going to give up this close spot before I had my chance to see Megadeth this close. So I toughed it out, and managed to hold my own through their set.
Testament delivered a killer set, too! I recognized such classics as 'The New Order' and 'Practice What You Preach' before it was all said and done. My favorite moment, though, had to be during their performance of the title-track 'The Formation of Damnation'. The band paused before the closing thrash segment and gave singer Chuck Billy a chance to direct the crowd into a face-off mosh, and he directed the crowd to spread out to either one side or the other of the stadium floor, then when the music kicked back in, they charged each other with as much of their furious abandon as they could manage! After they finished their set we all had a few minutes to catch our breath and prepare for Megadeth...
Many of us knew they were intending to play the entire Rust In Peace album on this night. I for one, couldn't wait. This has long been my favorite Megadeth album, perhaps my favorite metal album of all time! You can go back and read post #1 if you don't believe how much I praise this album for it's technical, speed-driven riffs. Before long, the band took the stage...
Dave Mustaine, one of the founders of the thrash-metal genre, walked to center stage. Clad in his trademark plain white, light weight shirt and jeans, with his signature flying 'V' Dean guitar, he muttered a quick, 'Here we GO!' and instantly flew into the opening riff of 'Holy Wars... The Punishment Due'. For the next 45 minutes there was no looking back...
My adrenal glands got the best of me, and I was helpless to sing along to one of my all-time favorite thrashers, 'BROTHER WILL KILL BROTHER! SPILLING BLOOD ACROSS THE LAND! KILLING FOR RELIGION, SOMETHING I DON'T UNDERSTAND!' I think I sang along for the entire first song. I could see Dave up at the mike, and I could hear the crowd behind my own voice, also singing along. For all I could hear, Mustaine could have been lip-syncing. I could see his jaw moving, but his mop of blond hair kept his face partially obscured. Dave Ellefson and Chris Broderick were thrashing along, keeping perfect time... the band seemed so tight! The fast-paced, complex riffs that overflow the Rust In Peace album seemed second-nature to Megadeth. This was a technical masterpiece of heavy metal being brought to life for the lucky fans that attended this tour.
At some point I cut back on the singing-along, perhaps because my throat was getting dry. This was in early August, remember, and the mass of bodies was making the heat more and more apparent. When they got to 'Poison Was The Cure', the band went back-stage to swap instruments, while Ellefson kept us entertained with the song's bass-intro. Shawn Drove returned to the drum-kit and added the next ingredient, closely followed by Dave and Chris on guitar. Then, right on cue with the song, the intensity was back, and the crowd resumed undulating with headbanging and moshing!
Megadeth continued to fly through this masterpiece album! Some other highlights of the performance for me were Dave Ellefson's bass spotlight during the track 'Dawn Patrol'. During that number, David Ellefson was alone on-stage, while Dave Mustaine spoke the dialog/lyrics from back-stage somewhere. Also, this was the part of the show where Vic Rattlehead walked onto the stage and pointed intimidatingly at us. After this number concluded it was on to 'Rust In Peace... Polaris', the last track on the Rust In Peace album.
Megadeth still had more for us, and they played about 5 more numbers from the rest of their catalog. They saved 'Peace Sells' for their closing number, but it came with a nice twist this time... As the song was about to end, they surprised us by jumping back to the guitar solo from 'Holy Wars...'! The band jammed a few more minutes on that number, during which Dave Mustaine introduced the band, traded several solos with Chris Broderick, and then wrapped it up as 'Holy Wars...' ended: "Next thing you know, they'll take my thoughts away!"
I couldn't imagine a better way to see Megadeth for the first time, except maybe for a longer set! During this intermission, I finally chose to give up my front-row location to seek out the water fountains- I was pretty dehydrated! I found them, and waited through the line to get replenished, then returned to the arena floor. By this time I think I had lost track of some of my new friends, but before the show resumed I did bump into one of them again. But now, it was time for SLAYER!
In slightly different fashion, Slayer kick off their set with 2 tracks back-to-back, from their newest album: 'World Painted Blood', and 'Hate Worldwide'. Then, the anticipated 20th anniversary celebration of their classic album Seasons In The Abyss began as Tom Araya shouted, "WAR ENSEMBLE!"
Seasons In The Abyss (which I reviewed earlier this year already) starts off with 3 tracks that, on the recording, pick up after each other with barely a pause between the tracks. To the best of my recollection, Slayer played them live in a similar fashion: 'War Ensemble', 'Blood Red', and 'Spirit In Black'. They continued through their classic album, with true-to-the-recording accuracy, much like Megadeth had done before them. Again, they added a few of their best known songs after the Seasons In The Abyss performance was over.
To me this was a legendary night of thrash-metal icons performing at their best! From the golden opportunity of meeting the members of Megadeth, and hanging with the before the show, to the KILLER performances of all three bands, to the new friends I made on this day, I'm tempted to say this was the best concert of my life! I hope to catch each of these bands again at points in the future. For now, I'll leave you with their set-lists so you can listen for yourself to at lease some form of this night's great metal music!
TESTAMENT
-For the Glory of...
-More Than Meets the Eye
-Dog Faced Gods
-The New Order
-Practice What You Preach
-Into the Pit
-DNR
-3 Days in Darkness
-The Formation of Damnation
MEGADETH
-Trust
-Head Crusher
-A Tout Le Monde
-Symphony of Destruction
-Peace Sells/Holy Wars (reprise)
SLAYER
-World Painted Blood
-Hate Worldwide
-South of Heaven
-Raining Blood
-Aggressive Perfector
-Angel of Death
Picking up where I left off from part I of this review (post #146), my new friends and I left the VIP suite as Megadeth bid us farewell as they went backstage to prepare for the show. We were granted early entry to the floor-level and vendors. I made a short detour to get a souvenir tour T-shirt (I chose the Megadeth: RUST IN PEACE 20th Anniversary Tour shirt). Then I entered the arena floor and got right up close to the front barricade. There was one row of people in front of me, and I had a great view of the stage. This was sure to be an awesome show!
Time seemed to drag for a while. I conversed here and there with other fans, and watched the crowd slowly fill in the standing-room-only floor level. But finally the wait paid off: Testament took the stage to deliver their set of killer thrash-metal!
