INTERVIEW: Meshuggah's Marten Hagstrom

Meshuggah’s distinctive brand of crunchy, intense, precise, complex metal has set heads banging for over 20 years now. Riding high from the success of sixth studio album obZen (2008), Meshuggah is almost ready to finally guide the tour bus towards the off ramp and begin work on the follow up – but not before they hit Australia for the Soundwave festival and sideshows (as well as a few gigs in New Zealand) I caught up with guitarist Marten Hagstrom on February 10 to discuss writing, recording, and the past and future of Meshuggah’s distinctive custom Ibanez 8-string guitars.


Is Soundwave the last of the touring cycle?

Yeah it actually this. This is finishing off the obZen touring cycle for us. We’re really looking forward to it. Last time we were in Australia was great and we’re hoping it will be the same this time. Getting some nice weather in and getting out of Sweden right now seems like a good thing.

I dunno, it’s pretty freakin’ hot here right now.

Well we’ve got snow up to our waists. This has been the coldest winter in a long time up here!

So have you already started working on the next album?

No not really. We’re one of those bands who, we don’t really work a lot on material when we’re still in the touring cycle. We’ve got some stuff that we didn’t really get to finish for the obZen album and some of it feels like it belongs to that album so we probably won’t use that, but we’ve got a couple of things that still feel really fresh so we’re gonna work a little bit on that when we get back. But most importantly we’re just gonna have to sit down and start focusing on the writing because, coming to the end of the tour cycle we switch modes and switch focus. It’s like, we’re done with all the live stuff, now we can just take a little breather for a week or two then start to get a feel for what we want out of the next album. So still it’s very early on. The only thing we’ve really accomplished as far as the next recording goes is we’ve rebuilt our studio a little bit to accommodate what we want out of the recording. But as far as writing we haven’t done much yet.

Well as a geek who writes for music mags, I like this kind of stuff, so what have you done to the studio?

We have this studio here in Stockholm. It’s two stories, and the recording room is down in the basement, so a couple of years ago we ripped out the whole basement and just started from scratch and built a real studio the best way we could. We had some help from the outside as far as how we were going to construct it but we did all the carpentry and all the work ourselves. The room itself turned out to be great but we knew beforehand that we were not going to get a perfect result to begin with. So what we did was we finished it, we rehearsed in it and we tried to get the feel of the room, and now we had this guy who has built a lot of studios here in Sweden, he’s like a wizard, an old guy, and he was like, “Well you need diffusers here and there, and this type, and you need to order it from here,” and whatever. So we ordered a shitload of stuff and then we took, like, two weeks to get everything up on the walls so we could get the acoustics we wanted. We’ve gotten pretty close, we’ve just got some minor details to fix. Most of it’s been carpentry, putting up diffusers in the whole room.

Everyone was worried that studio recording in general was on its way out, with Pro Tools, plug-ins and that sort of stuff, but it seems everyone’s building their own actual studio these days.

Yeah. It’s a good trend, I think. Obviously it’s a bad thing for a lot of studios, but on the other hand, we can see it: we’ve got a studio of our own and we’ve been working in this studio since the Nothing album. So we’ve done it for quite a while. But the thing is that these old massive studios, they’re pretty expensive. And if you’re a band that know a little bit about what you want out of things, you don’t need to go to the most costly and flashy and expensive and exclusive studio to get the right result. So it makes sense for guys who are really interested in producing themselves and getting into the tactical and technical aspects of being in a band, and pretty much take the responsibility over your own productions. We’ve been doing that all the time but it took a while for us to find a place to actually build our studio. I would say that a lot of major studios have gone down the drain but for every one that does that there’s, like, five or six small studios, that a lot of times bands own, that pop up. We’ve been getting quite a lot of requests from bands wanting to record here at our place, so there’s still a need for studios, it’s just how you build the studio. It’s easier for people to do it on their own. Back in the day that was impossible. You had to have a lot of fucking money to do that, and now that’s not the case. I would say that some artists, some bands, there are always a couple of guys who are really tech nerds who really go for that stuff. A lot of guys see it as an opportunity to invest some of the money that you bring in playing in the band to build the studio up. But most of the time we turn bands down when they ask to record there. We’re sharing it with Clawfinger, who are friends of ours. And [sharing the studio with other bands] takes up so much time from the studio, because we built it for ours and their sake, so 90 percent of what’s going on in the studio is about Clawfinger and Meshuggah, so it leaves very little time to make any money off it, at least not right now.

Plus you don’t want people coming in and moving your shit around.

(Laughs) Exactly.

So you mentioned how every band has a couple of tech nerds: are you one such tech nerd?

Not really. I know as much as I need to. You care about the stuff you do from a guitar standpoint, and I’m very specific about what kind of specs I’ve got for the custom guitars I get from Ibanez and stuff like that. And in the studio I know how things work so that I can be a part of the recording in a fruitful way, so to speak, but I’m not one of those guys who runs out and reads magazines and goes ‘Oh shit, have you seen this new hard drive?’ and goes mental about that. That’s more Fredrik’s stuff (laughs). But all of us guys in the band, we know a lot about how we’re set up in our studio because you kind of need to, you know?

Now, onto the 8-strings. How did that come about?

It was a long time ago – around 2000 I’d say, or maybe a little bit earlier. We’d always been 7-string players, and the only thing that differed with our setup as far as 7-strings went was we dropped the tuning down half a note: standard tuning but half a note down. That’s kind of a legacy from back in the day when it was more of a thrash metal oriented band, where you had to have the vocals in a certain range. But apart from that, the vision for the 8-strings, that was kind of an idea where we wanted to have an instrument that could be consistent in tone where, normally you would tune down a regular guitar and get that sloppy note out of it, but we wanted to take that baritone approach towards how the guitar would sound. There was this guy here in Sweden called Frederik, he has a brand called Nevborn. He approached us and said “I wouldn’t mind trying to build you an 8-string guitar because that’s one of the projects I’ve been working on, and I think it would really fit for what you guys want to do next.” So we tried it out and it really helped us in ways that we didn’t expect. What happened was, going down that low you had to change your approach to what you wanted to write. The guitar itself inspired the way of writing, instead of the other way around. All of a sudden we had this new tone, the single-string down-low playing that we hadn’t messed around with that much. On the old 7-string stuff we have a lot of single note riffs but it doesn’t come across the way it does on the 8-strings. So they’re very different beasts than a regular guitar. First of all, they’re pretty big. A lot of the custom-mades we have are 30” measures, so they’re pretty close to baritone range, and they were very liberating, I’d say. It opened up a new vista for us.

Your customs look cool! The body shape is a little different to the production 8-strings Ibanez recently came out with. They look more metal. How else do they differ from the production 8-string Ibanez?

Yeah. Looking the way they do and being such big guitars, it makes the body look a little bit different. But you were saying about the difference between the retail and the custom. The retail 8-string that Ibanez put out, it’s an RG. It’s a bolt-on neck, it’s standard scale, it’s more like you would play a 7-string. It doesn’t differ that much. You get a different tone, obviously, from having a lower range and more consistency out of the notes on the 8-string, but it’s not even close to the custom guitars. I don’t know how to explain: the difference between having the neck-through, the measure and everything, it just makes it a totally different guitar. And we’ve got the Lundgren pickups which Ibanez doesn’t run on the retail. So it would be unfair to compare the 8-string retail to the customs we’ve got.

Have you ever talked with Ibanez about making your guitars available to the public?

