181-683: Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine . Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along with Metallica , Anthrax , and Slayer , responsible for the genre's development and popularization. Their music features complex arrangements and fast rhythm sections , dual lead guitars, and lyrical themes of war, politics, religion, death, and personal relationships. In 1985, Megadeth released their debut album, Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! , on
362-515: A distorted bass tone , an approach popularized by Burton and Motörhead 's Lemmy . Lyrical themes in thrash metal include warfare, corruption, injustice, murder, suicide, isolation, alienation, addiction, and other maladies that afflict the individual and society. In addition, politics, particularly pessimism and dissatisfaction towards politics, are common themes among thrash metal bands. Humor and irony can occasionally be found (Anthrax for example), but they are limited, and are an exception rather than
543-496: A $ 25,000 budget from Combat Records. Dissatisfied with its financial limitations, the band left Combat and signed with Capitol Records . Capitol bought the rights to the album, and hired producer Paul Lani to remix the earlier recordings. Released in late 1986, Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? has clearer production and more sophisticated songwriting. Mustaine wanted to write socially conscious lyrics, unlike mainstream heavy metal bands who sang about "hedonistic pleasures". The album
724-473: A Hero , which was near completion when Megadeth joined the Maximum Rock tour six months earlier. Following the negative response to Risk , Mustaine fired Bud Prager and produced the album himself. The songs were written by Mustaine alone, except for "Promises", which had contributions from Pitrelli. Two days before the release of The World Needs a Hero , Megadeth appeared in an episode of VH1 's Behind
905-526: A band of their own. Hanneman and King recruited vocalist/bassist Tom Araya and drummer Dave Lombardo , and Slayer was formed. Slayer was discovered by Metal Blade Records executive Brian Slagel; the band's live performance of Iron Maiden 's "Phantom of the Opera" so impressed him that he promptly signed them to his label. In December 1983, five months after the release of Metallica's debut Kill 'Em All , Slayer released their debut album, Show No Mercy . To
1086-414: A band that was faster and heavier than Metallica. On the bus trip back to Los Angeles, Mustaine found a pamphlet by California senator Alan Cranston that read: "The arsenal of megadeath can't be rid no matter what the peace treaties come to." The term "Megadeath" stuck with Mustaine and he wrote a song with that title with the spelling slightly changed to Megadeth, which, according to Mustaine, represented
1267-575: A compilation album released in November featuring songs interspersed with commentary by the main characters of the animated series Beavis and Butt-Head . The song was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 1995 Grammy Awards . During these sessions, Megadeth recorded a cover version of Black Sabbath 's " Paranoid ", which appeared on the Black Sabbath tribute album Nativity in Black ; it
1448-404: A fan that Ellefson was in correspondence with, initially led to accusations of child grooming . However, Ellefson and the other party both denied the accusations and stated that it was consensual adult conduct. An official statement released the next day from Megadeth stated that the situation was being "watched closely". On May 24, 2021, Dave Mustaine released a statement stating that, in light of
1629-607: A fiction thriller novel titled Rock Star Hitman co-written with Drew Fortier to be released via his book imprint The Ellefson Book Co in December 2020. It was revealed on the Decibel Geek Podcast in an interview with Ellefson and Fortier that an album very loosely tying into Rock Star Hitman recorded with Vinnie Dombroski from Sponge on vocals, Mike Heller from Fear Factory on drums, Drew Fortier on guitar, and Ellefson on bass would be released in 2021 under
1810-425: A foreword by My Life with Deth co-author, and Bass Player Magazine editor Joel McIver . In late 2018, he confirmed he was considered to be a Metallica bassist twice: in 1986, after Cliff Burton was killed in a bus accident, and again in 2002 when bassist Jason Newsted left the band a year earlier. He was not included in the documentary Metallica: Some Kind of Monster showing musicians auditioning for
1991-468: A handful of regional scenes, each of which was generally distinguished by the unique characteristics of its bands. David Ellefson David Warren Ellefson (born November 12, 1964) is an American musician, best known for his long tenure as the bassist and backing vocalist for thrash metal band Megadeth across two stints. Ellefson initially became an accomplished bassist and honed his songwriting skills while leading several of his own bands through
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#17327729234002172-557: A hospital emergency room. After seven weeks in rehab, Mustaine emerged sober again and the band returned to the studio to record " Angry Again ". The song is featured on the soundtrack of the 1993 film Last Action Hero and received a Grammy nomination in 1994. During mid-1993, Megadeth performed at a number of shows with Metallica in Europe. The first was at Milton Keynes Bowl in England, and included Diamond Head . In July, Megadeth
2353-446: A key influence on the genre, due to its sound, which introduced the three-chord thrash style of guitar. Void has been credited as one of the earliest examples of hardcore/heavy metal crossover, whose chaotic musical approach is often cited as particularly influential. Their 1982 split LP with fellow Washington band The Faith showed both bands exhibiting quick, fiery, high-speed punk rock. It has been argued that those recordings laid
2534-492: A major role in the crossover success of thrash metal during this time, but helped push album sales of the genre's "Big Four" and similar bands, or moved them from playing clubs to arenas and stadiums. Anthrax made its mainstream breakthrough in 1987 with the release of their gold-certified album Among the Living , which borrowed elements from their two previous releases, with fast guitar riffs and pounding drums. Shortly after
2715-658: A more aggressive sound after the stylistic variations of its previous two albums, but critics felt it fell short of expectations. Mustaine compared the album to a huge ship at sea, turning and trying to right itself to get back on course. Its lead single, "Moto Psycho", reached number 22 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. A European tour with AC/DC in support of The World Needs a Hero began in mid-2001, followed by an American tour with Iced Earth and Endo in September. Mustaine allowed fans to choose
2896-524: A more heavier direction, including Suicidal Tendencies , who are often considered to be one of the "fathers of crossover thrash", and became more recognized as a thrash metal band in the late 1980s (thanks in large part to the presence of guitarists Rocky George and Mike Clark ); the band would reach new heights of success with their first two major-label albums, How Will I Laugh Tomorrow When I Can't Even Smile Today (1988) and Controlled by Hatred/Feel Like Shit... Déjà Vu (1989). D.R.I. 's music took
3077-515: A more traditional heavy metal sound, Risk was virtually devoid of metal. About the band's musical direction, Dave Mustaine said: "We hit the nadir of our career with Risk , and I vowed after that we were going to get back to our roots. It took a little bit of time to do that." Despite this, Risk was certified gold in the United States. The album's lead single, " Crush 'Em ", appeared on the soundtrack for Universal Soldier: The Return and
3258-732: A multi-headliner, as the three main bands alternated time slots. In addition to the Clash of the Titans tour, Megadeth (along with Testament) supported Judas Priest on their Painkiller tour in North America late in 1990 and appeared at the second Rock in Rio festival in January 1991. In July 1991 the song "Go to Hell" was featured in the film Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey and on its soundtrack. The music for Megadeth's fifth studio album
3439-846: A pick, or plectrum . Ellefson was credited with some Megadeth songs, including "Family Tree" from 1994's Youthanasia (in the 2004 remastered collection of the CD, however, the track is credited to Mustaine, Ellefson, Friedman , Menza , but Mustaine credited the Rust in Peace -era line-up with the entire Youthanasia album as a tribute to the band's success at the time of the record's initial release). Ellefson formed F5 following Megadeth's 2002 disbandment. The band featured Ellefson on bass, Dale Steele on vocals, Steve Conley on lead guitar, John Davis on rhythm guitar, and former Megadeth bandmate Jimmy DeGrasso on drums. Their first album, A Drug for all Seasons ,
3620-412: A pretty broad knowledge of it; [I had] strayed from it for quite a while, [but] now that I have children, I actually do go to church, so I've kinda sorta returned to it, you know?" Ellefson further discussed his Christianity in a 2010 interview on The Full Armor of God Broadcast explaining "I've found that when you just suit up and show up and walk your talk instead of talking your talk all the time, that
3801-527: A primary influence on their playing. Thrash metal bands have also taken inspiration from Judas Priest , with Slayer guitarist Kerry King saying that, "There would be no Slayer without Priest." Metal Blade Records executive Brian Slagel played a key role in bringing the NWOBHM to a larger audience, as he was responsible for discovering both Metallica and Slayer and producing their earliest studio recordings. Greg Prato of Ultimate Guitar notes, "Although
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#17327729234003982-622: A record label and production company, Ellefson Music Productions , also known as EMP Label Group , and would release In Your Face , the debut EP from Phoenix-based all-girl pop punk group Doll Skin (which Ellefson also produced), in conjunction with Megaforce Records in North America, and Cargo Records in Europe. The EP was released October 30 in North America, and December 18 in Europe, and re-released as an LP titled in Your Face (Again) in March 2016 via eOne Distribution . The singles from