When it comes to thrash metal, everyone probably think of the Big Four first, particularly in the last couple years when they have been performing select shows together for the first time. However if there was a 5th thrash band on the totem-pole when it comes to significance in the genre, it is probably Testament. Their energy, bone-crushing heavy riffs, and seriously fast-paced tempos served to prove that they were right at home with two of the Big Four whom they were opening for.
Testament delivered a killer set, too! I recognized such classics as 'The New Order' and 'Practice What You Preach' before it was all said and done. My favorite moment, though, had to be during their performance of the title-track 'The Formation of Damnation'. The band paused before the closing thrash segment and gave singer Chuck Billy a chance to direct the crowd into a face-off mosh, and he directed the crowd to spread out to either one side or the other of the stadium floor, then when the music kicked back in, they charged each other with as much of their furious abandon as they could manage! After they finished their set we all had a few minutes to catch our breath and prepare for Megadeth...
Many of us knew they were intending to play the entire Rust In Peace album on this night. I for one, couldn't wait. This has long been my favorite Megadeth album, perhaps my favorite metal album of all time! You can go back and read post #1 if you don't believe how much I praise this album for it's technical, speed-driven riffs. Before long, the band took the stage...
Dave Mustaine, one of the founders of the thrash-metal genre, walked to center stage. Clad in his trademark plain white, light weight shirt and jeans, with his signature flying 'V' Dean guitar, he muttered a quick, 'Here we GO!' and instantly flew into the opening riff of 'Holy Wars... The Punishment Due'. For the next 45 minutes there was no looking back...
My adrenal glands got the best of me, and I was helpless to sing along to one of my all-time favorite thrashers, 'BROTHER WILL KILL BROTHER! SPILLING BLOOD ACROSS THE LAND! KILLING FOR RELIGION, SOMETHING I DON'T UNDERSTAND!' I think I sang along for the entire first song. I could see Dave up at the mike, and I could hear the crowd behind my own voice, also singing along. For all I could hear, Mustaine could have been lip-syncing. I could see his jaw moving, but his mop of blond hair kept his face partially obscured. Dave Ellefson and Chris Broderick were thrashing along, keeping perfect time... the band seemed so tight! The fast-paced, complex riffs that overflow the Rust In Peace album seemed second-nature to Megadeth. This was a technical masterpiece of heavy metal being brought to life for the lucky fans that attended this tour.
At some point I cut back on the singing-along, perhaps because my throat was getting dry. This was in early August, remember, and the mass of bodies was making the heat more and more apparent. When they got to 'Poison Was The Cure', the band went back-stage to swap instruments, while Ellefson kept us entertained with the song's bass-intro. Shawn Drove returned to the drum-kit and added the next ingredient, closely followed by Dave and Chris on guitar. Then, right on cue with the song, the intensity was back, and the crowd resumed undulating with headbanging and moshing!
Megadeth continued to fly through this masterpiece album! Some other highlights of the performance for me were Dave Ellefson's bass spotlight during the track 'Dawn Patrol'. During that number, David Ellefson was alone on-stage, while Dave Mustaine spoke the dialog/lyrics from back-stage somewhere. Also, this was the part of the show where Vic Rattlehead walked onto the stage and pointed intimidatingly at us. After this number concluded it was on to 'Rust In Peace... Polaris', the last track on the Rust In Peace album.
Megadeth still had more for us, and they played about 5 more numbers from the rest of their catalog. They saved 'Peace Sells' for their closing number, but it came with a nice twist this time... As the song was about to end, they surprised us by jumping back to the guitar solo from 'Holy Wars...'! The band jammed a few more minutes on that number, during which Dave Mustaine introduced the band, traded several solos with Chris Broderick, and then wrapped it up as 'Holy Wars...' ended: "Next thing you know, they'll take my thoughts away!"
I couldn't imagine a better way to see Megadeth for the first time, except maybe for a longer set! During this intermission, I finally chose to give up my front-row location to seek out the water fountains- I was pretty dehydrated! I found them, and waited through the line to get replenished, then returned to the arena floor. By this time I think I had lost track of some of my new friends, but before the show resumed I did bump into one of them again. But now, it was time for SLAYER!
In slightly different fashion, Slayer kick off their set with 2 tracks back-to-back, from their newest album: 'World Painted Blood', and 'Hate Worldwide'. Then, the anticipated 20th anniversary celebration of their classic album Seasons In The Abyss began as Tom Araya shouted, "WAR ENSEMBLE!"
Seasons In The Abyss (which I reviewed earlier this year already) starts off with 3 tracks that, on the recording, pick up after each other with barely a pause between the tracks. To the best of my recollection, Slayer played them live in a similar fashion: 'War Ensemble', 'Blood Red', and 'Spirit In Black'. They continued through their classic album, with true-to-the-recording accuracy, much like Megadeth had done before them. Again, they added a few of their best known songs after the Seasons In The Abyss performance was over.
To me this was a legendary night of thrash-metal icons performing at their best! From the golden opportunity of meeting the members of Megadeth, and hanging with the before the show, to the KILLER performances of all three bands, to the new friends I made on this day, I'm tempted to say this was the best concert of my life! I hope to catch each of these bands again at points in the future. For now, I'll leave you with their set-lists so you can listen for yourself to at lease some form of this night's great metal music!
TESTAMENT
-For the Glory of...
-More Than Meets the Eye
-Dog Faced Gods
-The New Order
-Practice What You Preach
-Into the Pit
-DNR
-3 Days in Darkness
-The Formation of Damnation
MEGADETH
~RUST IN PEACE: 20th ANNIVERSARY~
-Holy Wars... The Punishment Due
-Hangar 18
-Take No Prisoners
-Five Magics
-Poison Was the Cure
-Lucretia
-Tornado of Souls
-Dawn Patrol
-Rust in Peace... Polaris
-Trust
-Head Crusher
-A Tout Le Monde
-Symphony of Destruction
-Peace Sells/Holy Wars (reprise)
SLAYER
-World Painted Blood
-Hate Worldwide
~SEASONS IN THE ABYSS: 20th ANNIVERSARY~
-War Ensemble
-Blood Red
-Spirit in Black
-Expendable Youth
-Dead Skin Mask
-Hallowed Point
-Skeletons of Society
-Temptation
-Born of Fire
-Seasons in the Abyss
-South of Heaven
-Raining Blood
-Aggressive Perfector
-Angel of Death
Friday, June 17, 2011
The American Carnage Tour (2010), Part I: VIP Meet-N-Greet with Megadeth!
