Megadeth thrashes the Big Easy
When Dave Mustaine left then-thrash-metal band Panic to join Metallica in 1982, he must have prepared himself for the mercilessness of metal.
Because as soon as allegations of drug abuse forced him out of James Hetfield’s destined-to-rule musical juggernaut one year later, Mustaine took the setback and turned the metal scene on its ear with the up-yours mentality of a true thrasher.
He bounced back with his own metal band, Megadeth, which – after more than 20 years of head banging – will rip apart the Big Easy on Sunday at 7:30 p.m.
Megadeth plays fast and rocks hard, with unforgiving, straightforward cynicism pointed at the political infrastructure of America – something Metallica frequently attempted but often muddied with thick artistic metaphor and restrictive mainstream tendencies.
Megadeth doesn’t play those mainstream games. Albums such as “Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying,” “Countdown to Extinction” and “Youthanasia” speak with controversial directness and urgency that keeps the masses at bay.
This year’s “The System Has Failed” keeps with tradition.
Still, Megadeth knows the glow of the spotlight. “Symphony of Destruction” – an anthem against corruption, power, and societal lemming-ism off 1992’s “Countdown to Extinction” – scored huge on mainstream rock radio and MTV.
And the group has at least five platinum albums.
Fame aside, Mustaine’s fearless band has survived some dark times over the years.
Well, maybe “survived” isn’t the word, considering that the group’s lineup has changed more often than would a chameleon in a kaleidoscope.
The tally: six different guitarists (other than Mustaine), two bassists and six drummers, according to www.megadeth.com.
That’s not all: Megadeth “officially split” in 2002, according to www.rollingstone.com, when Mustaine sustained a nerve injury that left him unable to play for a year.
The group reformed earlier this year – this time without the help of founding bassist David Ellefson.
After replacing another drummer in October, Megadeth set out with an entirely new lineup on the “Blackmail the Universe Tour.”
Get ready for the new Megadeth, Spokane. Sure, Mustaine gives Donald Trump a run for his money in the “you’re fired” department, but no one said metal was easy.
In fact, as you’ll find out at Sunday’s show, metal is rock hard.