I’m actually going to discuss it with Mike Taft at Ibanez. We used to work with Rob Nishida at Ibanez and he quit after 14 years on the job. He wanted to try something new. So we’re gonna talk to Mike about that, because there’s a lot of people that seem to be interested in acquiring a custom 8-string in the setup we use. I think it might be a wise thing to maybe release some kind of limited edition. Because they’re pretty expensive guitars. It turns out to be that way when you spec it so hard. For some people the 8-string that came out as retail, it’ll probably suit some people better than our guitar, because ours takes some adjusting. But as well as those people who want to have a lower price tag, there are always people who are interested in getting the real deal, so we’ll see what can be done with that.

I’m a big Ibanez geek and I’m not alone – there will always be collectors who will buy something like that.

Yeah. It wouldn’t be a major series or anything, it would just be cool to put something out, but we will speak about that [with Ibanez]. We’ve been trying a lot of different approaches to how we want our guitars. The first ones we got were pretty close to perfect, then we started messing around a little bit with the specifics of the guitar, but we’re still looking to nail it about a thousand percent.

Amp-wise, what are you guys using? Or rather, what are you using instead of amps?

We’re running though Line 6. We’ve been using Line 6 Vetta II heads for the bass and the Pod Pros for the bass for the live sound. On the last couple of tours, as far as guitar amps go we’ve been using, well as you say, it’s not amps, but we’ve been using the AxeFX by Fractal Audio, but it’s a bit of a mish-mash as far as amps go. But the AxeFX as well as Line 6 have really helped us bring our tone to the stage without the hassle. We’re going DI so we’re heavily relying on the monitor system but it’s such an easy way to have everything in your little rack: you just plug it in and you have a consistent tone every night. You don’t have to worry about the house or anything like that, so that’s what we’re running through right now.

To my ears, even though the sound is distorted it doesn’t really sound like you’re not using an absolute shitload of distortion: there’s more punch there than you’d usually get with such a high level of gain gain.

We use quite a lot of distortion but I would say that what makes it come across as maybe a bit more clean and powerful is the 8-strings. They have a different tone, and the way the guitar resonates makes a tremendous difference on how you have your settings on the amp. I’d say it’s a combination of what you can get out of the Fractal Audio and what the guitar actually does. A lot of that single-string stuff tends to clean up the tone a little bit, y’know?

Okay, last question, and this is a bit off-topic, but the big news in metal this week is David Ellefson returning to Megadeth. Do you have any thoughts on that?

I didn’t know! I didn’t hear!

Yeah, he’s back!

I didn’t hear that! That’s awesome! It’s always cool when original people get back together. I mean, if you’re a new Megadeth fan who really likes the new stuff I guess it doesn’t really matter (laughs) but for me, it was the first three albums that I really listened to, and coming back to formula is probably something good in this respect. That’s cool!

CLICK HERE to buy Meshuggah albums from Riot!


LINK: Meshuggah.com, Ibanez.com, Soundwavefestival.com


Tour dates

Brisbane, Australia Feb 20 Soundwave Festival
Sydney, Australia Feb 21 Soundwave Festival
Sydney, Australia Feb 22 Manning Bar
Melbourne, Australia Feb 25 Billboard
Melbourne, Australia Feb 26 Soundwave Festival
Adelaide, Australia Feb 27 Soundwave Festival
Perth, Australia Mar 01 Soundwave Festival
Wellington, New Zealand Mar 03 SFBH
Auckland, New Zealand Mar 04 Transmission Room

NEWS: David Ellefson back in Megadeth! (Updated w/pic)

WOW! Here’s one I didn’t see coming. David Ellefson has rejoined Megadeth. Did you ever think you’d see the day? Crazy!

Here’s the press release:

DAVE MUSTAINE
ANNOUNCES RETURN OF FOUNDING BASSIST DAVID ELLEFSON
TO MEGADETH LINE-UP

Megadeth founder and frontman Dave Mustaine has announced the return of original bassist David Ellefson (1983-2002) to the iconic multi-platinum group. This reunion is appropriately timed to Megadeth’s upcoming historic month-long Rust In Peace 20th anniversary tour which launches March 1 in Spokane, WA. At these incredibly special shows, Megadeth will play their landmark, genre-defining 1990 album Rust In Peace in its entirety, in addition to other Megadeth favorites.

"This shows the power of brotherly love and forgiveness,” Mustaine says. “David Ellefson belongs in Megadeth. Next we are going to show you the power of getting your asses kicked...HARD!"

David Ellefson concurs: "This is a huge moment for all of us, band and fans alike. It is a great celebration of the music from one of the biggest landmark albums of our career."

Ellefson will join Mustaine and Megadeth band members Shawn Drover (drums) and Chris Broderick (guitar) on tour in support of the group’s current CD Endgame, which has received some of the highest critical accolades of the band’s career.

"We'd like to thank James LoMenzo for several years of loyal service on the bass, and wish him the very best," Mustaine adds.

For more information on Megadeth, go to: http://www.megadeth.com/.
Photo: Stephanie Cabral

NEWS: Megadeth to play Rust In Peace live

Here's one I didn't see coming. Megadeth are going to play the entirety of Rust In Peace live during their forthcoming tour with Testament and Exodus. Why exactly didn't I see it coming? Well, cos Dave Mustaine seemed to shrug off that the very idea just a few months ago when I interviewed him:

Here’s a question from the Megadeth forum: Are you planning anything to mark the 20th anniversary of Rust In Peace?


Well if they’re asking about me playing with those guys again I think I’ve made it pretty clear.


Well even something like a special commemorative release, or playing the album start-to-finish live.

Yeah, I’ve heard that, but my answer is pretty simple: If it was gonna happen it would have. I don’t think it’ll ever happen. I don’t dislike any of those guys. We did have some very difficult periods together but I was just as difficult to be around as they were. And all I want to do right now is just bless them and just let them know I’m a fan of theirs. Even the ones I had a hard time with, I’m a fan of theirs. They were part of my life and I look to those times together with great fondness.

But wait, if you read closely, Dave seems to be a bit evasive when I bring up the idea of a 'play all of Rust in Peace' tour, instead shifting the focus to whether he'd reform the line-up of that era. Did Dave plan to do this all along? Or was it a recent decision based on needing to do something spectacular to compensate for the fact that Slayer had to reschedule their tour plans with Megadeth due to Tom Araya's back operation? Or is this decision simply a 'Dave decided he wanted to do it, so here it is' thing? Whatever the reason, there are gonna be some very happy metal fans out there this year, and a very sad guitar blogger who won't even be on the same continent. :(

Here's the press release

The mighty Megadeth will join forces with Testament and Exodus for a month-long jaunt that will find these thrash titans crisscrossing the nation on the 'Rust in Peace' 20th anniversary tour. These will be incredibly special shows that will delight Megadeth fans, as the band will be playing their landmark, genre-defining album, 1990's Rust in Peace, in its entirety, in addition to other Megadeth set list favorites.

Megadeth's latest, ENDGAME, was released in September 2009 and received some of the highest critical accolades of the band's career. The band performed on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and was nominated for yet another Grammy - the eight nomination of their storied career- for "Head Crusher." Megadeth also enjoyed heaps of praise in the press, from outlets as varied as New Yorkto Revolver to VH1's "That Metal Show" to PopMatters. With ENDGAME, Megadeth have once again ascended to the top of the metal world.

The tour will kick off on March 1 in Spokane, WA and will run through the end of the month.

