AvaxHome Tribute to Megadeth

"Megadeth" is not a call for Armageddon. It's a name that was built 16 years ago upon a foundation of cold war politics, economic upheaval and cutthroat capitalism. When I left my previous band, I was looking for paper to write lyrics on because I was trying to keep myself from going insane on a four-day bus ride. I found a handbill from Senator Allan Cranston that was talking about the danger of nuclear armament. It said, "The power of megadeath can't be rid", and I thought - "What a fantastic name, it represents extreme power".

Dave Mustaine.

After he left Metallica in 1983, guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine formed the thrash metal quartet Megadeth. Though Megadeth followed the basic blueprint of Metallica's relentless attack, Mustaine's group distinguished themselves from his earlier band by lessening the progressive rock influences, adding an emphasis on instrumental skills, speeding the tempo up slightly, and making the instrumental attack harsher. By streamlining the classic thrash metal approach and making the music more threatening, as well as making the lyrics more nihilistic, Megadeth became one of the leading bands of the genre during the mid-'80s and late '80s. Each album they released went at least gold, and they continually sold out arenas across America, in addition to developing a strong following overseas. By the early '90s, they had toned their music down slightly, yet that simply increased their following; all of their proper '90s albums debuted in the Top Ten…

Stephen Thomas Erlewine, all music.com