4163-442: A recurring segment "Mandatory Megadeth" on Hazaert's Dash Radio show. In January 2017, Ellefson opened Ellefson Coffee Co. in his hometown, Jackson, Minn. In May 2019 Ellefson along with business partner Thom Hazaert formed Ellefson Films and are producing the upcoming found footage horror film Dwellers ; written, directed by, and starring Drew Fortier with James L. Edwards and Douglas Esper co-starring. On top of producing
4344-567: A result, Samuelson and Poland were asked to leave Megadeth in 1987, with Behler becoming the band's full-time drummer. Poland was initially replaced by Jay Reynolds of Malice , but as the band began working on its next record, Reynolds was replaced by his guitar teacher, Jeff Young , when Megadeth was six weeks into the recording of its third album. With a major-label budget, the Paul Lani-produced So Far, So Good... So What! took over five months to record. The production
4525-508: A resurgence in popularity since the 2000s, with the arrival of various bands such as Bonded by Blood , Evile , Hatchet , Havok , Lamb of God , Municipal Waste , and Warbringer , who have all been credited for leading the so-called "thrash metal revival" scene. Thrash metal generally features fast tempos , low-register, complex guitar riffs , high-register guitar solos , and double bass drumming . The rhythm guitar parts are played with heavy distortion and often palm muted to create
4706-484: A return to their signature thrash metal sound, followed by Christ Illusion (2006) and World Painted Blood (2009), both of which marked their first studio albums with drummer Dave Lombardo in nearly two decades. Although their career had declined from its peak in the 1990s, Overkill was perhaps one of the most-active thrash metal groups outside of the "Big Four", having never disbanded or taken longer breaks in-between records, and by 2000's Bloodletting , they were
4887-544: A rule. The term proto-thrash has been used to describe bands as having elements of speed metal or thrash metal before those genres came to prominence in early-to-mid-1980s. Deep Purple 's 1970 album Deep Purple in Rock is perhaps the earliest proto-thrash/speed metal album, as music journalist Martin Popoff noted, "It's really about the discipline and classical haughtiness of this record, as well as 'Hard Lovin' Man' which
5068-707: A side project with vocalist Lee Ving of Fear . The majority of the songs on the album were intended for Megadeth, but due to the band almost disbanding, Mustaine decided to use them for MD.45 instead. The duo hired drummer Jimmy DeGrasso , who had played with Alice Cooper on the South American Monsters of Rock tour earlier that year. Marty Friedman built a studio in his new home in Phoenix and completed his fourth solo album, released in April 1996. In September 1996, Megadeth went to London to work on songs for
5249-567: A similar direction with their last three albums of the 1980s, Crossover (1987), 4 of a Kind (1988), and Thrash Zone (1989), and other bands would follow suit, including The Exploited , Excel (from Suicidal Tendencies' hometown of Venice ) and New York hardcore acts M.O.D. (fronted by former S.O.D. singer Billy Milano ), the Cro-Mags and the Crumbsuckers . From 1987 to 1989, Overkill released Taking Over , Under
5430-423: A slower and Black Sabbath -influenced heavy metal direction with their post-1980s output, adapting influences and textures of sludge , doom metal , blues, and southern rock on several of their albums, including Blind (1991), Deliverance (1994) and Wiseblood (1996). In the wake of the success of groove metal , instigated by Pantera (who went on to become one of the most successful heavy metal bands of
5611-557: A solo recording by Friedman when he was in Cacophony . Mustaine and Ellefson were satisfied with Friedman's style and thought that he understood Megadeth's music. With Friedman in the group, the band completed what fans consider the definitive Megadeth lineup. The revitalized band entered the studio at Rumbo Recorders in March 1990 with co-producer Mike Clink to begin Megadeth's most critically acclaimed album, Rust in Peace . Clink
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5792-569: A song entitled "Hit the Lights". Leather Charm soon disbanded and the band's primary songwriter, vocalist/rhythm guitarist James Hetfield , met drummer Lars Ulrich through a classified advertisement. Together, Hetfield and Ulrich formed Metallica , one of the "Big Four" thrash bands, with lead guitarist Dave Mustaine , who would later form Megadeth , another of the "Big Four" originators of thrash, and bassist Ron McGovney . McGovney would be replaced by Cliff Burton (formerly of Trauma ), and Mustaine
5973-512: A stylistic change in the band, eliminating much of the speed and longer song structures of the band's previous work, and instead focusing on more concise and heavier songs. The album was a change in Metallica's direction from the thrash metal style of the band's previous four studio albums towards a more contemporary heavy metal sound with original hard rock elements, but still had remnant characteristics of thrash metal. It would go on to become
6154-424: A tight musical bond. Despite his enthusiasm, Mustaine had trouble finding other members to fill out the lineup. He and Ellefson auditioned about 15 drummers, hoping to find one who understood meter changes in music. After briefly playing with Dijon Carruthers, they selected Lee Rauch . Following six months of trying to find a lead singer, Mustaine decided to perform lead vocals himself. Singers who temporarily joined
6335-424: A tighter and more precise sound. Vocally, thrash metal can employ anything from melodic singing to shouted or screamed vocals. Most guitar solos are played at high speed and technically demanding, as they are usually characterized by shredding , and use advanced techniques such as sweep picking , legato phrasing , alternate picking , tremolo picking , string skipping , and two-hand tapping . David Ellefson ,
6516-501: Is a chromatic descent, followed by a chromatic ascent based on the tritone . Speed, pacing, and time changes also define thrash metal. Thrash tends to have an accelerating feel which may be due in large part to its aggressive drumming style. For example, drummers often use two bass drums, or a double-bass pedal to create a relentless, driving beat. Cymbal stops/ chokes are often used to transition from one riff to another or to precede an acceleration in tempo. Some common characteristics of
6697-471: Is a great contender for first proto-thrash song ever." Queen 's 1974 song " Stone Cold Crazy " and Black Sabbath's " Symptom of the Universe ", released the following year, have also been cited as examples of proto-thrash/speed metal; the latter of which was a direct inspiration for Diamond Head 's pioneering song " Am I Evil? ". The new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) bands emerging from Britain in
6878-545: Is known for combining traditional thrash metal with elements of progressive, jazz or classical music . In a 2013 interview with Rolling Stone , Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante said: "When I was first learning to play drums, I would strap on my headphones, play along with [Rush's live album All the World's a Stage ] and be transformed. I remember talking with Cliff [Burton] and Kirk [Hammett of Metallica] back when we first met, and we all agreed how much of an influence Rush
7059-470: Is often the best testimony!" In an article titled CODA – Ready for a MEGA Life, Ellefson indicated that in the fall of 2007 he began the new MEGA Life Ministries worship service in Scottsdale, AZ. "Oddly, the service has become one of my most rewarding and musically invigorating gigs I've ever had ... a gig that literally landed in my lap and not something I had to chase down either. Not only are
7240-575: The Billboard 200 chart at number two and was certified double platinum in the United States. It received a nomination for Best Metal Performance at the 1993 Grammy Awards , and its title track won a Genesis Award from the Humane Society in 1993 for raising awareness for animal rights issues. Ellefson later said that he and Friedman were disappointed that Megadeth did not win the Grammy: "It
7421-645: The Dream Evil tour and supported Iron Maiden on their Seventh Son of a Seventh Son tour , both in the United States. They also headlined a North American tour with Warlock and Sanctuary (whose debut album Refuge Denied was produced by Mustaine), and a European trek with Testament , Nuclear Assault , Flotsam and Jetsam and Sanctuary. In June 1988, Megadeth appeared in Penelope Spheeris ' documentary The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years . The documentary chronicled
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7602-700: The Billboard 200 and was led by "Die Dead Enough", which reached number 21 on the US Mainstream Rock chart . Mustaine announced that the album would be the band's last and would be followed by a farewell tour, after which he would focus on a solo career. Thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash ) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and fast tempo. The songs usually use fast percussive beats and low-register guitar riffs , overlaid with shredding -style lead guitar work. The genre emerged in
7783-495: The Sepultura EP Bestial Devastation . Seven Churches and To Mega Therion are often credited for pioneering and popularizing the mid-1980s extreme metal scene (as well as the then-developing genres of death metal and black metal , respectively), while Energetic Disassembly has been cited as the first progressive/technical thrash metal album. From a creative standpoint, the year 1986
7964-639: The Trans-Siberian Orchestra , became Friedman's replacement. Megadeth returned to the studio in April to work on its ninth studio album. A month into production, the band received an offer to join the Maximum Rock tour with Anthrax and Mötley Crüe . Megadeth put the recording on hold and toured North America during the second quarter of 2000. Early in the tour, Anthrax was removed from the bill, allowing Megadeth to play an extended co-headlining set. The tour, however, suffered from poor ticket sales. After 15 years with Capitol Records, Megadeth left
8145-458: The radial nerve . He was subsequently diagnosed with radial neuropathy , which left him unable to grasp or make a fist with his left hand. On April 3, Mustaine announced in a press release that he was disbanding Megadeth, as his arm injury rendered him unable to play guitar. For the next four months, he had physical therapy five days a week, and slowly began to "re-teach" his left hand. To fulfill contract obligations to Sanctuary, Megadeth released