MegaFanClub tickets presale will be held on Thursday, January 28th from 10AM to 10PM. Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, January 29th.
http://megafanclub.megadeth.com

Dates are as follows:

3/1 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory
3/2 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory
3/3 - Medford, OR - Medford Armory
3/6 - Calgary, AB - Big Four (Testament with Special Guests)
3/7 - Edmonton, AB - Shaw Conference Centre (Testament with Special Guests)
3/8 - Saskatoon, SK - Prairieland Exhibition Hall
3/11 - Indianapolis, IN - Murat Theater
3/12 - Pittsburgh, PA - Palace Theater
3/13 - Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom
3/15 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
3/16 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live
3/18 - Scranton, PA - Scranton Cultural Center
3/19 - Norfolk, VA - The NorVa
3/21 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
3/22 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
3/23 - Memphis, TN - Minglewood Hall
3/25 - Houston, TX - Verizon Wireless Theater
3/26 - Austin, TX - Stubb's Amphitheater
3/27 - Lubbock, TX - The Pavilion
3/28 - El Paso, TX - Club 101
3/30 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theater
3/31 - Hollywood, CA - Hollywood Palladium (Testament with Special Guests)

Stay tuned for more information next week on the rescheduling of the "American Carnage" tour dates, as well.

NEWS: It's true! Thrash 'Big Four' shows are happening!

Forgive the netspeak, but… ZOMG! WTF! The rumours are true! Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax are hitting the road together! The mythical Big Four Tour is going to become a reality… at least in the form of several festival appearances in mid 2010.

A posting on Metallica.com says: http://www.metallica.com/index.asp?1=1&item=602847

Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax . . . the rumors are true!

You've been posting and chatting about it for months and we're here now to confirm it . . . Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax will all share the same stage for the first time EVER! Look for the four of us at the Sonisphere shows in Warsaw, Poland and Prague, Czech Republic on June 16 and 19, 2010 with a few more of the festival dates still in the works, you can be sure these shows won't be the only ones.

In the words of Lars: "Who would have thought that more than 25 years after its inception, thrash metal's big 4 would not only still be around and more popular than ever, but will now play together for the first time...what a mindfuck! Bring it on!"
What more can we say??

So it won’t just be Sonisphere, it will be some other festivals too… could a full tour be in the works after that? We shall see!

CLICK HERE for my September 2009 interview with Dave Mustaine.

LINKS:
ESP KH-2 Kirk Hammett Ouija Signature Series Electric Guitar white w/ Ouija graphic
ESP KH-2 Kirk Hammett Signature Series Electric Guitar Black
ESP Kirk Hammett Junior Standard
ESP James Hetfield LTD Truckster Electric Guitar Aged Primer Gray
Dean Dave Mustaine V VMNT Gears of War Signature Electric Guitar Graphic

NEWS: Chris Broderick's new custom Ibanez completed

Megadeth guitarist Chris Broderick's bitchen new custom Ibanez S5470 has been completed. Remember the work-in-progress pics last week? Well here it is, all assembled and ready to rock:

GUITAR CENTER LINKS:
Ibanez S5470 Electric Guitar Transparent Black Sunburst
Ibanez S5470 Electric Guitar Red Viking
Ibanez S5470 Electric Guitar Sapphire Blue
Ibanez S5470 Electric Guitar Red Optimus 889406826083

FEATURE: Megadeth's album-art guitars

Chris Broderick’s cool new Megadeth Endgame Ibanez custom guitar (reported here last week) isn’t the first axe to feature Megadeth-themed album art. Since Megadeth’s return with The System Has Failed, Dave Mustaine and his co-guitarists have used a whole bunch of custom guitars from ESP/LTD, Dean and Ibanez.

Dave Mustaine

Here are a pair of Dean VMNTs with artwork from Rust In Peace and United Abominations, respectively.

Glen Drover

Glen's tenure in Megadeth only lasted for one album and a few tours, but he sure used some cool custom-painted guitars in that time. Here we have a pair of ESPs (Countdown to Extinction and Peace Sells ...But Who's Buying graphics) and a Dean Vendetta with the United Abominations cover.

Chris Broderick

This is an off-the-shelf Ibanez S5470 with a custom hand-painted image taken from the booklet to Megadeth's new album, Endgame. Chris told the Megadeth forum this one will be re-fitted with DiMarzio pickups.

Are there any more I'm missing? Let me know if you've seen any others out there!

NEWS: Chris Broderick's new custom Ibanez

Whoa! Check out this work-in-progress Ibanez being built for Chris Broderick of Megadeth. The image of Megadeth mascot Vic is from the booklet of Megadeth's killer new album Endgame.

The guitar appears to be an S5470, one of Ibanez's more recent additions to the S/Sabre family. Click here for more info about this model on Ibanez.com.

On the Megadeth forum (registration required), Chris says:

Hey Everyone,

I will hopefully have a new Ibanez guitar to play by the start of the U.S tour, but I thought I would give you guys a sneak peak before it's even finished. It still needs a clear coat but the artwork was all hand painted and came out great. Let me know what you guys think

Take care, Chris.


LINKS:
My Dave Mustaine interview
My Endgame review

GUITAR CENTER LINKS:
Ibanez S5470 Electric Guitar Transparent Black Sunburst
Ibanez S5470 Electric Guitar Red Viking
Ibanez S5470 Electric Guitar Sapphire Blue
Ibanez S5470 Electric Guitar Red Optimus 889406826083

NEWS: More info on the Dean ZERO Dave Mustaine model

Dean has now released some awesome close-up photos of the new Dave Mustaine model, the ZERO. CLICK HERE for more info including Dave's quote to me about the guitar a couple of weeks ago, but check out these specs:

25.5 inch scale
Mahogany body/neck
Ebony Fingerboard
6 In-Line headstock
Dave Mustaine Signature Seymour Duncan Livewire Pickups
Distressed Finish

The most surprising thing about this model to me is that it features a distressed finish. Interesting that Dave would choose to go this route on a brand new guitar. First of all, he's known for playing Vs, so the distressed finish isn't mimicing the wear on a particular much-loved road-warrior guitar. Secondly, he's quite well-known for graphic finishes and that cool metallic Mercedes grey colour.

Having said that, maybe it's because I'm such a Mustaine geek but I'm really really into this guitar.

Megadeth's new CD, Endgame, is out now on Roadrunner.

UPDATE: First look at Dave Mustaine's new Dean Zero

UPDATE! Here's footage of Dave Mustaine using his new Dean Zero signature model on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon:

Check out this pic from the photo gallery of Dave Mustaine's page at The Live Line. It's the first look at his new Dean signature model, the Zero, which he plan to play on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on September 17 (actually technically it'll be September 18 because the show starts over midnight - but you know what I mean, right?). Make sure you sign up for TheLiveLine - it kicks ass.

Dave mentioned this guitar in my interview with him a few weeks ago:

"At the NAMM show that’s coming up at the beginning of next year they’re going to be debuting a brand-new Dean guitar for me. The exciting part is that I looked at Dean’s catalogue and a lot of the guitars they had and… well, my VMNTs, it’s nothing like the original V that they have. It’s nothing like the ones they’re creating right now too. My line is my line. Neck shape, the configuration of the electronics, the ease and comfort, the way the pitch of the headstock is, the way the strings go through the body for getting all of that extra resonance. It’s a one-of-a-kind mentality towards making a guitar the absolute best thing you could ever possibly want to play through. They had another body style that wasn’t being utilised by anybody. I said ‘Can I get you to make me one of those?’ ‘Well yeah, fuck man, sure man!’ I said ‘Wow, is anybody playing this?’ ‘No man.’ I said ‘Can I?’ ‘Fuck yeah man!’ I said ‘Can I change some of the lines on this?’ ‘Yeah sure!’ ‘So I’m gonna Dave Mustaine this guitar right now, ok.’ So we’re debuting a brand-new style. It’s called the Zero and I can’t really tell you much more than that other than it’s going to be a workhorse and the people who have seen it already over at Dean, they’ve been there for years and they’ve seen everything under the sun, that kinda stuff is exciting. Especially when it’s opening up another area of creativity with the company."