Post # 146
Then I hung around and watched the other fans file through the line, getting various memorabilia signed. Vinyl LPs, CDs, posters, T-shirts. One guy even had a VMNT guitar (Dave Mustaine's signature model from Dean Guitars)! My new friend from Egypt came over after he got through the line and we talked some more. Since we were both at this event by ourselves, we agreed to stick together throughout the show. (Mosh-pit buddy-system you know, have to have some one looking out for you, and someone to look out for.)
The American Carnage Tour that took place in 2010 was perhaps the greatest gathering of thrash-metal veterans on one tour since 1992's Clash of the Titans. Testament, Megadeth, and Slayer had metal-head audiences at their mercy on this tour. Aside from the handful of festival appearances of The Big Four (Metallica-Slayer-Megadeth-Anthrax), shows on this tour have been the only ones to feature as many thrash metal pioneers on the same stage. And this tour hit several major cities across the North American continent as opposed to a few select appearances.
It took a lot of effort and persistence to pull this tour off. Already it was a follow-up to the Canadian Carnage Tour, which featured the same bands. However, shortly before the scheduled start of the tour, Slayer announced that their singer/bassist, Tom Araya, needed to have back surgery, and the tour was canceled. Much apology was issued to ticket-holders from all the bands involved, and a rescheduling was promised.
Several months passed, during which Megadeth and Testament scheduled their own co-headlining tour and added fellow Bay-area thrash veterans Exodus as an opening act. This was Megadeth's 20th anniversary tour for the Rust In Peace landmark album. In honor of RIP, they performed the entire album, plus a few more Megadeth classics. Testament took the opportunity to feature their complete The Legacy album in their set as well.
After Araya had recovered from back surgery, a rescheduled American Carnage tour was announced. I was lucky enough to be among those who had tickets for the original original tour, thanks to my beautiful wife and her mom, who went in together to get these tickets for me as a gift. The tour promoters were true to their word, and after refunding the old tickets, and reissuing new ones, I was all set for the show. But the most amazing thing that had me in total shock was the fact that they were VIP tickets with an opportunity to meet MEGADETH! For this opportunity, I will be forever indebted to my wife, for it is truely a once-in-a-lifetime type of opportunity!
For those of you who've been reading this blog from the beginning, you know how devoted I have been to Megadeth as a fan. I've reviewed all of their studio albums on this blog and intend to add some reviews of their live material soon. Megadeth, and Dave Mustaine in particular, have always been atop my list of heavy metal musicians I idolize. The chance to meet them in person was honestly like a dream come true for me. I couldn't wait for the show (though I had already been waiting for almost half a year!)
When the day of the show finally arrived, I made my way to the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, IL, and made sure I was plenty early. I got in line with the other die-hards who also had VIP tickets and were anxiously awaiting their chance to meet their heroes of heavy metal. Always excited to converse with other like-minded fans, I struck up conversations with everyone who was in line close to me. We all discussed our favorite Megadeth songs, albums, band members, etc, as we waited for them to open the doors to the Pavilion.
Having nearly an hour of time to kill, I got to be pretty good friends with several of these strangers who were waiting in line. I met people from other Chicago suburbs and downtown. Others had travelled great distances for this opportunity to meet the band; from places as exotic as Mexico, Peru, and (get this) Egypt! Whatever our cultural differences may have been, we were united on this day by our fanaticism for heavy metal in general, and for Megadeth in particular!
At last the doors opened and our event coordinator from 'I Love All Access' gathered us together, checked our tickets, and explained how the meet-&-greet was going to work. After the plan of events was drawn out, we proceded to the 2nd level private sky-boxes where drinks, snacks, and air-conditioned comfort awaited us. There was Megadeth music playing to set the mood, and we were minutes away from meeting the band!
The hostess handed out our merch bags (everybody got a special back-stage pass, a Megadeth dog-tag, Megadeth skull-cap, and long-sleeve Megadeth shirt). We were told to help ourselves to drinks and snacks, all on the house. After a few minutes of mingling, we were told to get ready, line up, and get out our chosen item for autographing. So I get in the back of the line, only to realize we were facing the wrong direction, and from behind me I hear the hostess say, 'Here they are! Megadeth!'
So there I was, unexpectedly first-in-line, with merely a few seconds to gather my thoughts and try to think of something un-stupid to say to the living legends I idolized standing right in front of me. First up was David Ellefson. What to say? "Hey Dave. How's it feel to be back?" (David Ellefson had only returned to the band prior to this rescheduled tour. In fact, if it had gone through when originally scheduled, I might not have met Ellefson, but James Lomenzo instead! Perhaps this is some manifestation of fate?) In response, he kinda smiled and nodded and said, "Feels good!" Okay, nothing too spectacular I admit, but I was there, and I got to shake his hand! Then I hand him my item to autograph: a limited, promo edition of Rust In Peace in a coffin-shaped box with a pop-up Vic Ratlhead inside. Dave says, "This is pretty cool!", signs it & passes it back.
Next: Shawn Drover, the drummer. Hand shake. Sign the little coffin. Pass it back. "Hey dude" is said back & forth between us. Then it's Chris Broderick, lead guitarist. Repeat formalities. Then I step back, feeling like I should say something more substantial to these guys. I say, "Shawn, Chris, I've been a fan for years, but I really like how you guys fit in the band. You keep things really tight." (This is true, you can see my old reviews of Megadeth on this blog & see how I've praised Megadeth's newer material.) They both respond with a smile and a 'thank-you'.
Now, I am merely inches from Dave Mustaine. I'm star-struck to silence, but force myself to get past it. "You're.... You're YOU!" I say, lamely. I pause a second to realize how that must have sounded, shake my head and look down at my hands, which are holding the aforementioned RIP-coffin-case, and in my other hand a brand-new copy of Dave's autobiography, 'Mustaine'. Within a second or two my mind debates trying to beg for him to sign 2 items, but the rules we were given specifically said only one item could be signed. So, making a split-second decision, I hand over the RIP-coffin, wanting to complete the set of the whole bands' signatures, and hope that I may get another chance for Dave to sign the book some other day.