8326-476: The "Big Four" of U.S. thrash metal. Other U.S. bands, such as Overkill , Metal Church , and Bay Area acts Exodus , Testament and Death Angel , never achieved the popularity of the "Big Four" but also had considerable success during the late 1980s and early 1990s, particularly on the strength of airplay on MTV 's Headbangers Ball . Some of the most successful international thrash metal bands from this era were Brazil's Sepultura , Canada's Voivod , and
8507-460: The "Big Four", Anthrax (who, like Metallica, formed in 1981), and their song "Metal Thrashing Mad". Before this, Metallica frontman James Hetfield referred to his band's sound as speed metal or power metal . Another "Big Four" thrash band formed in Los Angeles in 1981, when guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King met while auditioning for the same band and subsequently decided to form
8688-414: The 1980s. The early thrash metal movement revolved around independent record labels, including Megaforce , Metal Blade , Combat , Roadrunner , and Noise , and the underground tape trading industry in both Europe and North America. The genre was commercially successful from approximately 1985 through 1991, bringing prominence to Metallica , Slayer , Megadeth , and Anthrax , all grouped together as
8869-727: The 1990s), several thrash metal established bands started to expand their sound by adding elements and influences from the groove metal genre. Anthrax, who had recently replaced Joey Belladonna with John Bush as their singer, began stepping away from their previously established thrash metal formula to a more accessible alternative/groove metal approach for the remainder of their 1990s output, starting with and including Sound of White Noise (1993). Sacred Reich, Overkill, Coroner, Prong, Testament, and Forbidden followed this trend with their respective albums Independent , I Hear Black , Grin , Cleansing , Low , and Distortion . Sepultura's 1993 album Chaos A.D. also marked
9050-427: The 2000s. In 2003, Anthrax released their first studio album in five years We've Come for You All , followed a month later by Metallica's double platinum-certified album St. Anger . After experimenting further with a commercialized sound on their previous few albums, Megadeth returned to its heavier sound with their ninth album The World Needs a Hero (2001). It would be the band's final album before disbanding in
9231-579: The Bay Area would subsequently reunite, including Anthrax (twice with Joey Belladonna and briefly with John Bush ), Dark Angel , Nuclear Assault , Sacred Reich , UK bands Onslaught , Sabbat , and Xentrix , and Canada's Sacrifice , renewing interest in previous decades. The term "thrash-revivalists" has been applied to such bands as Lamb of God , Municipal Waste , Evile , Havok , Warbringer , Vektor , Bonded by Blood , Hatchet , and Power Trip . Evile's 2007 debut album Enter
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#17327729234009412-803: The Chapel and Overkill respectively. This led to a heavier-sounding form of thrash, which was reflected in Exodus' debut album Bonded by Blood , Slayer's Hell Awaits and Anthrax's Spreading the Disease , all three released in 1985. Several other debut albums were released that same year, including Megadeth's Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! , Overkill's Feel the Fire , Kreator's Endless Pain , Destruction's Infernal Overkill , Possessed 's Seven Churches , Celtic Frost 's To Mega Therion , Watchtower 's Energetic Disassembly and
9593-629: The Deceiver (released on the Fourth of July in 1986) received some attention as well, due to the album being "the first of only a handful" to ever receive a 6K rating from Kerrang! magazine, and it is also notable for featuring a then-unknown Jason Newsted , who, not long after the album's release, joined Metallica as Burton's replacement. Also during the mid-to-late 1980s, bands such as Suicidal Tendencies , D.R.I. , S.O.D. (who featured three-fifths of Anthrax), and Corrosion of Conformity paved
9774-654: The Dying... and the Dead! Ellefson's parts were overdubbed by Steve Di Giorgio of Testament . Former Megadeth bassist James LoMenzo , who Ellefson replaced in 2010, would rejoin Megadeth in 2022 as Ellefson's full-time replacement. Following his departure from Megadeth, Ellefson formed a new band named The Lucid . With Ellefson on bass, the band also consists of drummer Mike Heller ( Fear Factory , Malignancy ), guitarist Drew Fortier , and vocalist Vinnie Dombroski ( Sponge , Spys4Darwin ). Between September and October 2021,
9955-595: The EP were released; "Saddle Up and Ride", "Mumps", "Risk Machine", and "Sweet Toof". In 2022, Ellefson formed the death metal band Dieth with Guilherme Miranda on guitar and vocals and Michał Łysejko on drums. The band released their first single, In the Hall of the Hanging Serpents , on July 13, 2022. The band released three more singles and their first album To Hell and Back in 2023. Song Walk With Me Forever from
10136-532: The Grave , produced by former Metallica producer and engineer Flemming Rasmussen , received considerable praise for its sound, which combined elements of the sounds of Slayer and the Bay Area scene (particularly Exodus and Testament). Los Angeles-based bands Warbringer and Bonded by Blood took a similar approach on their respective debut albums, War Without End and Feed the Beast , both released in 2008. Perhaps
10317-611: The Influence , and The Years of Decay , three albums considered their best. Each of the "Big Four" of thrash metal bands released albums in 1988: Slayer released South of Heaven , Megadeth released So Far, So Good... So What! , Anthrax released State of Euphoria while Metallica's ...And Justice for All spawned the band's first video and Top 40 hit, the World War I –themed song " One ". That same year, Metallica joined Van Halen , Scorpions , Dokken and Kingdom Come on
10498-588: The LP received airplay on many prominent stations in the US and Europe, including Rodney Bingenheimer 's weekly show on influential LA Rock station KROQ . Since forming in 2015, EMP Label Group has secured distribution from eOne in North America and SPV in Europe, with the roster spread among several imprints including EMP Label Group ( Ellefson Music Productions in Europe) and EMP Underground . Ellefson also appears on
10679-463: The Lights" would later open their first studio album, Kill 'Em All , released in July 1983. Kill 'Em All is widely regarded as the first thrash metal album, and one of the album's tracks " Whiplash " has been referred to as one of the first songs of the genre. The term "thrash metal" was first used in the music press by Kerrang! magazine's journalist Malcolm Dome while referring to another of
10860-471: The Los Angeles heavy metal scene of the late 1980s, and Spheeris, who had directed Megadeth in the video for " Wake Up Dead ", decided to include them to feature a more serious band in contrast to the glam metal groups. Mustaine remembered the film as a disappointment, as it aligned Megadeth with "a bunch of shit bands". In August, the band appeared at the Monsters of Rock festival at Castle Donington in
11041-490: The Lucid, Ellefson had various side projects, which include Temple of Brutality, F5 , Killing Machine, and Metal Allegiance . Other than guitarist, vocalist, and primary lyricist Dave Mustaine , Ellefson was the only constant member of Megadeth from the time of their establishment in 1983 to the group's dissolution in 2002; Mustaine reformed Megadeth without Ellefson in 2004. Mustaine referred to Ellefson as "Dave Junior", which
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#173277292340011222-653: The Monsters of Rock festival in Brazil, co-headlining with Alice Cooper and Ozzy Osbourne . In January 1995, Megadeth appeared on the soundtrack of the horror movie Demon Knight with the song "Diadems". In July, Megadeth released Hidden Treasures , an extended play featuring songs which originally appeared on movie soundtracks and tribute albums. After completing the extensive world tour in support of Youthanasia , Megadeth took time off in most of 1996 and nearly broke up. During this period, Mustaine began work on MD.45 ,
11403-703: The Music showcasing Mustaine, Ellefson, several past members, and Mustaine's old Metallica bandmates James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. The World Needs a Hero was released in May 2001 and debuted at number sixteen on the Billboard 200. It was banned in Malaysia when the national government determined that the album's artwork was "unsuitable for the nation's youth". Consequently, the band canceled its concert of August 2 in Kuala Lumpur . The album marked Megadeth's return to
11584-576: The Rust in Peace 20th Anniversary Tour. He has since moved onto using the Kilo amplifier. In early 2011, Jackson released a Dave Ellefson Concert and Kellybird signature model, both in 4-string and 5-string variants. According to providence website, Ellefson has used or is still using the Dual Bass Station. Ellefson formerly used Peavey amps and his Peavey Zodiac DE Scorpio 4-string signature bass. In
11765-489: The Titans festival, which was held in August 2001 as a co-benefit concert for Testament singer Chuck Billy and Death 's Chuck Schuldiner , who were both battling cancer. The show is also notable for seeing several of Testament's Bay Area thrash metal contemporaries, including Exodus, Death Angel, Vio-lence , Forbidden Evil , Sadus and Legacy (a precursor to Testament), reunited. Many thrash metal bands from outside of
11946-556: The United Kingdom, performing to an audience of more than 100,000. One show featured a guest appearance by Metallica drummer (and Mustaine's former bandmate) Lars Ulrich. The band was added to the Monsters of Rock European tour, but left after the first show due to Ellefson's drug problems, for which he was treated immediately. Megadeth was replaced by Testament. Shortly after the Monsters of Rock appearance, Mustaine fired Behler and Young and canceled Megadeth's Australian tour. "On
12127-580: The United States for five of its sixteen studio albums, and has received twelve Grammy nominations . Megadeth won its first Grammy Award in 2017 for the song " Dystopia " in the Best Metal Performance category. The band's mascot, Vic Rattlehead , regularly appears on album artwork and live shows. Megadeth has hosted its own music festival, Gigantour , several times since July 2005, and held its first MegaCruise in October 2019. As of 2023,
12308-429: The United States. During the tour, Mustaine and Ellefson considered firing Samuelson for his drug abuse. According to Mustaine, Samuelson had become too much to handle when intoxicated. Drummer Chuck Behler traveled with Megadeth for the last dates of the tour as the other band members feared Samuelson would not be able to continue. Poland quarreled with Mustaine, and was accused of selling band equipment to buy heroin. As