CLICK HERE to read the full interview.

www.megadeth.com

NEWS: Megadeth announces US headlining tour

Just saw this at the excellent Frantikmag.com. Good news for my buddies in the US, especially after Dave Mustaine confirmed on the Megadeth forum (registration required) that the band are adding 5 Magics to the set!!!

Now, before we get to the press release about the tour dates, here’s some Megadeth-related coverage on I Heart Guitar for ya:

Dave Mustaine interview

Endgame review

Headcrusher video

Ok, on to the news.

New York, NY: Megadeth are proud to announce that they will be embarking on a headline tour, their first in support of their latest album, ENDGAME. The ENDGAME tour will feature Machine Head, Suicide Silence and Arcanium in support slots from November 14 through December 3. Warbringer will replace Machine Head on the bill, beginning on December 5.
Megadeth’s twelfth studio release, ENDGAME, will be released on September 15, to much fanfare, with early praise for the record flooding in, including a nod from the prestigious New York Magazine, which dubbed the record a “Want to Hear” pick, while the band had chats with RollingStone.com, Decibel, Revolver,Guitar World, AOL Noisecreep, Thrasher, among a host of others.

Fans and critics alike are deeming this Megadeth’s best, most visceral record of the decade. Known for their ferocious, unforgettable and brain-scarring live shows, the band will co-headline another throng of dates with fellow metal icons Slayer in Canada, beginning on November 8 and running through November 13, and will subsequently lay waste to venues in the States.

The band will also cap off their incredibly anticipated release week with a live performance on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” on September 17.

Dates for the ENDGAME tour are as follows:

Nov. 14 – The Orbit Room – Grand Rapids, MI
Nov. 15- Peoria Civic Center – Peoria, IL
Nov. 17 – Eagles Ballroom – Milwaukee, WI
Nov. 18 – The LC Pavilion – Columbus, OH
Nov. 20 – Madison Theater- Covington, KY
Nov. 21 – The National – Richmond, VA
Nov. 22 – Valarium – Knoxville, TN
Nov. 23 – The Fillmore – Charlotte, NC
Nov. 25 – Revolution – Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Nov. 27 – Hard Rock Live – Orland, FL
Nov. 28 – House of Blues – Myrtle Beach, SC
Nov. 30 – The Pavilion at Concrete Street – Corpus Christi, TX
Dec. 1 – Sunken Gardens – San Antonio, TX
Dec. 2 – Palladium Ballroom – Dallas, TX
Dec. 3 – Bricktown Events Center – Oklahoma City, OK
Dec. 5 – The Beaumont – Kansas City, MO
Dec. 6 – Pop’s – Sauget, IL
Dec. 7 – Great Hall at River Center – Davenport, IA
Dec. 8- Fargo Civic Auditorium – Fargo, ND
Dec. 10 – Shrine Auditorium – Billings, MT

Pre-sales begin September 15 at 10 AM, while regular onsales to the general public start the same time on September 18. For further information about the tour, additional dates and ticketing, check www.megadeth.com regularly.

VIDEO: Megadeth - Head Crusher

\m/

REVIEW: Megadeth - Endgame

CLICK HERE to read I Heart Guitar's interview with Dave Mustaine about Endgame.

The first thing you hear bursting out of the gates on the new Megadeth album, Endgame (Roadrunner) is a thunderous, crunching riff leading into one huge back-and-forth solo-fest from Dave Mustaine and new guitarist Chris Broderick on the track ‘Dialectic Chaos.’ The tones are huge, the drumming relentless, and my freaking god Broderick is fast. Dave has said in the past that when his sparring partner was Marty Friedman, the contrast was that Marty played with a lot of love while Dave played with a lot of hate. Now, while I liked Glen Drover’s playing on United Abominations and live, his playing just didn’t have the passion and fire of Marty’s. It had a similar love of the guitar, but not the kind of love-you-so-fucking-much-I-want-to-have-you-right-here-right-now, dirty love that Marty had for his axe. Well, that fire is there in Broderick’s playing. It’s fast, precise and melodic, but intense, energetic, powerful and sometimes downright obscene, in the best possible way. In Broderick Mustaine has a co-guitarist who packs as much snarl and power into his playing as Dave does.

Yet for all its precision riffage and lead guitar mayhem, ‘Dialectic Chaos’ is still only the intro to the album proper, segueing into ‘This Day We Fight.’ With lyrics inspired by Lord of the Rings and riffs inspired by fighting for your frigging life as a horde of hellbeasts bare down on you, this track is at once vintage and future Megadeth. You’ll hear remnants of the same hyperaggression of ‘Rust In Peace (Polaris), ‘Take No Prisoners’ and ‘Poison Was The Cure’ from Rust In Peace, but fed through the more modern approach of tracks like ‘Kick The Chair’ from The System Has Failed and ‘Sleepwalker from’ United Abominations. With lyrics inspired by Lord of the Rings and some of the most pissed-off playing and vocal delivery of his career, Mustaine's out for blood.

‘44 Minutes’ might remind some listeners of the balance of melody and aggression displayed on Countdown To Extinction tracks like ‘Symphony Of Destruction’ and ‘Architecture of Aggression’ but with the added heaviness that seems to come from just being in the mere presence of such an intense track of ‘This Day We Fight.’ It’s like some of the power and brutality of ‘This Day We Fight’ has actually leeched out of the track and into the rest of the album. After garbled police dispatch messages introduce the track, a growling James Lomenzo bass line is punctuated by stop-start guitar rhythms and a relatively restrained vocal line from a more narrative-driven Mustaine than the ‘in-the-moment,’ pissed off Dave we hear on ‘This Day We Fight.’ I’ve been listening to the album for about half a week now and this is my favourite track by far, and one of my favourite all-time Megadeth songs. By the way, the last 8 bars of ‘44 Minutes’ will probably kill about 94% of the guitar players you know, and seriously wound the pride of the remaining 6%. So say your goodbyes.

Now ‘1,320.’ Megadeth hasn’t done a song quite like this since ‘High Speed Dirt’ on Countdown To Extinction. But while Countdown was a meticulously crafted, evil cyborg of an album, there’s a pissed-offedness to Endgame which propels this track forward like the nitro-burnin’ funny cars it honours. Hold on for another wild back-and-forth Mustaine/Broderick guitar solo tag team, interspersed with cool harmonies. This one’s going to kill live.

Interestingly, ‘The Hand That Feeds’ also reminds me a little of ‘High Speed Dirt’ – both have chugging riffs that alternate between palm-muted pedal tones and higher chord stabs, as well as half-time sections. That’s not to say it’s a copy or rehash of ‘High Speed Dirt’ – it’s Mustaine’s sound so he has every friggin’ right to use it. By the way, this track contains one of my favourite Mustaine vocal deliveries ever, on the line ‘The roaches lick the cupboards clean of TV dinners …and beer.” There’s also a very cool end section which has an almost metallic shuffle feel. This is quite a proggy track with lots of riffage to dig your teeth into.

Next we have ‘Bodies.’ This one seems to bolt a bit of a United Abominations feel onto the songwriting of Youthanasia or Cryptic Writings, but Dave’s rhythm tone is bitier and more aggressive than anything on those albums. It’s more akin to his Rust In Peace era tone but twice as distorted and more compressed. The middle section includes what almost sounds like a nod to ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps,’ before going all orchestral and proggy. If you heard just this section without knowing the artist you’d probably be surprised to find out it’s Megadeth, until an absolute prototypical Mega riff bridges the section to an intense thrashout.