Dave takes the little coffin, turns it over in his hands and looks me in the eye and says, "Wow. You know, these are really rare." Then he signs it. Hands it back. At this point Chris Broderick actually leans in and asks Dave what the coffin-shaped box actually is. Mustaine explains that it was a limited run that was distributed mainly to critics & promoters, and that there aren't that many around. How lucky I am to have such an item, and have it signed by the band, no less, does not escape me. I say thanks and shake his hand, and immediately thank him again for having the band do this whole 'meet-n-greet' in the first place.
Then I remember a clever question I had (or so I thought), and ask him if it's true that he named the Gigantour Tour after the anime entitled Gigantor. He says, "Yeah. Yeah, I did." Taking a shot in the dark, I asked him if by chance he still follows any anime (Japanese animation. I'm actually a big fan of it myself). He just looked back at me and said something to the effect that he's too old for that stuff now.
It took a lot of effort and persistence to pull this tour off. Already it was a follow-up to the Canadian Carnage Tour, which featured the same bands. However, shortly before the scheduled start of the tour, Slayer announced that their singer/bassist, Tom Araya, needed to have back surgery, and the tour was canceled. Much apology was issued to ticket-holders from all the bands involved, and a rescheduling was promised.
Several months passed, during which Megadeth and Testament scheduled their own co-headlining tour and added fellow Bay-area thrash veterans Exodus as an opening act. This was Megadeth's 20th anniversary tour for the Rust In Peace landmark album. In honor of RIP, they performed the entire album, plus a few more Megadeth classics. Testament took the opportunity to feature their complete The Legacy album in their set as well.
After Araya had recovered from back surgery, a rescheduled American Carnage tour was announced. I was lucky enough to be among those who had tickets for the original original tour, thanks to my beautiful wife and her mom, who went in together to get these tickets for me as a gift. The tour promoters were true to their word, and after refunding the old tickets, and reissuing new ones, I was all set for the show. But the most amazing thing that had me in total shock was the fact that they were VIP tickets with an opportunity to meet MEGADETH! For this opportunity, I will be forever indebted to my wife, for it is truely a once-in-a-lifetime type of opportunity!
For those of you who've been reading this blog from the beginning, you know how devoted I have been to Megadeth as a fan. I've reviewed all of their studio albums on this blog and intend to add some reviews of their live material soon. Megadeth, and Dave Mustaine in particular, have always been atop my list of heavy metal musicians I idolize. The chance to meet them in person was honestly like a dream come true for me. I couldn't wait for the show (though I had already been waiting for almost half a year!)
When the day of the show finally arrived, I made my way to the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, IL, and made sure I was plenty early. I got in line with the other die-hards who also had VIP tickets and were anxiously awaiting their chance to meet their heroes of heavy metal. Always excited to converse with other like-minded fans, I struck up conversations with everyone who was in line close to me. We all discussed our favorite Megadeth songs, albums, band members, etc, as we waited for them to open the doors to the Pavilion.
Having nearly an hour of time to kill, I got to be pretty good friends with several of these strangers who were waiting in line. I met people from other Chicago suburbs and downtown. Others had travelled great distances for this opportunity to meet the band; from places as exotic as Mexico, Peru, and (get this) Egypt! Whatever our cultural differences may have been, we were united on this day by our fanaticism for heavy metal in general, and for Megadeth in particular!
At last the doors opened and our event coordinator from 'I Love All Access' gathered us together, checked our tickets, and explained how the meet-&-greet was going to work. After the plan of events was drawn out, we proceded to the 2nd level private sky-boxes where drinks, snacks, and air-conditioned comfort awaited us. There was Megadeth music playing to set the mood, and we were minutes away from meeting the band!
The hostess handed out our merch bags (everybody got a special back-stage pass, a Megadeth dog-tag, Megadeth skull-cap, and long-sleeve Megadeth shirt). We were told to help ourselves to drinks and snacks, all on the house. After a few minutes of mingling, we were told to get ready, line up, and get out our chosen item for autographing. So I get in the back of the line, only to realize we were facing the wrong direction, and from behind me I hear the hostess say, 'Here they are! Megadeth!'
So there I was, unexpectedly first-in-line, with merely a few seconds to gather my thoughts and try to think of something un-stupid to say to the living legends I idolized standing right in front of me. First up was David Ellefson. What to say? "Hey Dave. How's it feel to be back?" (David Ellefson had only returned to the band prior to this rescheduled tour. In fact, if it had gone through when originally scheduled, I might not have met Ellefson, but James Lomenzo instead! Perhaps this is some manifestation of fate?) In response, he kinda smiled and nodded and said, "Feels good!" Okay, nothing too spectacular I admit, but I was there, and I got to shake his hand! Then I hand him my item to autograph: a limited, promo edition of Rust In Peace in a coffin-shaped box with a pop-up Vic Ratlhead inside. Dave says, "This is pretty cool!", signs it & passes it back.
Next: Shawn Drover, the drummer. Hand shake. Sign the little coffin. Pass it back. "Hey dude" is said back & forth between us. Then it's Chris Broderick, lead guitarist. Repeat formalities. Then I step back, feeling like I should say something more substantial to these guys. I say, "Shawn, Chris, I've been a fan for years, but I really like how you guys fit in the band. You keep things really tight." (This is true, you can see my old reviews of Megadeth on this blog & see how I've praised Megadeth's newer material.) They both respond with a smile and a 'thank-you'.
Now, I am merely inches from Dave Mustaine. I'm star-struck to silence, but force myself to get past it. "You're.... You're YOU!" I say, lamely. I pause a second to realize how that must have sounded, shake my head and look down at my hands, which are holding the aforementioned RIP-coffin-case, and in my other hand a brand-new copy of Dave's autobiography, 'Mustaine'. Within a second or two my mind debates trying to beg for him to sign 2 items, but the rules we were given specifically said only one item could be signed. So, making a split-second decision, I hand over the RIP-coffin, wanting to complete the set of the whole bands' signatures, and hope that I may get another chance for Dave to sign the book some other day.
Dave takes the little coffin, turns it over in his hands and looks me in the eye and says, "Wow. You know, these are really rare." Then he signs it. Hands it back. At this point Chris Broderick actually leans in and asks Dave what the coffin-shaped box actually is. Mustaine explains that it was a limited run that was distributed mainly to critics & promoters, and that there aren't that many around. How lucky I am to have such an item, and have it signed by the band, no less, does not escape me. I say thanks and shake his hand, and immediately thank him again for having the band do this whole 'meet-n-greet' in the first place.
