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Megadeth

MEGADETH To Enter Studio Next Summer

Manos Spanos
Rooster of 94.5 FMX's "The Wrecking Yard" in Lubbock, Texas recently conducted an interview with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine. You can now listen to the chat at KFMX.com. Speaking about MEGADETH's plans for a new studio album, Mustaine said: "We right now have a bunch of dates that's gonna take us up until August of next year. That's when we start recording the next record. We've already started working on writing stuff… "Sometimes we've been forced to really kind of write on the spot. Right now we've got an amazing luxury to be able to take some time. "Besides doing a lot of interesting things, the other guys in the band, I've got a performance coming up in April with the San Diego Symphony. And just interesting stuff like that. "We're trying to go a little bit out of our comfort zone while we're near the end of this cycle, because we wanna make sure that we really experience as much as we can." He continued: "Life is what you make it, man. And we really, really enjoy what we're doing right now. I mean, we're not in it for anything other than just the love of playing music and looking at the smiles on your faces. That's, to me, the biggest reward. Because if you've got a roof over your head and your kids are healthy, then you're very wealthy. And if you've got enough friends to count on one hand, then you're a really blessed person. I've had a great life and I love playing for our fans." MEGADETH's tour with FEAR FACTORY and NONPOINT kicked off on November 23 in St. Paul, Minnesota. MEGADETH's latest album, "Super Collider", has sold more than 70,000 copies in the United States since its June 4 release. The CD arrived in stores via Mustaine's new label, Tradecraft, distributed by Universal Music Enterprises (UMe).
02 min read

MEGADETH Debuts New Christmas Disc ‘Thrashing Through The Snow’ On ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’

Manos Spanos
MEGADETH took part in a funny holiday skit on last night's (Monday, December 16) episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" in which they debuted their new holiday disc, "Thrashing Through The Snow: A Very Megadeth Christmas". In addition, they performed the song "Kingmaker" live on the show's outdoor stage in front of a standing-room-only crowd. Check out video footage below. MEGADETH's tour with FEAR FACTORY and NONPOINT kicked off on November 23 in St. Paul, Minnesota. MEGADETH's latest album, "Super Collider", has sold 74,000 copies in the United States since its June 4 release. The CD arrived in stores via MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine's new label, Tradecraft, distributed by Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). "I think 'Super Collider' is kind of like a really broad [distillation] of what our whole catalog represents," Mustaine told The Morning Call in a recent interview. "There's aggressive stuff, there's thrashy stuff, there's kind of more of the heavy metal stuff. There are someof the more introspective lyrics. There are some simple lyrics and soon and so forth. I think that's what really makes the record refreshing is that it shows everything that we've done. It's almost like a biopic of our career. It's a pretty good slice of everything I've learned over the years."
01 min read

Drummer NICK MENZA Is ‘Open’ To Playing With MEGADETH Again

Manos Spanos
Argentinean rock journalist Lucas H. Gordon, who currently resides in Hollywood, California, conducted an in interview with former MEGADETH drummer Nick Menza at The Rock N Roll Autograph Show, which took place September 13-15 at The Westin Los Angeles Airport. You can now watch the chat below. Asked if there is a possibility of him ever doing anything with MEGADETH again, Menza said: "You never know what can happen in the future. It's, like, I'm open to whatever. I would never say, 'I'll never join MEGADETH back up again.' But it's really up to [MEGADETH mainman Dave] Mustaine. I put the ball in his court." Following the reissue of the entire MEGADETH catalog, Menza was invited to reunite with the band in 2004. Days after a reunion was announced, Menza was fired after rehearsals and replaced with Shawn Drover. Mustaine said that this was because Nick "just wasn't prepared." Menza has been writing, recording and producing constantly but only releasing sporadic singles for years. That will all change when he opens the floodgates with the upcoming release of his memoir, "Nick Menza: Megalife", by acclaimed writer J. Marshall Craig. "MEGADETH was a big part of my story," Menza said, "but it was just one part. Jeff [Craig] has got me to talk about it all!" Menza is currently negotiating a publishing deal for the book, which was written over the past 18 months. It features rare and never-before-seen photos of Menza with every band he's ever been in, including, of course, MEGADETH. "It's a memoir of music," writer Craig said. "But a lot more. It's a book about chasing the ultimate gig, the ultimate drum setup, the ultimate sound and, it will come as no surprise to Nick's fans, the ultimate aliens, government conspiracies and anything else his muse sees fit to lay across his path." Menza's first performance was at the age of two on stage at the Montreux Jazz Festival when legendary jazz percussionist Jack DeJohnette (Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson) placed Nick on his kit. Thirty years later, he was stepping out on stage in front of thousands of screaming fans every night. Menza, son of legendary jazz saxophonist Don Menza, was at the top of his game when MEGADETH started a world tour in support of its album, "Cryptic Writings", but began to suffer knee problems and escalating pain. Doctors diagnosed him with a tumor. Surgery waylaid the drummer briefly, but he was relieved to learn the tumor was benign and was eager to rejoin his bandmates, who had continued their tour with a replacement drummer. But deteriorating relations within the band exploded and Menza was replaced permanently. "Nick Menza: Megalife", by J. Marshall Craig, is due in stores, in Kindle and eBook versions, in late 2013.
03 min read