I almost feel bad comparing tracks on Endgame to stuff from Megadeth’s extensive back catalog, so it’s at this point in the review that I’ve gotta step in and emphasise that this really sounds like Endgame, not a collection of rehashes of past tracks. The comparisons are just provided to give you a rough idea of the general vibe of the tracks. Got that? Ok good, cos the title track 'Endgame' kinda reads like a sequel to ‘Youthanasia’ in feel and theme. It’s almost like Mustaine is revisiting the bleak warning of 'Youthanasia' and taking it to its ultimate dystopian conclusion. Once again the arrangements are quite proggy. About ¾ of the way in, we revisit several of the musical feels established on Killing Is My Business …And Business Is Good, except updated for 2009. It’s an intense ride, and despite the gritted teeth of Mustaine’s vocal delivery you can kinda imagine him grinning at how much fun it must be to play a track like this.

Hey, how did you feel about Risk? Cos that might determine how you feel about ‘The Hardest Part Of Letting Go …Sealed With A Kiss’ Here we find the more melodic, orchestrational Dave, with a heartfelt and nuanced vocal delivery. The opening section contains delicate acoustic guitars including a little classical guitar mixed down low and some electric harmonies, before everything brutals back up again. Check out the riff at 1:52 to hear Megadeth showing Dream Theater how to really pull off the prog metal thing. This could very well be considered a centrepiece track, and it'll be very interesting to see if it makes it into the live set.

‘Head Crusher.’ I’m sure everyone’s heard this by now – another pass at the ‘Sleepwalker’ vibe, and an odd choice for first single. To be honest I’d much rather hear ‘44 Minutes’ as the first single – it’s melodic yet heavy and instantly memorable, whereas ‘Head Crusher’ took me a few listens to get my ears around. It’s unrelenting and furious, with monstrous shredding throughout and particularly in the solo, but while I think it was a great choice of track to show metal fans that Megadeth were sitting on a pretty intense album, I can’t help thinking it would have been better left as a teaser, or at least used as a teaser then held off to be the second single. That said, you really can’t fault the song.

‘How The Story Ends.’ More crushingly thick Mustaine rhythm tone with punchy muted single notes mingling with chord stabs. Drummer Shawn Drover is a star on this one. Great memorable chorus, somewhat like something from the Cryptic Writings era but once again undeniably Endgame. Broderick brings out the acoustic for a little flamenco moment, showing that even though he’s an unstoppable shred machine, he can also play it sensitive. The following electric solo is an arpeggiated tour de force which could grow to be a show stopper in a similar way to Marty Friedman’s ‘Tornado Of Souls’ lead – it’s not as long but probably packs in four times as many notes!

'Nothing Left To Lose' opens with a creeping James Lomenzo bassline before a big Mustaine riff kicks in. It just fits as a closing track, in a similar way to how Megadeth could not possibly have ended Countdown To Extinction with any song other than ‘Ashes In Your Mouth.’ Chuggy guitars in the verses, big harmonies in the choruses, double-time solo… A kickass track that probably wouldn’t work so well earlier in the album but is right at home here. Classic Mustaine ‘wide stretch’ solo too.

Other thoughts: Shawn Drover’s sound on Endgame is more natural and open than on United Abominations. The word is that producer Andy Sneap decided to go with real drum sounds as opposed to samples this time round, and the added dynamic range recalls Vinnie Colaiuta’s work on The System Has Failed. Also, James Lomenzo has proven himself to be an indispensable part of Megadeth’s sound. He doesn’t roam as much as he did in Zakk Wylde’s Pride & Glory, but he provides a solid, powerful low end and a confident, powerful tone.

And Sneap. Sneap, Sneap, Sneap, Sneap, Sneap. Awesome producer but there’s always a fear that anything he touches will end up sounding like ‘an Andy Sneap record.’ That’s certainly not the case here. While I can’t help feeling that he may have influenced the level of distortion on Dave’s guitars just a little, he seems to have focused on getting the best Megadeth performances possible on Endgame without really stamping his sonic footprint on anything.

So that’s Endgame. Where do I rank it compared to its predecessors? Well I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and the more I listen to it, the more I like it. As of today I’d rank it equal second with Countdown To Extinction, Rust In Peace being number one. I know that probably sounds like a huge call – bands aren’t meant to make super-great albums this far into their career, right? We’d be happy with ‘Well, it doesn’t suck,’ yeah? – but it’s really that good. The fact that Mustaine is out there cranking out soon-to-be-classics like ‘44 Minutes,’ ‘This Day We Fight,’ ‘The Hardest Part Of Letting Go’ and ‘Bodies’ in 2009 when most of his contemporaries are… nah, y’know what? I’m not gonna go there. Endgame should be appreciated on its own merits, for what it is. And what it is, is one of Megadeth’s finest moments.

INTERVIEW: Megadeth's Dave Mustaine

Dave Mustaine has something on his mind. After a heavy interview schedule he must have had to deflect a question or two about, well, any number of those topics that people tend to bring up when they just wanna get a controversial soundbite out of Dave. So Dave cuts short the topic at hand – the amazing contribution of new guitarist Chris Broderick – to state “I’m a very different kind of person when it comes down to this business. Unfortunately my reputation is nothing who the man is. People have made me out to be a very mean bastard, and I’m no different to you, I just do things differently. As far as what I think is right and wrong, man, I come from a school where things were a little different back then. I didn’t walk uphill both ways to school, it’s just that we didn’t have the same kind of things that young kids have for school nowadays. I love the way I grew up. I wouldn’t change it for a thing, because I enjoyed working hard for the things I got, and y’know, I still enjoy working hard for the things I got. I don’t want handouts. I think I should be entitled to every single thing I’m entitled to, I want it! But if it’s just something that you get because of your job and it’s not because of what you’ve done to deserve it, I don’t want that. That’s just kinda like chump change.’

Megadeth’s new album, Endgame (Roadrunner), is angry, uncompromising, powerful, energetic, dark, and at once raw and precise. Y’know, the kind of album you’ve been hoping Megadeth would have made in 1994 combining elements of both Rust In Peace and Countdown To Extinction – except heavier. Much, much heavier.

Endgame is really energetic and angry. Where did that come from?

I don’t really know what spurred this on other than just being in a good place right now. I’m happy. I still have some of the things that have wounded me – the scars are never going to go away, but it’s just the way I’m dealing with things now. And I think that’s probably the key to everything. If I look at my circumstances it’s like looking at scores from yesterday’s football matches. In the beginning, even though it’s zero to zero, at some point that time’s already designated and it’s already been exposed, expired, lapsed and it happened. And for me I’ve just got to accept those things and just do the absolute very best I can to work up to those moments. My career right now is better than it’s ever been. I’ve got a brand new contract I just signed with ClearChannel Radio over here for three years, my book’s coming out next year, my record’s coming out next month. I believe I’ve written the best record of my career and I love the way that the fans are reacting to it. And even more importantly than anyone’s reaction to it, it just seems like people have forgiven me for whatever it was they were mad at me about, and my heart is just so, just leaping with gladness. Because I am no longer the easiest boy to hate in heavy metal.

Well I think part of that too is that with the online forum and things like TheLiveLine you’ve made yourself really available to fans.

Yeah, that’s fun too.

It seems like with United Abominations you were really confident going in, but with this one it seemed like you weren’t really giving anything away until it was finished.