Then I remember a clever question I had (or so I thought), and ask him if it's true that he named the Gigantour Tour after the anime entitled Gigantor. He says, "Yeah. Yeah, I did." Taking a shot in the dark, I asked him if by chance he still follows any anime (Japanese animation. I'm actually a big fan of it myself). He just looked back at me and said something to the effect that he's too old for that stuff now.
At this point I began to feel self-conscious of having been the first-in-line. I realized that everyone else was waiting impatiently for their chance to meet and converse with Megadeth, so I almost walked away without getting my photo taken with the band (included with the VIP packcage.) The event coordinator grabs my arm and says, "Hey, don't you want your picture?" Of course I did! So I walk back to the band, Dave Mustaine puts his arm around my shoulder, the other band members pose in a line, and 'CLICK!', the photo is snapped... right as one of the caterers walks right in front of the camera.
"Hey man, what the hell are you doing?" Dave shouts at the guy. So we repeat the photo. I guess I was lucky that they took the time to take a second photo. It would have sucked if my pic with Megadeth was just a guy in a catering uniform blurred while the band and I are obscured in the background. So, in the end, I got my photo just fine:
Then I hung around and watched the other fans file through the line, getting various memorabilia signed. Vinyl LPs, CDs, posters, T-shirts. One guy even had a VMNT guitar (Dave Mustaine's signature model from Dean Guitars)! My new friend from Egypt came over after he got through the line and we talked some more. Since we were both at this event by ourselves, we agreed to stick together throughout the show. (Mosh-pit buddy-system you know, have to have some one looking out for you, and someone to look out for.)We're still in touch to this day. We had a great time at the concert. But those details I'll save for another post...
Friday, March 25, 2011
Duet/Guest Vocalist Poll Choices
Post #135
For this month's reader's poll, I'm making it a bit interactive with this post, where you can hear all the songs to compare, in case you're not familiar with them all already. Here you go!
Lita Ford with Ozzy Osbourne
Close My Eyes Forever
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy3fJ8Nmzywube.com/watch?v=Zy3fJ8Nmzyw
Megadeth with Cristina Scabbia
A Tout Le Monde (Set Me Free)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn01nSG4cvU
Temple of the Dog featuring Eddie Vedder
Hunger Strike
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjNjJR9jUGo
Guns N' Roses with Alice Cooper
The Garden
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9e77IrHBswom/watch?v=-9e77IrHBswcom/watch?v=-9e77IrHBsw
Halford with Bruce Dickinson
One You Love to Hate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAQavq1CQ68om/watch?v=cAQavq1CQ68
Alice Cooper with Chris Cornell
Stolen Prayer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNqCsGRJHIE&feature=fvwrel
Corrosion of Conformity with James Hetfield
For this month's reader's poll, I'm making it a bit interactive with this post, where you can hear all the songs to compare, in case you're not familiar with them all already. Here you go!
Lita Ford with Ozzy Osbourne
Close My Eyes Forever
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zy3fJ8Nmzywube.com/watch?v=Zy3fJ8Nmzyw
Megadeth with Cristina Scabbia
A Tout Le Monde (Set Me Free)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn01nSG4cvU
Temple of the Dog featuring Eddie Vedder
Hunger Strike
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjNjJR9jUGo
Guns N' Roses with Alice Cooper
The Garden
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9e77IrHBswom/watch?v=-9e77IrHBswcom/watch?v=-9e77IrHBsw
Halford with Bruce Dickinson
One You Love to Hate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAQavq1CQ68om/watch?v=cAQavq1CQ68
Alice Cooper with Chris Cornell
Stolen Prayer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNqCsGRJHIE&feature=fvwrel
Corrosion of Conformity with James Hetfield
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Heavy Metal Campaign '10!
Post #113
Your Heavy Metal 107 Candidates:
James Hetfield (Metallica)
James runs for re-election because Metallica is still one of the most successful metal bands in the world. The successful Death Magnetic album may only be a sign of what's to come from this band over the next two years. Voting for him wouldn't hurt the chances for a State-side Big-4 tour either! Re-elect James Hetfield!
Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden)
After finishing a close second in the 2008 election, Bruce is again seeking your vote for president of this blog. Iron Maiden's latest album, The Final Frontier, stands as the latest testament to their iconic legacy in heavy metal. Does the title suggest the band might be hanging it up soon? Or are they just toying with us? Either way, they still have it after 30 years. Scream for me blog readers! Vote for Bruce!
Dave Mustaine (Megadeth)
Having directed Megadeth's music back to the speed-driven thrash style that was their trademark in their early years, Mustaine's band has been on plateau over the last couple years, recapturing the metal hearts of their faithful fans. Megadeth have also been honoring the 20th anniversary of their landmark Rust In Peace album by playing it live on tour this year. Dave himself has even released his own autobiography earlier this year, giving fans a chance to hear his life story in greater detail than ever before. Calling all Droogies! Vote for Mustaine!
David Draiman (Disturbed)
David Draiman contends for president this term behind the strength of Disturbed's latest album, Asylum. Here again, we see Disturbed both maintaining their strengths, and stretching their talents of songcraft in heavy metal. Asylum touches on several issues relevant in the world today, in the midst of all it's changes. Stop corruption and vote for David Draiman!
Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath)
Ozzy has long been associated with the earliest days of heavy metal, having been a founding member of the legendary Black Sabbath. Now, with his new album Scream showing that he still has some fight left in him, Ozzy makes another run for this blog's symbolic president. Ozzy also has a recent autobiography out at bookstores everywhere, inviting fans to hear the story of his unparalleled career, complete with every controversy! Ozzy wants to hear you SCREAM! Vote OZZY!
Corey Taylor (Stone Sour/Slipknot)
Corey Taylor also returns to challenge all candidates this term. He has proven repeatedly that he can front some of the best metal bands, either extreme (Slipknot), or more mainstream (StoneSour). Though the tragic loss of their bassist, Paul Gray, may leave some questions of how Slipknot will continue their career, Stone Sour are back with a new album, Audiosecrecy, and are ready to take it to the metal masses. Here's another Mission Statement: Vote for Corey Taylor!
