MEGADETH
The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!
Megadeth are back in rude health
PRESS/TRAVIS SHINN
UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP
Dave Mustaine’s renaissance reaches a thrilling fever pitch
SHARP, CATCHY AND as subtle as a two-by-four across the forehead, 2016’s Dystopia found Megadeth striking creative highs not seen since 1992’s Countdown To Extinction. Drawing fresh inspiration from new guitarist Kiko Loureiro and ex-Lamb Of God drummer Chris Adler, Dystopia tapped into that fiery amalgam of menace and paranoia that has underpinned the band’s finest works. It also earned Megadeth their first Grammy and put the world on notice that Dave Mustaine still had plenty to say.
Both Megadeth’s future and Dave Mustaine’s longevity were called into question when the frontman disclosed his throat cancer diagnosis in 2019. But after aggressive treatment, Mustaine declared himself “100% cancer-free” a year later, reaffirming that MegaDave has more lives than a city of cats. Now Megadeth are poised to release their 16th full-length, The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! (Dave does love those exclamation marks, doesn’t he?). The burning question is whether Dystopia was a one-off or the harbinger of a new golden age for Megadeth. Let’s not hide the ball – it’s the latter.