12489-490: The Vatican ; the latter three are often credited for being an integral part of the then-developing groove metal genre. All of those albums were commercial high points for the aforementioned artists. During this period, Megadeth and Slayer co-headlined one of the most successful tours in thrash metal history called the Clash of the Titans ; the first leg in Europe included support from Testament and Suicidal Tendencies, while
12670-436: The airy feel of synthesizers , popularized in industrial metal. Today the placing of bands within distinct sub-genres remains a source of contention for heavy metal fans, however, little debate resides over the fact that thrash metal is the sole proprietor of its respective spin-offs. A few thrash metal bands from the 1980s and early 1990s, particularly the genre's U.S. "big four", continued recording and touring with success in
12851-437: The album "raised the bar for the whole thrash metal scene, with guitarists forced to perform even more accurately and powerfully". The front cover marked the debut of band mascot Vic Rattlehead , who regularly appeared on subsequent album artwork. Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! features "Mechanix", a song Mustaine wrote during his time with Metallica. Though Mustaine told the band after his dismissal not to use
13032-477: The album was mixed. The album featured a diverse set of songs which the Los Angeles Times described as a "rousing balance" between older material and experimental songs. Asked about the album's eclecticism, Mustaine said that Cryptic Writings was divided into thirds. One part was based around faster, more aggressive material, another was "radio-orientated music like Youthanasia ", and the final third
13213-415: The annihilation of power. After arriving back in Los Angeles, Mustaine began the search for new bandmates for his band. He formed the band Fallen Angels, which included Lor Kane on vocals, Robby McKinney on guitar and Matt Kisselstein on bass, in April 1983. The band's name was changed to Megadeth on Kane's recommendation. As the founder, Mustaine added his new neighbors David Ellefson and Greg Handevidt to
13394-450: The band Massakre (1985) in Chile . In Europe, the earliest band of the emerging thrash movement was Venom from Newcastle upon Tyne , formed in 1979. Their 1982 album Black Metal has been cited as a major influence on many subsequent genres and bands in the extreme metal world, such as Bathory , Hellhammer , Slayer, and Mayhem . The European scene was almost exclusively influenced by
13575-514: The band $ 8,000 to record and produce its debut album. After spending $ 4,000 of the budget on drugs, alcohol, and food, the band fired the original producer and finished the recording themselves. Despite its low- fidelity sound, Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! was relatively successful in underground metal circles and attracted major-label interest. The band was calling itself State Of The Art Speed Metal. Music writer Joel McIver praised its "blistering technicality" and stated that
13756-404: The band and contacted the fan-favorite Rust in Peace lineup to re-record backing tracks. While drummer Nick Menza agreed to return, both Marty Friedman and David Ellefson were unable to come to an agreement with Mustaine. Menza was sent home shortly after rehearsals began, a few days before the start of a tour supporting Megadeth's upcoming album. Mustaine said Menza was insufficiently prepared for
13937-587: The band built its own recording studio in Phoenix in a rented warehouse, later called "Fat Planet in Hangar 18". During the studio's construction, much of the pre-production songwriting and arrangements were done at Vintage Recorders in Phoenix. At Norman's suggestion, the tracks on Youthanasia had a slower tempo than previous albums, at about 120 beats per minute . The band abandoned the progressive approach from its previous albums and focused on stronger vocal melodies and more accessible, radio-friendly arrangements. For
14118-563: The band in late 2008. The band was, as of April 2009, touring Europe. Ellefson participated in the Christmas Rock project Northern Light Orchestra , he performed bass on many of the 17 tracks produced by rock drummer Ken Mary and also at the live show Christmas in April Orpheum Theatre , Phoenix , Arizona. In February 2010, Ellefson received a text message from Megadeth drummer Shawn Drover , saying "if ever there
14299-481: The band included Billy Bonds and John Cyriis, who would found Agent Steel after his firing from Megadeth. In 1984, Megadeth recorded a three-song demo tape featuring Mustaine, Ellefson, and Rauch. The demo tape, Last Rites , was released on March 9, 1984. It featured early versions of "Last Rites/Loved to Death", "The Skull Beneath the Skin", and " Mechanix ", all of which appeared on the band's debut album. The band
14480-493: The band released three singles; "Maggot Wind", "Damned", and " Hair ". Their self-titled debut, The Lucid , was released on October 15, 2021. In January 2023, the Lucid released their sophomore effort, a five-track EP titled Saddle Up and Ride . The EP includes a guest performance from Insane Clown Posse vocalist Violent J on the title track as well as a cover of Faith No More 's " Epic " retitled as "Sweet Toof". Between December 2022 and January 2023, four singles from
14661-462: The band sold more than fifty million albums worldwide. On April 11, 1983, Dave Mustaine was fired from Metallica just prior to the band recording their debut album Kill 'Em All due to substance abuse and personal conflicts with James Hetfield kicking his dog. As Metallica's lead guitarist since 1981, Mustaine had composed some of the group's early songs and helped hone the band into a tight live unit. Afterward, Mustaine vowed revenge by forming
14842-459: The band that David Ellefson had once again parted ways with Megadeth, following allegations of sexual misconduct with an underage fan. Ellefson denied any wrongdoing, and the other party denied being underage and said explicit videos were released without her consent. On June 17, 2021, Dave Mustaine announced in his weekly Gimme Radio show that he intended to hire a new bassist to rerecord Ellefson's bass tracks for Megadeth's 2022 album The Sick,
15023-558: The band's best-selling album and began a wave of thrash metal bands releasing more garage-oriented albums, or else more experimental ones. The era of 1991–1992 marked the beginning of the end of thrash metal's commercial peak, due to the rising popularity of the alternative metal and grunge movements (the latter spearheaded by Washington -based bands Nirvana , Soundgarden , Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam ). In response to this climate change, many thrash metal bands that had emerged from
15204-403: The band's earlier sound. Megadeth took a more accessible heavy metal route starting with their 1992 album Countdown to Extinction . Testament, Exodus and Flotsam and Jetsam all took a melodic/progressive approach with the albums The Ritual , Force of Habit , and Cuatro , respectively. One of the pioneers of crossover thrash, Corrosion of Conformity , began changing their sound into
15385-409: The band, however, and after Newsted's departure the position was ultimately filled by Robert Trujillo (former Suicidal Tendencies , Infectious Grooves and Ozzy Osbourne ). In 2019, Ellefson said since he rejoined Megadeth, he is a salaried member as opposed to being an "equal owner" with Mustaine in order to retain their friendship. On May 24, 2021, Dave Mustaine released a statement on behalf of
15566-492: The band, who had moved from Minnesota to Los Angeles and played bass and guitar, respectively. Ellefson has stated that Handevidt, rather than Kane, came up with the idea to change the band name. A demo was recorded by the lineup (which had expanded to include Richard Girod on drums), though the band realized that they would have to retool some of the songs following the release of Metallica's debut album, in July 1983. The only Metallica-era song that ended up on Megadeth's debut album
15747-505: The beginning of their transition away from death/thrash metal to groove metal which had influenced then-up-and-coming bands like Korn , who reciprocally became the inspiration behind the nu metal style of the band's next album Roots (1996). Roots would influence a generation of bands from Linkin Park to Slipknot , which during the 1990s meant the replacement of death, thrash, and speed, by nu metal and metalcore as popular epicenters of
15928-468: The club scene of North America's Midwest region before relocating to Los Angeles. He was then the bassist of Megadeth from 1983 to their breakup in 2002, and again from 2010 to 2021. Ellefson co-founded the hard rock band the Lucid in 2021 alongside vocalist Vinnie Dombroski ( Sponge ), guitarist Drew Fortier (formerly of Bang Tango ), and drummer Mike Heller ( Fear Factory , Malignancy , Raven ). In addition to playing bass guitar in Megadeth and
16109-549: The compilation album Still Alive... and Well? . The first half of the album contains live tracks recorded at the Web Theatre in Phoenix, and the second half has studio recordings from The World Needs a Hero . Following nearly a year of recovery, including physical and electroshock therapy , Mustaine began work on what was to have been his first solo album. The new material was recorded with session musicians Vinnie Colaiuta and Jimmie Lee Sloas in October 2003. The project
16290-865: The cornerstones of jazz-metal fusion and a major influence on the technical death metal genre, while Forced Entry 's debut album Uncertain Future helped pioneer the late 1980s Seattle music scene. A number of more typical but technically sophisticated albums were released in 1990, including Megadeth's Rust in Peace , Anthrax's Persistence of Time , Slayer's Seasons in the Abyss , Suicidal Tendencies' Lights...Camera...Revolution! , Testament's Souls of Black , Kreator's Coma of Souls , Destruction's Cracked Brain , Forbidden's Twisted into Form , Exodus' Impact Is Imminent , Sacred Reich 's The American Way , Prong 's Beg to Differ , Pantera 's Cowboys from Hell and Exhorder 's Slaughter in
16471-542: The early 1980s as musicians began fusing the double bass drumming and complex guitar stylings of the new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) with the speed and aggression of hardcore punk and the technicality of progressive music . Philosophically, thrash metal developed as a backlash against both the conservatism of the Reagan era and the much more moderate, pop -influenced, and widely accessible heavy metal subgenre of glam metal which also developed concurrently in