Your Heavy Metal 107 Candidates:
James Hetfield (Metallica)
James runs for re-election because Metallica is still one of the most successful metal bands in the world. The successful Death Magnetic album may only be a sign of what's to come from this band over the next two years. Voting for him wouldn't hurt the chances for a State-side Big-4 tour either! Re-elect James Hetfield!
Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden)
After finishing a close second in the 2008 election, Bruce is again seeking your vote for president of this blog. Iron Maiden's latest album, The Final Frontier, stands as the latest testament to their iconic legacy in heavy metal. Does the title suggest the band might be hanging it up soon? Or are they just toying with us? Either way, they still have it after 30 years. Scream for me blog readers! Vote for Bruce!
Dave Mustaine (Megadeth)
Having directed Megadeth's music back to the speed-driven thrash style that was their trademark in their early years, Mustaine's band has been on plateau over the last couple years, recapturing the metal hearts of their faithful fans. Megadeth have also been honoring the 20th anniversary of their landmark Rust In Peace album by playing it live on tour this year. Dave himself has even released his own autobiography earlier this year, giving fans a chance to hear his life story in greater detail than ever before. Calling all Droogies! Vote for Mustaine!
David Draiman (Disturbed)
David Draiman contends for president this term behind the strength of Disturbed's latest album, Asylum. Here again, we see Disturbed both maintaining their strengths, and stretching their talents of songcraft in heavy metal. Asylum touches on several issues relevant in the world today, in the midst of all it's changes. Stop corruption and vote for David Draiman!
Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath)
Ozzy has long been associated with the earliest days of heavy metal, having been a founding member of the legendary Black Sabbath. Now, with his new album Scream showing that he still has some fight left in him, Ozzy makes another run for this blog's symbolic president. Ozzy also has a recent autobiography out at bookstores everywhere, inviting fans to hear the story of his unparalleled career, complete with every controversy! Ozzy wants to hear you SCREAM! Vote OZZY!
Corey Taylor (Stone Sour/Slipknot)
Corey Taylor also returns to challenge all candidates this term. He has proven repeatedly that he can front some of the best metal bands, either extreme (Slipknot), or more mainstream (StoneSour). Though the tragic loss of their bassist, Paul Gray, may leave some questions of how Slipknot will continue their career, Stone Sour are back with a new album, Audiosecrecy, and are ready to take it to the metal masses. Here's another Mission Statement: Vote for Corey Taylor!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Megadeth-Endgame
Post #86
[21st Century Breakdown tied with Endgame to win the "Favorite album of 2009" reader's poll]
Megadeth gave us the album Endgame in '09, and for the 4th consecutive time, have produced a thrash album arguably better than their previous effort. Since 1999's Risk, Endgame marks an even decade of consistent and impressive return to form for Megadeth.
[21st Century Breakdown tied with Endgame to win the "Favorite album of 2009" reader's poll]
Megadeth gave us the album Endgame in '09, and for the 4th consecutive time, have produced a thrash album arguably better than their previous effort. Since 1999's Risk, Endgame marks an even decade of consistent and impressive return to form for Megadeth.In spite of the addition of a new lead guitarist, Chris Broderick, the band has retained their razor-sharp groove. Mustaine joins Chris for numerous tandem guitar solos, as well as trading leads throughout the album. The riffs tear into your chest with a vigor that matches the material from United Abominations.
In many instances Endgame deals with some serious issues like the recent financial meltdown and economic hardship, as well as war and governmental arrogance. However there are places where the mood lightens up just a bit and the music is simply about thrashing out to Megadeth's insane, shredding riffs & screaming guitar solos!
My favorites from Megadeth's newest album:
-Dialectic Chaos
-This Day We Fight!
-44 Minutes
-Bite The Hand
-Head Crusher
Friday, September 5, 2008
Megadeth vs. Metallica??? (a shift in the tide)
Post #35
Up until now, at least on this blog, I've been relatively pro-Megadeth, while practically ignoring Metallica until they won the recent poll. This is by no means to imply that I'm anti-Metallica (or anti-any Heavy Metal band for that matter). I've simply been more captivated by Megadeth's strong return-to-form album, United Abominations. Over the years, as a fan of Metal music, I've always been indecisive over who I like more between these two thrash-metal titans. I believe I've mentioned previously that I tend to side with whoever has the newer album at any given time. For that reason, you may expect to see alot more of Metallica talk on this blog and a bit less Megadeth, as Metallica's new album, Death Magnetic, comes out in a matter of days. Keep in mind if I hang on the Metallica bandwagon for awhile, it is simply because I dig the new album. Everything that goes around, comes around on this blog. I'll always try to keep up with the new material of all my favorite bands, but also get back to the history of heavy metal as well.
Enjoy!
Up until now, at least on this blog, I've been relatively pro-Megadeth, while practically ignoring Metallica until they won the recent poll. This is by no means to imply that I'm anti-Metallica (or anti-any Heavy Metal band for that matter). I've simply been more captivated by Megadeth's strong return-to-form album, United Abominations. Over the years, as a fan of Metal music, I've always been indecisive over who I like more between these two thrash-metal titans. I believe I've mentioned previously that I tend to side with whoever has the newer album at any given time. For that reason, you may expect to see alot more of Metallica talk on this blog and a bit less Megadeth, as Metallica's new album, Death Magnetic, comes out in a matter of days. Keep in mind if I hang on the Metallica bandwagon for awhile, it is simply because I dig the new album. Everything that goes around, comes around on this blog. I'll always try to keep up with the new material of all my favorite bands, but also get back to the history of heavy metal as well.
Enjoy!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
MEGADETH-The Full Review
Post #7
I Know I've already posted about Megadeth's Rust In Peace album, but I need to have a post about their career as a whole, so here it goes...
Killing is My Business... (...and Business is Good!) -1985
Mustaine's first recording since being ousted from Metallica 2 years before gives true merit to his metal song-writing skills. Megadeth establish a fast/shredding metal sound that is different enough from Metallica to establish a loyal following in their own right.
Highlights:
-Last Rites/Loved to Deth
-Rattlehead
-Mechanix (this is a new arrangement & lyrics for the Metallica song "The Four Horsemen" which Mustaine co-wrote as well- Megadeth speed it up as you will see if you compare the 2)
Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? -1986
With Megadeth's 2nd release they establish a level of consistency with their fast metal sound. This recording also seems to have more direction & consistency within itself as well. Political themes make their way into some songs here too (most notably on the title track), a premonition of what will become a trend for Megadeth in the years to come.