I think probably one of the reasons why the timing was different with that was, with the last record there were so many times where we would post about stuff and people would get excited, but I wasn’t really finding myself being able to experience the record as much as I wanted to, and the reason for that was I was too caught up in what people were thinking. And I don’t make music to react to peoples’ thinking. I write music cos I like music. And I don’t know why, but God made me good at this. Why me? I don’t know! I certainly haven’t done anything that stands out to reason why I would be blessed with this talent. I just know I want to try my best to use it, and I want to have fun while I’m doing it. Man, I love watching people have fun while I’m out there doing my job.

How did having your own studio impact the sessions?

I think having the studio was beneficial for us because it gave us the license to be able to come and go at our leisure. If we wanted to start early we could, and if we wanted to start late we could. I think that’s something that really makes the band feel respected as individuals. It’s those little things that make all the difference in the world. I’ve been around the block a few times so those things are second nature to me but it’s not to Chris or to Shawn because even though they’re relatively new, they’ve had their experiences with doing things at the proper level, and I would like, myself, I would love to get Megadeth back to the proper level.

Let’s talk about Chris Broderick for a minute – I loved Glen Drover’s playing on United Abominations but he seemed kinda polite and restrained, whereas Broderick sounds angry.

Funny you say that. When we’ve done these records in the past there’s always been the same standard for doing the music that I’ve always had, and that’s ‘there’s your way, my way, our way,’ which meant that when we were writing the record, if you wrote a part we would listen to it, and if it was good we would leave it completely intact. Secondly if we listened to it and it was good but it could do with a little bit of a change, we would make that change and it was ‘we.’ But if we came down to where it was a ‘my way,’ which wasn’t very often, that would be like… there was a circumstance with Marty Friedman where there was a song called ‘Trust.’ At the end of ‘Trust’ there was a guitar part right before the big breakdown in the solo started up, and Marty had done the solo there. I didn’t like it so I asked him to do something different and he didn’t do it. So I came in, and this guy Dann Huff that was working with us, Dann had said ‘Well we like it.’ I said ‘Hang on a second, can you guys step out for a second?’ So they they all stepped out of the room and it was just me and Dann in there and I said “Don’t you ever say that to me again.” Because I don’t give a fuck who you think you are, or who he thinks he was, but it’s like, c’mon dude, have some couth, have some dignity. That’s the kind of stuff that you don’t expect from professionals like that. Now, we had a song called ‘Breadline’ that Marty had a solo on, and he loved that song. And management called up and said ‘We hate the solo, we want you to redo it.’ I said ‘We can’t redo it, he’s gone.’ And they said ‘Well, you cut it.’ This happened because I told them we have three choices. I can either leave it bare, I can mute it or I can replace it with something I could do. They were like, ‘We want you to replace it’ and I was like, ‘I figured you would.’ So I went in and I tried doing the solo. First idea, they kinda liked it so I did it until I executed it right. Then Marty came out to listen to the song. He didn’t know anything. He’s sitting in the control room, song’s coming up, he’s fucken’ hot-buttered popcorn. Dude is just wetting his pants. Song comes up, solo comes up, solo goes past, song’s over. You could hear a pin drop. Dann had neglected to call Marty and tell him that that’s what was gonna happen to him, that his solo was going to be basically rendered ineffective and looped around so it wouldn’t intefere in the channels. I looked back at Marty and he was cryin’. And I was furious, because at that second it dawned on me that somebody forgot to tell ‘em. Terrible, huh?

That's crazy! Do you have any new Dean guitar stuff coming up?

Yes I do! It’s a good thing that you asked. At the NAMM show that’s coming up at the beginning of next year they’re going to be debuting a brand-new Dean guitar for me. The exciting part is that I looked at Dean’s catalogue and a lot of the guitars they had and… well, my VMNTs, it’s nothing like the original V that they have. It’s nothing like the ones they’re creating right now too. My line is my line. Neck shape, the configuration of the electronics, the ease and comfort, the way the pitch of the headstock is, the way the strings go through the body for getting all of that extra resonance. It’s a one-of-a-kind mentality towards making a guitar the absolute best thing you could ever possibly want to play through. They had another body style that wasn’t being utilised by anybody. I said ‘Can I get you to make me one of those?’ ‘Well yeah, fuck man, sure man!’ I said ‘Wow, is anybody playing this?’ ‘No man.’ I said ‘Can I?’ ‘Fuck yeah man!’ I said ‘Can I change some of the lines on this?’ ‘Yeah sure!’ ‘So I’m gonna Dave Mustaine this guitar right now, ok.’ So we’re debuting a brand-new style. It’s called the Zero and I can’t really tell you much more than that other than it’s going to be a workhorse and the people who have seen it already over at Dean, they’ve been there for years and they’ve seen everything under the sun, that kinda stuff is exciting. Especially when it’s opening up another area of creativity with the company.

And Marshall?

Marshall is something where I honestly believe I’ve died and gone to heaven. Going to Marshall, having them give me the support and endorsement, the belief, the love, the kindness, the things that go along with everything, I thought that was never going to be possible. I got that from Dean but I kinda figured that is what it is and that nobody else would have that kind of relationship with me. Because the big people whose products I use, I’ve never really tried to milk them for anything. It’s just not my style. So Marshall, I asked them to make me a cabinet similar to ones I had made about 20 years ago. I tried them again about 10 years ago. I had these 1960 cabinets and I put this metal grating on the front of them. And they’re bad, they look really bad. Then I ended up not using them for a while because we went to having stuff in scrim, so you don’t need them when it’s behind the scrim. Then we went back to having them show. By that time we changed a couple more things, and now we’ve got the cabinets, and I talked to Marshall, and said ‘Would you guys be willing to help me make these cabinets so that they would be done right? Please?’ ‘Yeah sure, how about we do an endorsement and make you the happiest boy in the world?’ ‘Yabbadabbadoo!’ Man I was the fucken’ happiest kid in school. So now I get Marshall amplifiers. I have not only my own speaker, we also have the covering for that, which is available for all of the heads to go with those speakers. Now, there’s another project we’re working on with them right now – a little tiny stack called the Megastack. It’s for the mid-level guitarist with a mid-priced practice guitar. It’s going to have several presets – there’s four of them in the amplifier and four of them in the footswitch. So that’s something that Marshall is intending on doing with me too, and it’s like ‘Are you kidding? How did I get so blessed!’ I know the grand poobah of the Marshall family, Sir Dr James Marshall OBE, and man, talk about just a neat, neat, neat little old guy. Loves his bands, his guitar players. I had received a letter from him that was so unbelievably flattering, and it just made me feel like I was a million dollars. I was so unbelievably stoked. He said it was one of the first times he’d actually worked on a project with an artist, because all the other stuff was just pre-existing stuff. Now, he did have these guys work with grille cloths and cabinets with different kinda stuff on the front of it. Some of the heads would have different stuff on the front, but nothing that was a real fundamental design change. And I didn’t know that. I thought we were just working on a project of mine. And man, I was so excited. Especially when we went to the MusikMesse show in Germany, watching the way the company was treating me, man I felt like royalty. There’s just something with the guys from Marshall and Dean, they make you feel like you’ve arrived. I love those guys and I’m looking forward to spending the rest of my career with the company and just riding it out.

Here’s a question from the Megadeth forum: Are you planning anything to mark the 20th anniversary of Rust In Peace?

Well if they’re asking about me playing with those guys again I think I’ve made it pretty clear.

Well even something like a special commemorative release, or playing the album start-to-finish live.

