Megadeth Albums- Out of Metallica’s Shadow
December 28th, 2010
Most music historians would agree that Megadeth albums are among the first of its kind in the heavy metal thrash genre. Like many great artistic acts though, this band took the long and difficult road to success.
The rocky start had its roots in Dave Mustaine and his personal history. Megadeth’s founding is undeniably attached to him. This is only rightly so considering that in nearly three decades, he was, and still is, the constant force behind the band. At a time when the band suffered problems with its line up, he took on the roles of guitarist, vocalist and composer.
Megadeth wasn’t initially in Mustaine’s sights. After all, he was already a member of a rising act, Metallica. To date, his own band still trails in commercial sales to Metallica. While playing for the rock hall of fame group, drug use took the better of him and this led to his exit from the group. Mustaine became so enraged that he promised to one day exact revenge on the group that rejected him.
At the time of his exit, Mustaine thought that the best revenge would be to form Megadeth and soon create a Megadeth album that would be so much heavier and quicker than anything by Metallica that fans will buy their Megadeth merch in droves. The feeling of bitterness and the urge for revenge was so strong that the band’s characteristic sound and its name were intentionally adopted because they represented destruction and widespread death. Besting Metallica took on the form of extremely loud music that would leave audiences shell shocked.
Despite the strong drive though, drug use continued to accompany Mustaine in whatever he did. It reportedly even became a standard within the band itself. The band became so plagued with drug use that its members have come and gone in quick succession. The group has had 20 members and most left because of drug use issues. Some may have left for personal reasons but it was clear that the looming destructive power of drugs encompassed most musicians that had a brush with Megadeth.
The band was so far into drugs that it almost became the reason for their downfall even before they could start making music. They were initially given a small budget which they made even smaller after buying drugs with half of it. After this, they had no choice but to produce their first album Killing is My Business… and Business is Good! in 1985. Fortunately, listeners considered the work good.
Drug use and band membership problems endured but this did not stop the band from making more albums. They now have a total of 12 albums released. After their debut, they released Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying, So Far, So Good… So What!, Rust in Peace, Countdown to Extinction, Youthanasia, Cryptic Writings, Risk, The World Needs a Hero, The System has Failed, United Abominations and Endgame.
Apparently, there are songs in Megadeth albums that almost seem like Metallica songs. Obviously, Megadeth would not appreciate the comparison but the similarities are clear in the long instrumental parts and the solo guitar plays. The two groups won’t be sporting the same black hoodie though. What sets Megadeth apart from Metallica is its abrasiveness. Also, they tackle many different social and political issues such as war, drug use and suicide.
Categories: Music and Gadget