Recommended:
-Peace Sells
-Wake Up Dead
-My Last Words (An awesome song about Russian Roulette!)
So Far, So Good... So What! -1988
By Megadeth's 3rd album, the drug habits of the group begin to take a toll on their song quality. Although there are certainly some great metal songs on this album, I must bring myself to say it is probably their 2nd-worst album. Don't let this deter you though, it's still a great deal better than many other heavy metal albums that are out there.
Recommended:
-Set the World Afire
-Hook In Mouth
-In My Darkest Hour (this is possibly the best song in Megadeth's whole catalog- funny that the rest of the album doesn't live up to this standard)
RUST IN PEACE -1990
I won't spend too much time on this album here. For a more in-depth review, see my "Rust In Peace" post! In a nutshell: This is the BEST Megadeth album ever.
Do not miss: Holy Wars... The Punishment Due
Countdown To Extinction -1992
Here is where Megadeth really make a change to their sound & push for the mainstream-radio sound in metal. There are a great number of slower tempo, more melodic songs to be found on this album. Although this move kind of went against their previous trend of heaviness & speed, the album is still an overall success, and highly regarded by many long-time Megadeth fans (myself included) as a great album. My personal favorites:
-Sweating Bullets
-Countdown to Extinction
-Foreclosure of a Dream
-Architecture of Aggression
Risk -1999
Ok, this is it: the only Megadeth album I would actually NOT recommend you buy. It is hands-down the worst Megadeth album. This is the most experimental album they've ever recorded, and it falls short of any expectations. There are elements of Industrial mixed with metal, and other songs are almost pop-metal. Few if any songs can be compared to the rest of Megadeth's work. If you're still curious, a couple songs it wouldn't hurt to try are:
-Prince of Darkness
-Time: The Beginning (& The End)
This album was intended to be Dave Mustaine's debut solo-album, however the legal-schmegal fine print of record contracts made it easier for Dave to keep the Megadeth moniker, rather than drop it. From this point on, one may want to view any Megadeth material as Dave Mustaine's solo project.
In spite of another line-up change and the bad-terms exit of original Bassist Dave Ellifson, this CD really gets back to old-school Megadeth thrashing even more than "Hero" did. For the studio work, Dave even brought in former guitarist Chris Poland to help on a lot of the guitar solos. Chris, at one point described this album as "Rust In Peace Part 2". Some of the better songs on this CD truly live up to that praise, too. Mustaine & Poland have several dueling lead guitar solos on the album, much like they used to do up until RIP. Political themed lyrics are back with a sharp tongue as Dave criticizes a variety of issues including the judicial system and international affairs. The only gripe I have with this CD is how the lyrics sometimes don't flow well with the riffs, they seem a bit forced in places. And other lyrics seem to dwell a bit too long on Dave's new grudge with Lars Ulrich (at least it seems so to me). Here are my top suggestions from this album:
-Blackmail the Universe
-Kick the Chair
-Die Dead Enough
-Back In The Day
-Truth Be Told
If "System" was a true return-to-form for Megadeth, then United Abominations may become known as a masterpiece. Here is another solid step in the direction of unyielding thrash. Mustaine has changed the band's line-up (again), but the speed and technical masterwork on lead guitar doesn't skip a beat from "System". If you thought some of the lyrics were controversial on the previous album, then you better brace yourself for some of these. I've never heard good ole' Dave tear into politics without holding anything back as much as he does here. I'll take a moment here to say that although I don't always agree with some of Dave Mustaine's out-spoken opinions, I truly admire him for having the balls to say what he believes. This is what Rock music & Heavy Metal are all about: sticking it to "the man" (thank you, School of Rock). Much of the criticism on this album is aimed at US foreign policy and the actions (and inactions) of the United Nations. But if you can put some of your opinions aside for the sake of banging your head to some shredding metal, then United Abominations is sure to cause you some well-deserved headaches!
Recomended Tracks:
-Sleepwalker
-Washington is Next!
-Gears of War
-Set Me Free (A Tout Le Monde) (this is the exact same song as the original "A Tout Le Monde", just rerecorded and some cool new vocals from Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil. I find it better than the original!)
-United Abominations
All cover images from either:
http://www.megadeth.com/ or
www.rattleheadhq.com/
11/15-12/13/07 -Headbanger_71369
I Know I've already posted about Megadeth's Rust In Peace album, but I need to have a post about their career as a whole, so here it goes...
Killing is My Business... (...and Business is Good!) -1985Mustaine's first recording since being ousted from Metallica 2 years before gives true merit to his metal song-writing skills. Megadeth establish a fast/shredding metal sound that is different enough from Metallica to establish a loyal following in their own right.
Highlights:
-Last Rites/Loved to Deth
-Rattlehead
-Mechanix (this is a new arrangement & lyrics for the Metallica song "The Four Horsemen" which Mustaine co-wrote as well- Megadeth speed it up as you will see if you compare the 2)
Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? -1986With Megadeth's 2nd release they establish a level of consistency with their fast metal sound. This recording also seems to have more direction & consistency within itself as well. Political themes make their way into some songs here too (most notably on the title track), a premonition of what will become a trend for Megadeth in the years to come.
Recommended:
-Peace Sells
-Wake Up Dead
-My Last Words (An awesome song about Russian Roulette!)
So Far, So Good... So What! -1988By Megadeth's 3rd album, the drug habits of the group begin to take a toll on their song quality. Although there are certainly some great metal songs on this album, I must bring myself to say it is probably their 2nd-worst album. Don't let this deter you though, it's still a great deal better than many other heavy metal albums that are out there.
Recommended:
-Set the World Afire
-Hook In Mouth
-In My Darkest Hour (this is possibly the best song in Megadeth's whole catalog- funny that the rest of the album doesn't live up to this standard)
RUST IN PEACE -1990I won't spend too much time on this album here. For a more in-depth review, see my "Rust In Peace" post! In a nutshell: This is the BEST Megadeth album ever.