16652-512: The early days of Megadeth, Ellefson, along with Dave Mustaine , primarily used B.C. Rich instruments, most notably Ironbird and Mockingbird basses, the latter of which he has still been known to periodically bring out on occasion. Ellefson plays exclusively with a guitar pick , as he is unable to perform in fingerstyle the fast tempos and palm-muting in many Megadeth songs. Ellefson shifted exclusively to pick playing since Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? , after recording their debut effort with
16833-445: The emphasis on atmosphere over rhythm. As further extreme metal genres came to prominence in the 1990s ( industrial metal , death metal, and black metal each finding their own fanbase), the heavy metal "family tree" soon found itself blending aesthetics and styles. For example, bands with all the musical traits of thrash metal began using death growls , a vocal style borrowed from death metal, while black metal bands often utilized
17014-514: The first band in the genre to release more than ten studio albums. Overkill's popularity was reignited in the 2010s, with three of their albums, The Electric Age (2012), White Devil Armory (2014) and The Grinding Wheel (2017), all entering the Top 100 on the Billboard charts. The resurgence of interest in the thrash metal genre during the early 2000s was widely attributed to the Thrash of
17195-478: The first time in ten years. With Mustaine sober, Megadeth continued searching for a new lead guitarist. Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash had been jamming with Mustaine and Ellefson, and although it seemed that he might join Megadeth, he remained with Guns N' Roses. Dimebag Darrell of Pantera was offered the job, but the deal fell through after Mustaine refused his request to recruit his brother, Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul , as he had already hired Menza. The offer
17376-421: The first time, Megadeth wrote and arranged the entire album in the studio, including basic tracks recorded live by the entire band. The album's recording was video recorded and released as Evolver: The Making of Youthanasia in 1995. After eight months of studio work, Youthanasia was released in November 1994. It debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 and charted in several European countries. The album
17557-423: The following year, due to an arm injury that had left Dave Mustaine unable to play guitar; he would eventually reform Megadeth for a handful albums, including The System Has Failed (2004) which was originally going to be released as a solo album by him, before reuniting with co-founding member and bassist David Ellefson in 2010. Slayer released three albums in the 2000s: God Hates Us All (2001), which saw
17738-412: The former with more focus on melody rather than chromaticism. The blending of punk ethos and metal's brutal nature led to even more extreme, underground styles after thrash metal began gaining mild commercial success in the late 1980s. With gorier subject matter, heavier down tuning of guitars, more consistent use of blast beat drumming , and darker, atonal death growls , death metal was established in
17919-703: The foundation for early thrash metal, at least in terms of selected tempos, and that thrash is essentially hardcore punk with the technical proficiency missing from that genre. The crossover with hardcore punk has also been cited as important influence on thrash, especially the English hardcore punk band Discharge, whose "influence on heavy metal is incalculable and metal superstars such as Metallica, Anthrax, Machine Head , Sepultura , Soulfly , Prong and Arch Enemy have covered Discharge's songs in tribute." The eponymous debut albums by D.R.I. and Suicidal Tendencies , both released in 1983, have been credited for paving
18100-471: The genre are fast guitar riffs with aggressive picking styles and fast guitar solos, and extensive use of two bass drums as opposed to the conventional use of only one, typical of most rock music. To keep up with the other instruments, many bassists use a plectrum (pick). However, some prominent thrash metal bassists have used their fingers , such as Frank Bello , Greg Christian , Steve Di Giorgio , Robert Trujillo , and Cliff Burton . Several bassists use
18281-442: The genre's " Big Teutonic Four ": Kreator , Destruction , Sodom , and Tankard . The thrash metal genre had declined in popularity by the mid-1990s, due to the commercial success of numerous genres such as alternative rock , grunge , and later pop-punk and nu metal . In response, some bands either disbanded or moved away from their thrash metal roots and more towards groove metal or alternative metal . The genre has seen
18462-482: The genre, such as Havok and Legion of the Damned have turned their focus towards a more aggressive rendition of thrash metal, incorporating elements of melodic death metal . Thrash metal is directly responsible for the development of underground metal genres, such as death metal, black metal , and groove metal . In addition to this, metalcore , grindcore , and deathcore employ similar riffs in their composition,
18643-475: The group also played shows with the original lead guitarist for Megadeth, Greg Handevidt. Ellefson and Handevidt were the first two members who joined Megadeth. In April 2024, Ellefson will be filling in for bassist D.D. Verni on Overkill 's upcoming Latin American tour, as Verni will be unable to perform as he is recovering from shoulder surgery. In October 2015 it was announced that Ellefson had launched
18824-399: The group began recording its second album for Combat. According to Mustaine, Megadeth was under pressure to deliver another successful album: "That sophomore offering is the 'be-all or end-all' of any band. You either go to the next level, or it's the beginning of the nadir." Mustaine composed the music for the album, with the other members adding arrangement ideas. The album was produced on
19005-476: The hardest metal scene. Staying away from this new commercial mainstream of groove metal, metalcore, and especially nu metal, the second wave of black metal emerged as an opposed underground music scene, initially in Norway . This crop of new bands differenced themselves from the "first wave" by totally distilling black metal from the combined origins with thrash metal, but they preserved from all these sub-genres
19186-415: The independent record label Combat Records , to moderate success. It caught the attention of bigger labels, which led to Megadeth signing with Capitol Records . Their first major-label album, Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? , was released in 1986 and was a major hit with the underground metal scene. Band members' substance abuse issues and personal disputes had brought Megadeth negative publicity during
19367-485: The intensity and sonic qualities of thrash metal and plays them at mid- tempo , with most bands making only occasional forays into fast tempo, but since the early 1990s, it started to favor a more death metal–derived sound. Thrash metal with stronger punk elements is called crossover thrash . Its overall sound is more punk-influenced than traditional thrash metal but has more heavy metal elements than hardcore punk and thrashcore . Thrash metal emerged predominantly from
19548-459: The jazz band The New Yorkers with guitarist Chris Poland . After seeing Samuelson perform with Megadeth as a trio, Poland went backstage and suggested an impromptu audition as lead guitarist for the band; he joined Megadeth in December 1984. After considering several labels, Mustaine signed the band to Combat Records , a New York-based Independent record label that offered Megadeth the highest budget to record and tour. In 1985, Combat Records gave
19729-567: The label in July 2000. According to Mustaine, the departure was due to ongoing tensions with Capitol management. Capitol returned the band's newest recordings and released a greatest hits album, Capitol Punishment: The Megadeth Years , with two new tracks: "Kill the King" and "Dread and the Fugitive Mind". In November, Megadeth signed with Sanctuary Records . The band returned to the studio in October to finish its next album, The World Needs
19910-523: The late 1970s further influenced the development of early thrash. The early work of artists such as Diamond Head, Iron Maiden , Venom , Motörhead , Tygers of Pan Tang , Raven , and Angel Witch , among others, introduced the fast-paced and intricate musicianship that became core aspects of thrash. Phil Taylor 's double-bass drumming featured in Motörhead's 1979 song " Overkill " has been acknowledged by many thrash drummers, most notably Lars Ulrich , as
20091-481: The late 1980s. Nonetheless, the band went on to release a number of platinum-selling albums , including So Far, So Good... So What! (1988), Rust in Peace (1990), and Countdown to Extinction (1992). These albums, along with worldwide tours, brought them public recognition. Megadeth's most recent album, The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! , was released in 2022. Megadeth has undergone multiple lineup changes throughout its 41-year career, with Mustaine being
20272-420: The latter album demonstrated a sound that was primarily driven by the fretless bass of Steve Di Giorgio . Also in 1988, Blind Illusion released its only studio album for more than two decades, The Sane Asylum , which received some particular attention as it was produced by Kirk Hammett , and is also notable for featuring bassist Les Claypool and former Possessed guitarist Larry LaLonde ; after its release,
20453-572: The mid-1980s. Black metal, also related to thrash metal, emerged at the same time, with many black metal bands taking influence from thrash metal bands such as Venom . Black metal continued deviating from thrash metal, often providing more orchestral overtones, open tremolo picking , blast beat drumming, shrieked or raspy vocals and pagan or occult -based aesthetics to distinguish itself from thrash metal. Thrash metal would later combine with its spinoffs, thus giving rise to genres like blackened thrash metal and deathrash . Groove metal takes
20634-556: The mixing, and Lani was replaced by Michael Wagener , who remixed the album. So Far, So Good... So What! was released in January 1988 and was well received by fans and critics. The album featured a cover version of the Sex Pistols ' " Anarchy in the U.K. "; Mustaine changed the lyrics, later saying that he had simply heard them incorrectly. To support the album, Megadeth embarked on a world tour that lasted for nearly eight months. The band (along with Savatage ) opened for Dio on