Yeah, I’ve heard that, but my answer is pretty simple: If it was gonna happen it would have. I don’t think it’ll ever happen. I don’t dislike any of those guys. We did have some very difficult periods together but I was just as difficult to be around as they were. And all I want to do right now is just bless them and just let them know I’m a fan of theirs. Even the ones I had a hard time with, I’m a fan of theirs. They were part of my life and I look to those times together with great fondness.

Also with an album as strong as Endgame I dunno why you’d wanna look back 20 years?

Yeah, why? People are saying ‘Can you get together and do a reunion thing?’ and it’s like, ‘Yeah but you have to suck both my eyes out first.’ No disrespect to those guys but it’s like that old saying when you marry your girlfriend: ‘Why buy the cow when the milk is free?’ I’m sure there’s something nasty like that. But I love where we’re at right now and I wouldn’t change anything for anything. There’s no reason to make any changes to anything. Period.

As a fan who’s been lucky enough to hear the album pre-release it’s really cool to feel what everyone’s going to get to feel when it comes out.

Did you hear it? That’s awesome, I’m glad you liked it!

Yeah, ‘44 Minutes’ is totally one of my favourite songs of the year.

Really? Aw thanks bud! Well if it wasn’t for guys like you we would probably be over on the side of the road dying from eating roadkill. But we’ve tried really hard to keep our integrity. And I think if anything’s going to happen, it’ll be this record, and it’ll be soon. And if it’s not meant to happen for me, we’re gonna know, and this is pretty much gonna be the end of the road here, because I don’t know if can make a better record than this!

Endgame is out on Roadrunner on September 11 in Australia and September 15 in the US.
Endless thanks to Roadrunner Australia.
An edited version of this interview is also in the current edition of Mixdown Magazine.

BLOG POST: I just interviewed Dave Mustaine!

First off, I'm going to try to do more regular blog-type posts in addition to the news, review and interview stuff. So here's the first.

I just interviewed Dave Mustaine! Dave's been a huge hero of mine ever since I was 12 or 13 years old and first heard Rust In Peace. I always dug the level of detail and precision in his rhythm guitar playing, as well as the fire and outright angriness of his lead stuff. And I also liked that he was unrepentently intelligent and also a bit grouchy at times. As a rather bookish lad and a budding metalhead at the same time, I liked having a hero who embodied both extremes.

So today finally, at age 31 and after seeing Megadeth live 5 times so far, I finally got to interview Dave! There were a few hiccups regarding a wrong phone number and stuff but eventually it got sorted and the interview happened a few hours after the scheduled time. The interview will be in the next issue of Mixdown and will also be here in extended form soon. Originally I thought I'd publish it tonight but I might sit on it til Tuesday cos I'm publishing my Bumblefoot interview this week.

I've done a lot of interviews over the years with some of my heroes - Joe Satriani, Zakk Wylde, Devin Townsend, Steve Lukather - and I'm not usually that fazed but I was kinda nervous talking to Dave - fanboy geek alert. But the dude is such a slick interviewee after many many years of doing it, that it seemed to go really well and he overlooked my geekdom. I think he got a bit bored when I asked one too many questions about Chris Broderick (sorry Dave!) but everything quickly got back on track when we both nerded out over Marshall and Dean.

It was a great chat and I can't wait for everyone to read it.

NEWS: Megadeth - 'Endgame' press release

As I sit here right now I'm listening to the killer new Megadeth album, Endgame, in preparation for interviewing Dave Mustaine this week. I'll hold of on commenting on the album itself (apart from to say OH MY FREAKING GOD IT'S THE BEST THING THEY'VE DONE SINCE COUNTDOWN TO EXTINCTION!!!), but in putting my questions together I've been referring back to the press release to make sure I don't ask stuff that's already in there. I thought you might like to check out the press release too. So here it is.

MEGADETH

ENDGAME

It’s a rare thing when a musician comes face to face with what made them great to begin with. ENDGAME is that moment for Dave Mustaine and Megadeth. It’s the record where it all comes full circle in a career that has set not only set standards in hard rock and metal, but defined them. Megadeth are rage on a tight rein, as precise and beautifully destructive as a laser guided missile.

“After the smoke had cleared from personnel and label changes, I knew that regaining respect for me and for Megadeth was going to be a huge undertaking,” says Mustaine of the process re-tooling Megadeth after what is considered the “classic” line-up. “It was much like trying to turn a battleship -- no, more like an aircraft carrier-- around.”

Mission accomplished on ENDGAME, which is as extreme as anything Megadeth has ever recorded. The album’s signature track “Head Crusher” should not merely serve as a wake-up for old fans but also a new generation ready to keep Mustaine & Co.’s brand of shredding guitar and bellicose songsmanship at the forefront of today’s metal scene.

This, however, is not surprising for the man who has created and branded “Gigantour,” which for the past three years has united some of metal’s most musically literate players including Dream Theater, Children of Bodom and Opeth. Then again, what else would one expect from someone who culled a sound from The New Wave of British Heavy Metal and created metal’s then new chic, which was state of the art speed metal?

The Megadeth machine is built on a blueprint of stark, complex musicianship. Over time, with album sales nearing 25 million worldwide, Mustaine has balanced rabid-dog aggression with staggering song-craft. The albums Killing Is My Business…And Business Is Good!, Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying? , So Far…So Good…So What? and Countdown to Extinction remain true metal classics. No surprise then that Mustaine was awarded the title of “Riff Lord” at 2008’s Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards in the U.K, or that he was crowned “Golden God” at the 2009 Revolver Golden Gods Awards in America.

Which of course shouldn’t negate the flirting with commercial success on Youthanasia, Cryptic Writings or Risk. Or even Megadeth’s road back to the standing at the top of metal’s top players with World Needs a Hero, The System Has Failed and their Roadrunner debut, United Abominations. “It was a good lesson about the need to follow your heart,” says Dave of the creative process with Endgame. “I am grateful to have fans who have let me stretch my wings musically. But this is where I am most comfortable.”

At this point, Dave Mustaine has nothing to prove. To make the record he wanted, Mustaine found himself building a full-blown recording studio in San Marcos, California, just outside of San Diego, dubbed “Vic’s Garage” after Megadeth’s iconic, skull-faced mascot Vic Rattlehead. His rationale for building a studio for Megadeth was simple: “When we went into the studio last time it was too expensive, too extravagant, too arrogant and I think it made us a little lazy,” muses Mustaine.

Andy Sneap, metal-producer and mixer par-excellence and a Megadeth cohort from United Abominations, returned to work alongside of Mustaine. The result of this metal-mongering synergy speaks for itself. “It’s a great relationship,” says Mustaine of his ongoing dealings with the acclaimed British producer, also known for his work with Killswitch Engage and Machine Head. “We had a few intense moments, but that is part of having a real working relationship. I am a better guitarist, singer and producer due to my tremendous respect for Andy and my open ears when he is listening or isn’t listening to my point of view.”
Part of Megadeth’s new energies on ENDGAME goes to the induction of guitarist Chris Broderick, who joins Mustaine, drummer Shawn Drover and bassist James LoMenzo in the ‘Megs tightest line-up in years. Mustaine even went on record to say, “With this album, I am also very excited to be introducing my new lead guitarist, Chris Broderick, to the world. I have always felt lucky to have had top shredders in that position, but after touring with Chris in support of my last album, I couldn't wait to get into the studio and see what he could do."

Not one to keep an exactly cheery lyrical stance, ENDGAME finds Mustaine more scalding and articulate than ever. Sure, there’s “1,320”, a paean to the thrills of nitro funny car racing, but from there, it grows darker and darker. The Edgar Allen Poe waxing “The Hardest Part of Letting Go…Sealed With A Kiss” finds the narrator entombing his beloved in a wall of bricks whilst Broderick shifts from beautific acoustics to Megadeth’s riffy snarl.

