AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Megadeth

Artist:Megadeth

Song:Dystopia

Album:Warheads on Foreheads

The thrash metal band Megadeth have been successful since the 80s as an album and touring band. They have never had a hit single and they don't need one. The 2016 album Dystopia was considered to be a return to form after a significant dry period. They are part of a thrash metal subsect led by Metallica. After lead singer and guitarist Dave Mustaine was fired from Metallica in 1983 partly for drug abuse but he also wasn't getting along with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Mustaine vowed revenge by forming a band that would be faster and heavier than Metallica. He saw the word "megadeath" in a political pamphlet. And it stuck with him and he slightly changed the spelling to Megadeth. Mustaine formed the band Fallen Angels which was soon changed to Megadeth. The only band member from the early days who stayed with Megadeth was bassist David Ellefson. They recorded a demo but most of the songs were written by Mustaine when he was in Metallica. So he couldn't use them. Mustaine and Ellefson auditioned plenty of musicians. But they had difficulty findings guys they liked to the point where Mustaine took over as lead singer. He's a terrible singer. They finally settled on drummer Gar Samuelsson and guitarist Chris Poland who were in a jazz band together. Megadeth signed with the indie label Combat and their 1985 debut album Killing Is My Business...and Business Is Good! was successful in underground metal circles. Megadeth called itself State of the Art Speed Metal. For the 1986 album Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?, Megadeth left Combat for Capitol. This change alone got them a larger fanbase. And Mustaine's socially conscious songs struck a chord with listeners. And their videos were played on MTV. Despite the success, Megadeth continued to have problems mostly due to drug abuse. But most of their 90s albums were certified Platinum. Their biggest seller was the 1992 album Countdown to Extinction which was certified 2XPlatinum. Megadeth started to fade in the late 90s. Megadeth left Capitol in 2000. 2002 health problem that left Mustaine unable to play guitar forced him to announce that Megadeth was disbanding. He reformed them in 2004 after his health improved. They were still touring and recording. But record sales were disappointing. For the 2016 album Dystopia, Mustaine signed with Uniiversal. The album did much better than recent album. Critics considered it Megadeth's return to form. This 3CD comp covers Megadeth's entire career and it's available at a reasonable price. Megadeth released their latest album in 2022. And Mustaine says their will be three more Megadeth albums beginning in 2025. Here's the video for Dystopia by Megadeth.