20815-649: The most aggressive music Germany and England were producing at the time. British bands such as Tank and Raven , along with German bands Accept (whose 1982 song " Fast as a Shark " is often credited as one of the first-ever thrash/speed metal songs) and Living Death , motivated musicians from central Europe to start bands of their own, eventually producing groups such as Sodom , Kreator , and Destruction from Germany, as well as Switzerland's Celtic Frost (formed by two-thirds of Hellhammer ), Coroner and Carrion (who later became Poltergeist ) and Denmark's Artillery . In 1981, Los Angeles band Leather Charm wrote
20996-761: The most commercially successful band from the 2000s and 2010s thrash metal revival movement is Lamb of God, who are also considered a key part of the new wave of American heavy metal movement, have received two gold-certified albums in the U.S., and continue to play from small clubs to arenas and stadiums. Notable bands returned to their roots with releases such as Kreator's Violent Revolution (2001), Metallica's Death Magnetic (2008), Megadeth's Endgame (2009), Slayer's World Painted Blood (2009), Exodus' Exhibit B: The Human Condition (2010), Overkill's Ironbound (2010), Anthrax's Worship Music (2011), Testament's Dark Roots of Earth (2012), and Flotsam and Jetsam's Ugly Noise (2012). More recent bands of
21177-484: The most sinister thrash metal bands of the early 1980s, released Reign in Blood in October, an album considered by some to have single-handedly inspired the death metal genre. Also in October, Nuclear Assault released their debut album Game Over , followed a month later by Dark Angel 's Darkness Descends , which marked the debut of renowned drummer Gene Hoglan . Flotsam and Jetsam 's debut album Doomsday for
21358-462: The music he had written, Metallica recorded a different version of the song, "The Four Horsemen", with a slower tempo and a melodic middle section. The album also included a cover of Nancy Sinatra 's " These Boots Are Made for Walkin' ", at a faster tempo and with altered lyrics. Megadeth's version generated controversy during the 1990s, when its writer, Lee Hazlewood , called Mustaine's changes "vile and offensive". Under threat of legal action,
21539-527: The name Lucid. Ellefson and his wife, Julie, were married in 1993. They have a son and a daughter. Mustaine intended to release a solo album in 2004, which would become The System Has Failed , although due to contractual obligations, Mustaine released it under the Megadeth name. Ellefson and Mustaine had a severe legal disagreement over royalties and rights to Megadeth's name and back catalog, resulting in Ellefson filing an unsuccessful lawsuit. Though
21720-558: The next album. The songwriting was closely supervised by new manager Bud Prager, who contributed musical ideas and lyrics; many lyrics and song titles were changed at his request. Regarding Prager's influence, Mustaine later wrote: "I figured maybe this guy [Prager] could help me get that intangible number one record I so badly wanted." The album, recorded in Nashville , was Megadeth's first collaboration with country pop producer Dann Huff , who had met Mustaine in 1990. Cryptic Writings
21901-520: The north, Canada produced influential thrash and speed metal bands such as Annihilator , Anvil , Exciter , Razor , Sacrifice , and Voivod . The popularity of thrash metal increased in 1984 with the release of Metallica's sophomore record Ride the Lightning , as well as Anthrax's debut Fistful of Metal and Metal Church 's eponymous debut album . Slayer and Overkill released extended plays on independent labels during this era, Haunting
22082-402: The original bassist of Megadeth , described thrash metal as "a combination of the attitude from punk rock but the riffs and complexities of traditional metal." On the origins of thrash metal, original Anthrax bassist Dan Lilker recalls: "Thrash was just what they called 'faster hardcore,' because you literally thrashed around when you were either playing it or reacting to it. And thrash metal
22263-440: The pair frequently attacking each other in interviews. Ellefson accused Mustaine of “not having his back” when the sexual misconduct allegations against him surfaced, while Mustaine has downplayed Ellefson's contributions to Megadeth and denied he was a founding member of the band. Ellefson, like his ex-bandmate Dave Mustaine , is a committed Christian. "Well, I was actually brought up in a Christian household, so I have, you know,
22444-433: The panel Ellefson along with Drew Fortier revealed that Dwellers is a gritty found footage horror film with the story being told as a documentary gone severely wrong drawing influences from such films as The Blair Witch Project (1999) and C.H.U.D. (1984) In November 2019, the full trailer for Dwellers was released. The film was released October 12, 2021. In November 2020 Ellefson announced that he had completed
22625-726: The parishioners respectful (no bar fights, spilled drinks and foul mouthed hecklers in the crowd like many secular gigs) but it's a musical event my whole family participates in. Plus, I was finally given the venue to put into practical application the very words I'd been trying to live by for many years which is 'Play music for God, not us'." Ellefson began studying for the ministry in the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod through an extension program of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. On May 10, 2021, videos of Ellefson masturbating were posted on Twitter . The videos, recorded in 2020 by
22806-455: The person who posted this video. Also, my lawyers are preparing a defamation lawsuit to be filed against this person. This person will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I am taking this time to be with my family. I wish my bandmates the best with their upcoming tour. After rejoining Megadeth in early 2010, Ellefson started using his old Jackson Custom and Concert bass guitars and Hartke amps again. He used an LH1000 with two HX810s on
22987-516: The phone numerous times afterward. In 2010 Mustaine and Ellefson agreed to keep any unresolved issues in the past and were working on building and maintaining their friendship again. Since this time Ellefson has gone on to say that he feels "that having that time away created a realization for both of us that, while we are both productive individually, Megadeth is definitely stronger with both of us in it together." Ellefson's dismissal from Megadeth in 2021 spurred renewed tensions with Mustaine, with
23168-426: The physical demands of a US tour, and "it just didn't work out". This was the first album without Ellefson. Chris Poland, who played lead guitar on Megadeth's first two albums, was hired to contribute guitar solos to the new album, working with Mustaine for the first time since the 1980s. Poland opted to serve only as a session musician, wanting to remain focused on his jazz fusion project OHM . The System Has Failed
23349-411: The previous decade had called it quits or went on hiatus during the 1990s, while half of the "Big Four" and other veteran bands began changing to more accessible, radio-friendly styles. Metallica was a notable example of this shift, particularly with their mid–to–late 1990s albums Load , and ReLoad , which displayed minor blues and southern rock influences, and were seen as a major departure from
23530-479: The project, Ellefson and Hazaert will also be appearing in the film as featured cameos. A 50 second teaser trailer for the film was released in August 2019. Ellefson Films held a Q&A panel at Rue Morgue 's annual Frightmare in the Falls horror convention to speak about Dwellers, which is intended to be released in 2020 through film festival showings eventually leading to digital and physical distribution. During
23711-531: The recent allegations and an already strained relationship, Megadeth had officially parted ways with Ellefson again. On May 26, 2021, Ellefson released the following statement: Recently, a very private video was illegally posted on the internet and false allegations were made against me. The actions in the video were between two consenting adults and were recorded without my knowledge. I am working with Scottsdale Police Department in their investigation into charges regarding revenge pornography to be filed against
23892-461: The reissue featured modified artwork and several bonus tracks. In January 2002, Mustaine was hospitalized for the removal of a kidney stone and was administered pain medication that triggered a relapse of his drug addiction. Following his stay, Mustaine checked himself into a treatment center in Texas. While there, Mustaine fell asleep with his left arm over the back of a chair, causing compression of
24073-691: The release of Among the Living , three Bay Area bands, Testament , Death Angel and Heathen , respectively released their debut albums The Legacy , The Ultra-Violence and Breaking the Silence . All of the "Big Four" of Teutonic thrash metal also released albums in 1987: Kreator's Terrible Certainty , Destruction's Release from Agony , Sodom's Persecution Mania and Tankard's Chemical Invasion ; these albums cemented their reputations as top-tier German thrash metal bands. In response to thrash metal's growing popularity during this period, several hardcore punk bands began changing their style to
24254-484: The road, things escalated from a small border skirmish into a full-on raging war," Mustaine later recalled. "I think a lot of us were inconsistent because of [drugs]." During the tour, Mustaine noticed problems developing with Behler and brought in drummer Nick Menza as Behler's drum technician . As with Samuelson, Menza was expected to take over if Behler could not continue the tour. Menza replaced Behler in 1989. Young's dismissal resulted from Mustaine's suspicions that he
24435-446: The same album marks Ellefson's first time in his career singing lead vocals. In 2022, Ellefson formed the band Kings Of Thrash with former Megadeth guitarist Jeff Young . The band plays songs from the first three studio albums of Megadeth live (and sometimes Mustaine-penned Metallica tunes, such as " Jump In The Fire "). They had former Megadeth guitarist Chris Poland as a guest on their The MEGA Years tour in 2022. In February 2023,
