Megadeth

Released: June 17, 1997

Songwriter: Dave Mustaine

Producer: Dann Huff Dave Mustaine

[Instrumental Intro]

[Verse 1]
Internal combustion
Multiple personalities
Terror inside of me
A mask of silent agony
Curse the falling rain

[Refrain]
The vortex of pain

[Verse 2]
As medieval as Merlin
A pact for power was made
Lucifer in transition
It's time, time the price was paid
Scorching the domain

[Refrain]
The vortex of pain

[Verse 3]
A telestic message
Written in torment
Howl out dirges
Like the horns of Jericho
Distorted faces writhing in rage
Walls of purgatory tumble down
Endless death, the jewels of a crown
The jewels of a crown...

[Instrumental Outro]

After being kicked out of Metallica, Dave Mustaine decided to form a Thrash Metal band that not only rivaled his former band, but played faster, more technical Metal. Along with bassist David ‘Junior’ Ellefson and a revolving door of guitarists and drummers, Mustaine set the world afire as Megadeth became known as the world’s state-of-the-art Speed Metal band throughout the 80s and the early 90s. One of the Big Four of Thrash Metal, Megadeth remains one of Metal’s most popular acts today.

However, Dave Mustaine’s fledgling band got off to a shaky start. Initially unable to find like-minded individuals, it was not until an altercation with his (underage) downstairs neighbours Dave Ellefson and Greg Handevidt, that led to him buying them beer and forming the first incarnation of the band with drummer Dijon Carruthers in 1983.

The band was named after a political pamphlet that referred to a “megadeath” (one million deaths by nuclear explosion):

more tracks from the album

Cryptic Writings

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Cryptic Writings (1997)

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