Do not miss: Holy Wars... The Punishment Due
Countdown To Extinction -1992Here is where Megadeth really make a change to their sound & push for the mainstream-radio sound in metal. There are a great number of slower tempo, more melodic songs to be found on this album. Although this move kind of went against their previous trend of heaviness & speed, the album is still an overall success, and highly regarded by many long-time Megadeth fans (myself included) as a great album. My personal favorites:
-Sweating Bullets
-Countdown to Extinction
-Foreclosure of a Dream
-Architecture of Aggression
Youthanasia -1994
This album hits with a bit of a heavier feel than Countdown does, however Megadeth do drift a bit further away from the speed element of their earlier work. The only down side to this album is probably the fact that so many of the songs sound too similar to each other. There are still good ones to choose from, the most distinguishing being "A Tout Le Monde". Other recommendations:
-Reckoning Day
-Family Tree
Hidden Treasures -1995
Since the late 80's, Megadeth had been contributing many songs to various movie soundtracks and compilations over a number of years. Most of these contributions never appeared on an official Megadeth record... until now! This is a collection of previously released songs, none of which had been on a Megadeth release. In essence, it's almost like a Greatest Hits record of all new songs.
Check out:
-Angry Again
-99 Ways to Die
-Go To Hell
-Diadems
MD.45-The Craving -1996
With this side project, Mustaine collaborates with Lee Ving (from the 80's Punk Rock band Fear). I think they were aiming for a blend of Punk and Metal. The overall feel is a very raw sounding metal album. The end result is not bad, it's actually better than a couple of Megadeth's own records. It sounds pretty much like a Megadeth album with Lee on lead vocals. However, when Dave remastered the Megadeth back-catalog, he apparently re-recorder the vocal tracks on this album in his own voice. I haven't heard the remastered version yet, but I'd imagine it makes it sound even more like a real Megadeth album. I'll leave you with a couple of my favorite tracks from this CD:
-Hell's Motel
-Designer Behavior
-Nothing is Something
-Roadman (some parts of this one remind me of Rattlehead from Killing is My Business)
Cryptic Writings -1997
As the 90's wore on, grunge and alternative rock grew to dominate the mainstream of rock & metal music. So much so, that Metallica tried their hand at the craft and saw huge success with 1996's Load. With Cryptic Writings, Megadeth seem to make another lunge at radio-friendly song writing. Of all Megadeth's albums, this one comes closest to repeating the level of mainstream success they had with "Countdown". The songs on this album bring back a variety of sounds and tempos that were missing back on "Youthanasia". A bit of the influence of the alternative rock scene can be heard on the song "I'll Get Even", but overall it's not as evident as it is on Metallica's Load from the previous year. There are a lot of good songs on this album:
-Trust
-Almost Honest
-Use the Man
-I'll Get Even
-She-Wolf
-Fff
Risk -1999Ok, this is it: the only Megadeth album I would actually NOT recommend you buy. It is hands-down the worst Megadeth album. This is the most experimental album they've ever recorded, and it falls short of any expectations. There are elements of Industrial mixed with metal, and other songs are almost pop-metal. Few if any songs can be compared to the rest of Megadeth's work. If you're still curious, a couple songs it wouldn't hurt to try are:
-Prince of Darkness
-Time: The Beginning (& The End)
The World Needs a Hero -2001
This album marks the start of a new era for Megadeth, as Mustaine replaces Friedman on lead guitar and Menza on drums. New members Al Pitrelli (guitar) and Jimmy Degrasso (drums-also from the MD.45 project) help Dave Mustaine right the direction of Megadeth on this effort. The vibe here is definitely closer to "Classic Megadeth" than the previous couple of albums, but it's not quite on the level with "Countdown" or anything that came before that. Still, the good songs on this CD are really good. Check out:
-Disconnect
-MotoPsycho
-Dread & the Fugitive Mind (This one originally appeared on "Capitol Punishment: The Megadeth Years", a best-of album that Capitol Records needed from the band before releasing them from their contract. Megadeth switched to Sanctuary Records afterward)
-Return to Hangar (Yes, it's a sequel to Hangar 18! Not as good as the original, but not bad.)
-When (This is a nice long, epic track dedicated to a bad relationship-much like "In My Darkest Hour" was)
This album was intended to be Dave Mustaine's debut solo-album, however the legal-schmegal fine print of record contracts made it easier for Dave to keep the Megadeth moniker, rather than drop it. From this point on, one may want to view any Megadeth material as Dave Mustaine's solo project.
In spite of another line-up change and the bad-terms exit of original Bassist Dave Ellifson, this CD really gets back to old-school Megadeth thrashing even more than "Hero" did. For the studio work, Dave even brought in former guitarist Chris Poland to help on a lot of the guitar solos. Chris, at one point described this album as "Rust In Peace Part 2". Some of the better songs on this CD truly live up to that praise, too. Mustaine & Poland have several dueling lead guitar solos on the album, much like they used to do up until RIP. Political themed lyrics are back with a sharp tongue as Dave criticizes a variety of issues including the judicial system and international affairs. The only gripe I have with this CD is how the lyrics sometimes don't flow well with the riffs, they seem a bit forced in places. And other lyrics seem to dwell a bit too long on Dave's new grudge with Lars Ulrich (at least it seems so to me). Here are my top suggestions from this album:
-Blackmail the Universe
-Kick the Chair
-Die Dead Enough
-Back In The Day
-Truth Be Told
If "System" was a true return-to-form for Megadeth, then United Abominations may become known as a masterpiece. Here is another solid step in the direction of unyielding thrash. Mustaine has changed the band's line-up (again), but the speed and technical masterwork on lead guitar doesn't skip a beat from "System". If you thought some of the lyrics were controversial on the previous album, then you better brace yourself for some of these. I've never heard good ole' Dave tear into politics without holding anything back as much as he does here. I'll take a moment here to say that although I don't always agree with some of Dave Mustaine's out-spoken opinions, I truly admire him for having the balls to say what he believes. This is what Rock music & Heavy Metal are all about: sticking it to "the man" (thank you, School of Rock). Much of the criticism on this album is aimed at US foreign policy and the actions (and inactions) of the United Nations. But if you can put some of your opinions aside for the sake of banging your head to some shredding metal, then United Abominations is sure to cause you some well-deserved headaches!
Recomended Tracks:
-Sleepwalker
-Washington is Next!
-Gears of War
-Set Me Free (A Tout Le Monde) (this is the exact same song as the original "A Tout Le Monde", just rerecorded and some cool new vocals from Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil. I find it better than the original!)
-United Abominations
All cover images from either:
http://www.megadeth.com/ or
www.rattleheadhq.com/
11/15-12/13/07 -Headbanger_71369
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