24616-446: The same level of popularity as the "Big Four", while Exodus ' third album Fabulous Disaster (1989) garnered the band their first music video and one of their most recognized songs, the mosh-pit anthem " The Toxic Waltz ". Vio-lence , Forbidden , and Sadus , three relative latecomers to the Bay Area thrash metal scene, released their debut albums Eternal Nightmare , Forbidden Evil , and Illusions , respectively, in 1988;
24797-505: The second Nativity in Black tribute album. The band began a world tour in support of Risk in September, playing with Iron Maiden during the European leg. Three months into the tour, Friedman announced his resignation from Megadeth, citing musical differences. Mustaine later said: "I told [Marty] after Risk that we had to go back to our roots and play metal, and he quit." In January 2000, guitarist Al Pitrelli , formerly of Savatage and
24978-578: The second leg in North America had Anthrax and then-emerging Seattle band Alice in Chains , who were the supporting act. Several albums, some of which had come to be known as technical thrash metal, were released in 1991, including Overkill's Horrorscope , Heathen 's Victims of Deception , Dark Angel 's Time Does Not Heal , Sepultura's Arise , Coroner's Mental Vortex , Prong's Prove You Wrong and Forced Entry's As Above, So Below . In 1991, Metallica released their eponymous fifth studio album , known as "The Black Album". The album marked
25159-575: The setlist in each American city. However, the tour was cut short following the September 11 attacks ; all dates were canceled, including a DVD shoot in Argentina. The band instead played two shows in Arizona on November 16 and 17, which were filmed and released as Megadeth's first live release, Rude Awakening . That year, Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! was remixed and remastered;
25340-528: The sole consistent member of the band. The band temporarily disbanded in 2002 when Mustaine suffered an arm injury and re-established in 2004 without longtime bassist David Ellefson , who had taken legal action against Mustaine. Ellefson settled out of court and rejoined the band in 2010, but was fired in 2021 amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Megadeth's current lineup includes Mustaine, bassist James LoMenzo , guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari and drummer Dirk Verbeuren . Megadeth earned platinum certifications in
25521-465: The song was removed from pressings released from 1995 to 2001. In mid-1985, on a bill with Canadian speed metal band Exciter , Megadeth played its first North American tour: the Killing for a Living Tour. Guitarist Mike Albert replaced Poland, who was battling drug addiction. Although Albert was originally supposed to be a permanent replacement, Poland rejoined Megadeth in October 1985, shortly before
25702-421: The songs featured longer guitar solos and frequent tempo changes. Described as a genre-defining work by Decibel , the album solidified Megadeth's reputation in the music industry. It features the singles " Holy Wars... The Punishment Due " and " Hangar 18 ", both of which were accompanied by music videos and became live staples. Rust in Peace received a Grammy nomination in 1991 for Best Metal Performance , and
25883-421: The studio with Norman, writing and recording what became the band's most commercially successful album, Countdown to Extinction . The album, whose title was suggested by Menza, features songwriting contributions from each band member. Ellefson explained that the band changed its approach to songwriting for this album, beginning to write more melodic songs. Released in July 1992, Countdown to Extinction entered
26064-415: The thrash movement seemed to have much more in common with punk than prog fashion-wise (leather jackets vs. capes), musically, there were certainly moments when thrash leaned more towards the prog side of things." Canadian progressive rock band Rush has been cited a formative influence on the thrash metal movement and the birth of its subgenre technical thrash metal (or " progressive thrash metal"), which
26245-627: The two once enjoyed a close friendship, considerable animosity developed between Ellefson and Mustaine to the point that on Ellefson's website, Megadeth was not mentioned in his biography, only in the discography. In a mid-2005 podcast, Ellefson did not mention his past with Megadeth at all, instead concentrating on discussing his current projects. Mustaine felt Ellefson was unfairly using the Megadeth name when advertising an amplifier for Peavey . Mustaine claims to have had dinner with Ellefson around Christmas in 2005 to talk things through; this got them on good terms, as Mustaine has stated that they spoke on
26426-758: The two would later team up together in Claypool's then-upcoming band Primus . Canadian thrashers Annihilator released their highly technical debut Alice in Hell in 1989, which was praised for its fast riffs and extended guitar solos. In Germany, Sodom released Agent Orange , and Kreator would release Extreme Aggression . Several highly acclaimed albums associated with the sub-genre of technical thrash metal were also released in 1989, including Coroner's No More Color , Dark Angel's Leave Scars , Toxik 's Think This , and Watchtower 's Control and Resistance , which has been recognized and acknowledged as one of
26607-520: The two-month-long arena and stadium tour Monsters of Rock in North America. In the spring of 1989, Anthrax teamed up with Exodus and Helloween on a US arena tour sponsored by Headbangers Ball . Sepultura's third album, Beneath the Remains (1989), earned them some mainstream appeal as it was released by Roadrunner Records . Testament's second and third albums, The New Order (1988) and Practice What You Preach (1989), nearly gained them
26788-459: The way for thrashcore . In Latin America, this genre also gained a lot of strength, and its creation is also attributed to it, since it began to gain popularity due to the dictatorships that many countries faced at that time, with bands like V8 (1979) with their debut albums Demo 1982 or Luchando por el metal , and Bloke (1980) from Argentina , Transmetal (1987) from México , also
26969-685: The way to what became known as crossover thrash , a fusion genre that lies on a continuum between heavy metal and hardcore punk, and is arguably faster and more aggressive than thrash metal. By the mid-to-late 1980s, thrash metal began to achieve major mainstream success worldwide, with many bands of the genre receiving heavy rotation on MTV 's Headbangers Ball , and radio stations such as KNAC in Long Beach and Z Rock in Dallas , as well as coverage on numerous publications, including Kerrang! and RIP Magazine . These outlets not only played
27150-584: Was "Mechanix". Songs from that time period included "No Time", "Self Destruct", "Hair Pin Trigger", "Speak No Evil", "Eye for Eye" and "Heaven Knows". "Speak No Evil" was the original title of "Looking Down the Cross", while "No Time" was an early title for "Set the World Afire" and "Self Destruct" was the original title for "Mary Jane." While Handevidt would only last a few months, Mustaine and Ellefson formed
27331-446: Was a time for you and Dave [Mustaine] to talk, now is it". Ellefson was invited to rehearse with the band. After the phone call, the news was released that Ellefson would return to the Megadeth lineup. Ellefson was quoted saying "it felt like I never left" after their first rehearsal together. In 2013, Ellefson announced that his autobiography, entitled My Life with Deth , would be issued by American publisher Howard Books . The memoir
27512-411: Was added as the opening act for Aerosmith 's Get a Grip Tour , but was removed from the bill after three shows. Aerosmith said that Megadeth was "dumped" because of Mustaine's erratic behavior, while Capitol Records said it was due to "artistic restrictions". After the canceled US tour, Megadeth returned to the studio to record " 99 Ways to Die ", which appeared on The Beavis and Butt-Head Experience ,
27693-429: Was also extended to Criss Oliva who also declined as he did not want to leave Savatage . Jeff Loomis , who would later go on to form progressive metal titans Nevermore , also auditioned though Mustaine deemed him too young to join as Loomis was only 18 at the time. Marty Friedman filled the guitarist position at the recommendation of Ron Laffitte, a member of Capitol management. Laffitte had heard Dragon's Kiss ,
27874-408: Was born because it was influenced by thrash hardcore, and they just thought it was more metal, so they said, 'Okay, this is thrash metal.'" The guitar riffs often use chromatic scales and emphasize the tritone and diminished intervals, instead of using conventional single-scale-based riffing. For example, the intro riff of Metallica 's " Master of Puppets " (the title track of the namesake album )
28055-572: Was broadcast live on MTV. In November, the band performed twice on the Late Show with David Letterman , playing " Train of Consequences " on the first appearance and " A Tout le Monde " on the second. An eleven-month tour began in South America in November 1994. In 1995, Megadeth played in Europe and North America with several opening acts, including Corrosion of Conformity , Korn and Fear Factory . The tour culminated with an appearance at
28236-588: Was certified gold in Canada the day it was released, and was certified platinum in the US two months later. Megadeth hired fashion photographer Richard Avedon to enhance the band's image. Avedon had the band members exchange their jeans and T-shirts for a more conscious appearance. To promote Youthanasia , the band played a Halloween show in New York City called "Night of the Living Megadeth", which
28417-822: Was co-written with author Joel McIver , and features a foreword by Alice Cooper . In 2018, it was announced that Ellefson had begun work on More Life with Deth , the follow-up to his 2013 memoir My Life with Deth , to be co-written with Ellefson's business partner, and frequent collaborator, Thom Hazaert . The book was released on July 16, 2019, by UK based Jawbone Press, and features contributions from Alice Cooper , K.K. Downing of Judas Priest , Dan Donegan of Disturbed , Brian Welch of Korn , Mark Slaughter , Ron Keel , Jason McMaster of Dangerous Toys , Frank Bello of Anthrax , Chris Adler ( Lamb of God , ex- Megadeth ), Mark Tremonti of Creed and Alter Bridge , Kiko Loureiro and Dirk Verbeuren of Megadeth , actor Kristian Nairn ( Game of Thrones ), and more, plus
28598-435: Was credited with co-writing five of the album's twelve songs. With high expectations following the chart success of "Trust", Prager convinced Mustaine to grant Huff even more control over the album's recording, a decision Mustaine later regretted. Risk , released in August 1999, was a critical and commercial failure and led to backlash from many longtime fans. Although its two predecessors incorporated rock elements alongside