Video: MEGADETH’s DAVID ELLEFSON On His Signature Kelly Bird Bass

Manos Spanos
David Ellefson is a world-renowned bassist who recently helped Jackson design a new signature model bass to add to his arsenal. In the video below, the founding member of MEGADETH demonstrates some of the key features of the David Ellefson Signature Kelly Bird Bass, with its striking body shape and red pinstripe finish. The new David Ellefson Signature Kelly Bird Bass features a basswood body with Ellefson's signature red pinstripe finish, bolt-on bound maple neck with 21 jumbo frets and block inlays, EMG pickups, two volume controls and three-band active EQ, Jackson high-mass four-string HM-4 bridge, and Jackson die-cast tuners. It is available in Red Burst with Black Center-Stripe. The new David Ellefson Signature Kelly Bird Bass was unveiled at this year's NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show, a massive music-products convention that took place in January at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California.
01 min read

MEGADETH: VIP Ring Offered During U.S. Tour

Manos Spanos
A special MEGADETH VIP ring featuring the band's mascot, Vic Rattlehead,will be a part of the special Ultimate VIP package during the group's U.S. tour. The Ultimate VIP Packages for MEGADETH's U.S. tour include a Dave Mustaine Peace Sells VMNT Dean Guitar, concert ticket, meet-and-greet with the band, MEGADETH VIP Ring, signed copy of "Super Collider", VIP laminate, commemorative VIP ticket, priority check-in, pre-show party, prizes and more. MEGADETH's tour with FEAR FACTORY and NONPOINT kicks off on November 23 in St. Paul, Minnesota. For more information, visit Megadeth.com. MEGADETH's latest album, "Super Collider", has sold around 70,000 copies in the United States since its June 4 release. The CD arrived in stores via Mustaine's new label, Tradecraft, distributed by Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). In a recent interview with The Rock Pit, Mustaine stated about the current lineup of MEGADETH: "I think if you ask any of us, they will all tell you this is their favorite period and the great thing is with Chris Broderick (guitar) being around for a while it's pretty significant with him. and Shawn Drover (drums) has been around longer — he's seen more — but when we got David Ellefson (bass) coming back in and he's saying this is the best that he's ever seen it and he's the one that's seen some pretty big successes among us in MEGADETH so for him to say that just shows you that things are on the rise for MEGADETH again. I'm totally excited."
02 min read

DAVE MUSTAINE Says ‘The Best Is Yet To Come’ For MEGADETH

Manos Spanos
On October 22, Mau Alvarado of Costa Rica's "80s Y Mas" conducted an interview with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine when the band played at Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica in San José as the support act for BLACK SABBATH. Check out the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow. On where he sees MEGADETH five or ten years from now: Mustaine: "There was a period about ten years ago when I was really unhappy with the way things were going in the music business and with MEGADETH in general. And there was a lot of internal turmoil with the band — a lot of fighting and stuff like that — and a lot of times, I would ask myself: 'Is this really what I wanna do with the rest of my life?' And once we had the breakup after I my arm got injured and I re-evaluated my career, it changed things, and meeting up with Shawn [Drover, drums] and Chris [Broderick, guitar] really made me, I believe, a much more grateful player. So I think right now the best is yet to come for us. We really have gotten a lot better in the last, probably, two years even. We're playing better now than, I think, we've ever played." On whether he will still be rocking like THE ROLLING STONES when he reaches the age of 65 or 70: Mustaine: "Like THE ROLLING STONES? [laughs] Let's see. I hope so. I hope better, actually, because I think I am in better shape than they are at… When they were 52, I think I'm in better shape than they were. And I have tremendous respect for THE ROLLING STONES, but I think it's all relative. I mean, look at Bruce Springsteen; he's just as old as they are, but nobody says anything about it, 'cause he takes of himself. I take care of myself. A lot of people say stuff about my age because of the whole 'Big Four' thing and what it stands for, or they [mention] the injury to my neck. But if I didn't have those two things, nobody would say, 'Oh, God, he's 52.' They wouldn't even care."
02 min read