But it’s a landscape of bitter realities where Mustaine’s lyrics resonate. “Bite The Hand That Feeds” and “The Right To Go Insane” delve into an economically disenfranchised nation of have and have-nots. Mustaine himself is no stranger to politics, a self-admitted CNN junkie who in 1992 was MTV’s floor commentator at the National Democratic Convention.

ENDGAME’s title track is Mustaine at his darkest. "Thematically, I've never been known to be a silent bystander in a world that needs our participation,” he says. ‘Endgame’ specifically is a document signed into law that further strips away personal civil rights. “It’s a bill that George W. Bush had signed into law that could put an American citizen in a prison, much like a concentration camp,” states Mustaine. Far-fetched? Surprisingly not.

Musically and lyrically Dave Mustaine remains metal’s true iconoclast whose latest musical offering rumbles with the intensity his career has been built on. Megadeth has come full circle. Megadeth are back to the killing business…and business has never been better.

CLICK HERE to preorder Megadeth's Endgame from Amazon.com.

NEWS: Megadeth's 'Endgame' for preorder

If I get any more excited about this album I'm going to explode and it's not going to be pretty. CLICK HERE to preorder Megadeth's Endgame from Amazon.com.

NEWS: New Megadeth single for free download

Megadeth's new track 'Headcrusher,' from the forthcoming album Endgame, is being offered as a free download for an extremely limited time: for 24 hours ending at 11AM EST on July 8. So get on down to Roadrunner's website right away to get it before it's too late. (UPDATE: If you missed the download window you can now stream the song by clicking HERE). The 'cover' image, which depicts the the titular (hehe) medieval torture device in use, is really gruesome - I'm a big scary metal man and even I feel a little sick looking at it - so I've cleaned it up for you.

My thoughts on the song:

Reminds me of stuff from the Rust In Peace and So Far, So Good, So What eras. Fast, crushing, brutals, and angry. Nice solo from Chris Broderick at the end, but I'd kinda like it to go on for a lot longer and tell more of a story. Although when the story is "There's this guy, see, and he gets his head crushed in a medieval torture device," there's not much more you can say than "OUCH!"

NEWS: New Megadeth album - Endgame

Aaah, nothing like a big 'ol Megadeth press release to get one's morning started. I am, of course, an overbearingly enthusiastic Megadeth fan so forgive me for squealing like a schoolgirl.

Heavy metal institution Megadeth have announced ENDGAME as the title of their twelfth studio album. The album is expected to be released in September through Roadrunner Records. It was recorded at the band’s brand new, self-built studio, Vic's Garage, located near San Diego and named after the legendary and iconic Vic Rattlehead character.

ENDGAME is being produced by Andy Sneap and Dave Mustaine. Sneap also manned the boards for 2007’s United Abominations. Some track titles include “Headcrusher,” “1,320,’” “How the Story Ends” and “This Day We Fight!”

ENDGAME boasts the technicality, ferocity and snarl that’s synonymous with Megadeth and Mustaine. It’s a violent masterwork that represents Mustaine’s best work in nearly two decades. In a musical world dominated by bands that make generic, blanket statements, ENDGAME finds Mustaine, once again, making informed and substantial lyrical declarations about the state of the world we live in.

Mustaine himself commented on ENDGAME, saying, “Thematically, I’ve never been known to be a silent bystander in a world that needs our participation. As more is revealed about our former President’s legacy, a little-known yet staggeringly frightening document which was signed into law, named ‘ENDGAME,’ has been uncovered. The album ‘ENDGAME’ is the most energetic music offering I have penned in over a decade and is far more believable than knowing someone signed ‘ENDGAME’ -the document- into law. The album is also the perfect ‘ass- kicking’ music to listen to once you are done reading the aforementioned document!”

In short, it’s the Megadeth record that fans of classics like So Far…So Good…So What? and Rust in Peace have been chomping at the bit for.

“This new album is my proudest moment since the famous (or infamous) Rust in Peace album,” Mustaine also said. “With this album, I am also very excited to be introducing my new lead guitarist Chris Broderick to the world. I have always felt lucky to have had top shredders in that position, but after touring with Chris in support of my last album, I couldn’t wait to get into the studio and see what he could do.”

Megadeth’s lineup consists of Mustaine, Broderick, bassist James LoMenzo and drummer Shawn Drover.

Earlier this year, Mustaine was the recipient of the “Golden God Award” at the first ever Golden Gods Awards, presented by Revolver.

Wanna hear a taste of Endgame? CLICK HERE to check out Andy Sneap talking about the mixing process and giving a little teaser of the track 'Headcrusher.'

NEWS: New Megadeth album almost finished

In a posting on the band's official forum (free membership registration required), Dave Mustaine has dished out further details of the new Megadeth album. Can’t wait to hear this one, which will be the band’s first recording with Chris Broderick on lead guitar. If you don’t know already I’m a bit of a Megadeth fanboy – I’ve seen them 5 times, including 4 times since 2005. So forgive me if I do a little wee of excitement about this.

Dave also used the forum post to draw attention to Megadeth's bitchen new Myspace layout.

"Well, some of you have no doubt heard the samples of the songs that have been being worked on by me and the boys that I have been leaving for you at TheLiveLine. It has been a real blast for me to call in, hold the phone up and let you hear what a great job Andy is doing, and how he really does know me better than anyone I've ever worked with, and how he really does understand MEGADETH, and how he really does have metal know-how and sensible suggestions, and most importantly of all, how he does have class — English class, I should say.

"I must say that after spending this last year working almost exclusively with Andy, and working with my amazing amplification team, the one and only Marshall Amps, that I have had one of the most refreshing and rewarding year of my career.

"How can I not say that? What with this years events and all of the great things that happened for myself and for MEGADETH, which only made the MEGADETH experience that much more enjoyable for us all, I would be a fool not too. We just got back from one of the funniest tours we have had in a long time on Priest Feast, you guessed it, . . . more Englishmen (and women).

"And now as we are nearing the completion of the new record, I will tell you, it is fast, it is heavy, there is singing, yelling, speaking, and guest voices (maybe not singing — more like in 'Captive Honor'), the soloing is insane, and I am just starting my parts and so far I have been playing like mad! Both of the two solos I have gotten down are as fast as anything I have played on.

"We have some great song concepts, like 'Nothing Left To Lose' a song about having been wiped out, like so many Americans, from the recession and potential depression years of 2000, or 'Bite The Hand That Feeds' which is a song about the greed of the fiduciary leaders of the financial world and how they just didn't care about the responsibility they had to the public. There are also songs like '1320' a song about nitro fuel funny cars (something I enjoy), 'How The Story Ends' and 'This Day We Fight', both inspired by warrior creed from the great Sun Tzu with the use of drums and flags in ancient war, and an impassioned plea from Aragorn to his loyal fighters in 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy, respectively. I also have some bizarre songs like 'Headcrusher' which is about the medieval torture device, and 'Endgame' which is about a bill that ex-President George W. Bush signed into law that gave him the power to put American citizens in concentration camps that are actually called 'detention centers' here in the United States, and a favorite lyric of mine on this record about the North Hollywood bank robbery of 1997 (or 1998)."

Be sure to go to TheLIVELine daily to hear snippets of music from Chris and I, in the background while we finish up the record these next 12days and . . . . . . .

CHECK OUT THE NEW MEGADETH MYSPACE!

CLICK HERE to buy the Dean Dave Mustaine Signature VMNT Electric Guitar Silver from Music123.


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