28779-469: Was directed by Penelope Spheeris , who recalled the filming as a "Herculean task" as Mustaine was unable to play guitar because of his drug addiction. During the March 1989 auditions for a new lead guitarist, Mustaine was arrested for driving under the influence and possession of narcotics after crashing into a parked vehicle occupied by an off-duty police officer. Mustaine entered court-ordered drug rehabilitation shortly afterwards, and became drug-free for
28960-487: Was having an affair with Mustaine's then-girlfriend, an allegation Young denied. The band was unable to quickly find a suitable replacement for Young. Although 1989 marked the first time since its inception that Megadeth did not tour nor perform at least one show, they recorded a cover version of Alice Cooper's " No More Mr. Nice Guy " which appeared on the soundtrack to the Wes Craven horror movie Shocker . The video
29141-500: Was hired to replace Menza for the remainder of the tour. Though initially meant to be a temporary replacement, DeGrasso joined the band permanently after the tour. Mustaine later said that he dismissed Menza from the band because he believed the drummer had lied about having cancer. Following the band's mainstream radio success with Cryptic Writings , Megadeth again worked with Dann Huff on its eighth studio album. The band began writing in January 1999, supervised by manager Bud Prager, who
29322-415: Was killed in a bus accident six months after its release. Kreator released Pleasure to Kill in April 1986, which would later be a major influence on the death metal scene. Megadeth released Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? in September, an album which proved to be the band's commercial and critical breakthrough and which AllMusic later cited as "a classic of early thrash". Slayer, regarded as one of
29503-531: Was later replaced by Kirk Hammett of the then-unsigned Bay Area thrash metal act Exodus , and at Burton's insistence, the band relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area . Before Metallica had even settled on a definitive lineup, Metal Blade Records executive Brian Slagel asked Hetfield and Ulrich (credited as "Mettallica") to record "Hit the Lights" for the first edition of his Metal Massacre compilation in 1982. A re-recorded version of "Hit
29684-659: Was more melodic. After more than a year since the band's last concert, Megadeth returned as a live act in June 1997, beginning a world tour with the Misfits and touring in the United States with Life of Agony and Coal Chamber . In July, the band participated in Ozzfest '98 but, halfway through the tour, Menza reportedly discovered a tumor on his knee and left to undergo surgery. Jimmy DeGrasso, who had collaborated with Mustaine in MD.45,
29865-590: Was nominated for a Grammy the following year. In early 1994, Megadeth reunited with producer Max Norman for the follow-up to Countdown to Extinction . With three band members living in Arizona , initial work began at Phase Four Studios in Phoenix . A few days into pre-production, problems with Phase Four's equipment forced the band to look for another studio. Mustaine insisted on recording in Arizona, but no suitable recording facility could be found. At Norman's request,
30046-456: Was noted for its political commentary and helped Megadeth expand its fanbase. The title track was the album's second single, and was accompanied by a music video that received regular airplay on MTV . In February 1987, Megadeth was the opening act on Alice Cooper 's Constrictor tour, and the following month began its first headlining world tour in the United Kingdom. The 72-week tour was supported by Overkill and Necros , and continued in
30227-435: Was often shortened to "Junior" after former vocalist Lawrence Renna started calling him it to differentiate between the two Daves. He appeared on every album and tour from 1985's record Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good! up until 2002's Rude Awakening . In the early days of Megadeth, Ellefson played using his fingers, but as Megadeth progressed and the music became more complex, he tended to prefer playing with
30408-711: Was on all of us." The thrash metal genre is also strongly influenced by punk rock , drawing inspiration from sources ranging from traditional punk bands from the 1970s, including the New York Dolls , the Ramones , the Sex Pistols and the Dead Boys , to late 1970s/early 1980s hardcore punk bands Discharge , GBH , Black Flag , the Misfits , the Dead Kennedys , and Bad Brains . The Ramones' 1976 self-titled debut album in particular has been noted as
30589-495: Was perhaps the pinnacle of thrash metal, as a number of critically acclaimed and genre-defining albums were released. Metallica's major label debut Master of Puppets was released in March, becoming the first thrash album to be certified platinum, being certified 6× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA); it would be the band's last album to feature bassist Cliff Burton , who
30770-448: Was plagued with problems, partially due to Mustaine's struggle with drug addiction. Mustaine later said: "The production of So Far, So Good... So What! was horrible, mostly due to substances and the priorities we had or didn't have at the time." Mustaine clashed with Lani, beginning with Lani's insistence that the drums be recorded separately from the cymbals, an unheard-of process for rock drummers. Mustaine and Lani became estranged during
30951-401: Was put on hold when Mustaine agreed to remix and remaster Megadeth's eight-album back catalog on Capitol Records, re-recording portions that were missing or altered without his knowledge in the original mixing. In May 2004, Mustaine returned to his solo project. Contractual obligations to the band's European label, EMI , resulted in the recording's release as a Megadeth album. Mustaine reformed
31132-479: Was really just a starting point for me, creatively". Ellefson played five tracks for the Soulfly album Prophecy and also played on one track on Dark Ages . He also worked with underground emcee /Record producer Necro for his album entitled Death Rap . Ellefson is also a member of a cover band called Hail! . Ellefson, DeGrasso ( Mike Portnoy for 2010), Tim "Ripper" Owens and Andreas Kisser formed
31313-590: Was released in 2005. F5 appeared in support for Disturbed in February 2006 and toured the American Mid-West in the summer of 2006. Ellefson also appeared on the new Killing Machine record Metalmorphosis in 2006 alongside DeGrasso; he has also been working with Temple of Brutality. Ellefson is currently a member of the melodic power metal band Avian , which features singer Lance King . He commented in an interview with Alternative-Zine.com that "Megadeth
31494-532: Was released in June 1997. The album peaked at number ten on the Billboard 200, and was eventually certified gold in the United States. Its lead single, " Trust ", became Megadeth's highest charting song on the Mainstream Rock Tracks at number five, and was nominated for Best Metal Performance at the 1998 Grammy Awards . Although all four singles from the album entered the top 20 on Billboard ' s Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, press response to
31675-500: Was released in September 2004. Critics heralded it as a return to form; Revolver gave the album a favorable review, calling it "Megadeth's most vengeful, poignant and musically complex offering since 1992's Countdown to Extinction ". The album marked a shift toward the band's earlier sound; journalist Amy Sciarretto of CMJ New Music Report wrote that the album contained " neo-thrash riffing with biting, politically charged lyrics". The System Has Failed debuted at number eighteen on
31856-559: Was such a bizarre moment, because it was as if the amount of work it had taken to ramp up to that hopeful night was literally gone in a second." A world tour in support of the album was launched in late 1992, with Pantera and White Zombie as supporting acts. The tour included a North American leg in early 1993, with Stone Temple Pilots as the opening act. One month into the leg, the remaining shows, including dates in Japan, were canceled when Mustaine returned to substance abuse, ending up in
32037-486: Was the first producer to complete a Megadeth album without being fired. Its recording was documented in Rusted Pieces , a home video released in 1991 with six music videos and an interview with the band. Released in September 1990, Rust in Peace debuted at number 23 in the United States and number eight in the United Kingdom. Mustaine had developed a writing style with a rhythmically complex, progressive edge, and
32218-402: Was the group's third platinum album, certified in December 1994. Early in 1990, Megadeth joined Slayer , Testament , and Suicidal Tendencies for the successful European Clash of the Titans tour, featuring several American thrash metal bands. An American leg began the following year featuring Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax , with Alice in Chains as a supporting act. The tour was considered
32399-709: Was unable to find a compatible second guitarist. Kerry King of Slayer filled in on rhythm guitar for several shows in the San Francisco area in 1984, starting with the debut gig on February 17 at Ruthie's Inn in Berkeley , California , as well as a gig at The Keystone in Berkeley that April and would play five shows in total with the band. King went back to Slayer and Rauch was replaced with jazz fusion drummer Gar Samuelson . Samuelson officially joined Megadeth on October 24, 1984. Samuelson had previously been in
32580-478: Was used as an entrance theme for NHL hockey games and professional wrestling events. On July 14, 1999, former drummer Gar Samuelson died of liver failure at age 41 in Orange City, Florida . Eleven days later, during Megadeth's performance at Woodstock 1999 , Mustaine dedicated "Peace Sells" to Samuelson's memory. That month, Megadeth also recorded a cover version of the Black Sabbath's " Never Say Die " for
32761-496: Was written in two different sessions. The first session occurred after the conclusion of the Clash of the Titans tour, while the second session happened in the fall of 1991 following a one-month break. Recording sessions for the album began in January 1992 at Enterprise Studios in Burbank, California . Max Norman was chosen to produce, as the band was pleased with his mixing of Rust in Peace . Megadeth spent nearly four months in
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