#27 - Megadeth

My favorite thrash metal band comes in at #27 overall.  Megadeth got started in Los Angeles in 1983, mere months after leader Dave Mustaine was unceremoniously dismissed from Metallica shortly before the recording of their first album.  I've read Dave's memoir, and it's clear that his entire life since has been colored by that firing, and he's been haunted by fears of inferiority, regret and envy ever since.  It's ironic to me, since I feel like he's done so much more as a leader than he ever could have done as the gunslinger of Metallica.  True, Megadeth has never had the commercial success that his former band had, but musically, I think they surpassed their rivals in inventiveness and virtuosity, if not sooner, then in 1990 with the recruiting of the longest lived Megadeth lineup and the release of their best work, Rust in Peace.

Dave, in the mid-80's, was a really good guitar player, playing faster and more aggressively than most of his contemporaries.  But the really smart thing he did with Megadeth was to swallow his (considerable) ego, and hire co-lead guitarists who were musically superior to him, particularly early on.  The guitar and drum positions in the band have mostly been revolving doors since the band's formation (probably chiefly due to Dave's abrasive personality), and have included such stellar musicians as fusion drummers Gar Samuelson and Vinnie Colaiuta, son of jazz musician Don Menza and drummer, Nick Menza, staple heavy rock drummer Jimmy DeGrasso, thrash metal pioneer Kerry King, fusion guitarists Chris Poland and Jeff Young, and shredders extraordinaire Marty Friedman and Al Pitrelli.  Like fellow thrashers Metallica, Megadeth always had a rhythmically progressive edge, playing in multiple and odd meters on occasion.  They just did it faster, tighter, and often better.  Here's my favorite selection from my favorite album of Megadeth's, "Holy Wars... the Punishment Due" from Rust in Peace.  Dave's solo near the end (beginning around 4:55) is one of my favorite guitar solos of all time.  I highly recommend the album as a whole.  It was rightly recognized with a Grammy nomination, as was its second track "Hangar 18", which features some fantastic soloing by guitarist Marty Friedman.  I remember playing the album for a friend back in the early 90's who listened exclusively to jazz, and, blown away by the musicianship, he immediately picked up his own copy.  In fact, I'm just going to put the whole album here.  "Holy Wars..." is the first track, so you have my permission to stop after that if you don't have 42 minutes to spare.  And any watchers of MTV News from the mid-to-late 80's will recognize the main riff from classic "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying", also below.