MEGADETH’s DAVID ELLEFSON: ‘My Life With Deth’ EPK Available

Manos Spanos
A two-minute EPK (Electronic Press Kit) on MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson's autobiography, "My Life With Deth", can be seen below. The autobiography of Ellefson, co-founder and bassist of 11-time Grammy-nominated heavy metal titans MEGADETH, was made available on October 29 via Howard Books. Ellefson's memoir, "My Life With Deth", chronicles the story of Ellefson's fall into addiction during the band's early years, followed by his subsequent recovery and the return to faith which championed the band's rise to fame over the past several decades. The book was written withJoel McIver, the bestselling author of 21 books on rock music, and features a foreword byAlice Cooper. World rights to "My Life With Deth" were sold to Philis Boultinghouse atHoward Books by agent Lisa Gallagher at Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. Since 1983, the celebrated metal band MEGADETH has sold more than 20 million albums, received eleven Grammy nominations, and built a fan base of millions. Still going strong, they recently toured the world with METALLICA, ANTHRAX and SLAYER. Now, in "My Life With Deth", Ellefson tells the whole behind-the-scenes story of the band and his personal journey from suffering to salvation. At first glance, Ellefson's history reads like a how-to manual of excess, from hardcore drugs to X-rated debauchery. But Ellefson goes much deeper, taking us on a gripping journey from his Lutheran upbringing as a Minnesota farm boy, through the culture shock he experienced when he arrived in Los Angeles and entered the music industry, to his drug-fueled MEGADETH days, and finally how he beat his addictions and embarked on a path of sobriety and faith, entering a new life of Christian devotion. Today, studying to become a Lutheran pastor, Ellefson presides over MEGA Life! Ministries, a foundation that reaches hundreds of churchgoers every week. Ellefson says: "My autobiography is not the usual tale of rock 'n' roll woe, but rather something I hope will truly inspire people. I have dedicated my life to my craft, and I wanted to share the story of how a kid with a bass guitar and the dream of rock stardom literally risked it all to move from the farm in Minnesota to Los Angeles, and with a lot of hard work, sacrifice and a little luck along the way, made the dream come true. I think the readers will enjoy the stories, as well as the hardships, of this way of life as a musician and artist. I've been very open about my life's obstacles and the means by which I overcame them. Now, my hope is that this story will inspire others to follow their dreams and really live out the purpose for their lives, too.” The book features contributions from Kerry King (SLAYER), Scott Ian (ANTHRAX), Ellefson's current bandmate in MEGADETH Shawn Drover and also former colleagues Chris Poland andMarty Friedman. In addition to numerous gold and platinum records, David is the author of the book "Making Music Your Business" and has two metal bass guitar instructional DVDs through Rock House Method entitled "Metal Bass Vol. 1" and "Vol. 2". He is also a featured bass clinician, keynote speaker and panelist on the subject of music and the music industry.
03 min read

MEGADETH’s DAVE MUSTAINE With SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY: More Details Revealed

Manos Spanos
MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine will be a featured soloist with the San Diego Symphony in April 2014 in a program that will include Wagner's "Ride Of The Valkyries" from "Die Walküre", Vivaldi's "Winter" from "The Four Seasons" and Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 (the "New World" symphony). The classical special concert, billed as "Symphony Interrupted" will take place at Copley Symphony Hall in San Diego, California on Saturday, April 12 at 8:00 p.m. Ticket are on sale now at SanDiegoSymphony.org. In a recent interview with the Colorado Springs, Colorado radio station 94.3 KILO, Mustaine stated about the upcoming San Diego Symphony concert: "There's all kinds of classical songs that are really kind of scary kind of things. Like the 'Ride Of The Valkyries' and, you know, 'Fantasia', that one song 'Night On Bald Mountain' and, you know, the 'Hall Of The Mountain King', and certain songs like that that are, you know, they're really creepy songs. And I said that I would love to do 'Dave Mustaine interprets the dark classical ditties,' something like that. And we talked with the San Diego Symphony, and a friend of mine runs the San Diego Opera, and she talked to them, and they were all about it. And we went down there and met the maestro, Jahja Ling, whatever his name is. I can't pronounce his name worth a darn, but we met, and he was all about it. So we're developing the program right now. It's basically gonna be a symphony orchestra playing these really dark scary songs and me coming in and out of the performances playing guitar over it… It's gonna be really cool. I think it's exciting." Asked if the performance will be professionally filmed and recorded for future release, Mustaine said: "I'm sure they're gonna tape it. They're gonna want to tape it. You know, it's a symphony, so the building there is acoustically perfect. I mean, I don't know how loud I'm gonna be playing, but, you know, the great thing about orchestras is the majority of them aren't miked, because everything's acoustically tuned perfectly. So I think it'll be really neat."
02 min read

MEGADETH: ‘Countdown To Extinction’ Performance Clip From New DVD, Blu-Ray

Manos Spanos
In November and December of 2012, MEGADETH blazed hot on the band's "Countdown To Extinction 20th Anniversary Tour", ripping through their entire double platinum 1992 album from start to finish before performing other classics from their recorded catalog. Recorded and filmed at Los Angeles' Fox Theatre last December, "Countdown to Extinction: Live" is a definitive document of the acclaimed, sold-out tour. In addition to MEGADETH's blistering performance of the entire "Countdown To Extinction" album, including the essential "Symphony Of Destruction", "Foreclosure Of A Dream", "Sweating Bullets" and "Skin O' My Teeth", "Countdown to Extinction: Live" features all of the other MEGADETH classics the band performed at the epic concert, including "Holy Wars" and "Hangar 18" from 1990's "Rust In Peace", "Peace Sells" from the band's influential, platinum-certified 1986 album "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?", and "Trust" from 1997's platinum certified "Cryptic Writings". On September 24, "Countdown To Extinction: Live" was released on CD, DVD and Blu-ray via Capitol. "Countdown To Extinction: Live" track listing: 01. Intro 02. Architecture Of Aggression 03. Ashes In Your Mouth 04. Captive Honour 05. Countdown To Extinction
01 min read