“Was this an attempt to challenge Metallica’s success with the Black Album?” A guide to every Megadeth album – and guitarist
As Dave Mustaine prepares to ride Megadeth out into the sunset, we chart the thrash pioneers’ explosive studio output, album by album, guitarist by guitarist
Say what you like about Dave Mustaine and his inability to consign his departure from Metallica to the dustbin of history, but it gave him the fire and the fury required to put together a band that would be have its own legacy as one of thrash metal’s pioneers – one of metal’s most-enduring acts.
With Mustaine announcing the end for Megadeth, Guitar World takes a trip down memory lane for a blow-by-blow account of one MegaDiscography.
Killing Is My Business… and Business Is Good! (Combat, 1985)
Guitarist: Chris Poland
Still bitter about being fired from Metallica, Dave Mustaine returned with a band fashioned from his own imagination. The songs were sharp and socially aware, while the music was surprisingly mature. Mustaine had immediately made his intentions clear – namely to take the thrash beast he’d helped create and give it a rounded metal education. It didn’t chart on the Billboard 200, but it was loved from the start.
Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying? (Capitol, 1986)
Guitarist: Chris Poland
Originally recorded for Combat Records, this was switched to the much bigger Capitol label, with the band given the budget to completely re-mix. The result is a true landmark album.
Forget about thrash; here was Mustaine leading a charge through the whole spectrum of musical emotions. The title track itself is something of an epic, showcasing Megadeth’s startlingly creative process. Meanwhile, Chris Poland’s playing is nothing short of brilliant.
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So Far, So Good.. So What! (Capitol, 1988)
Guitarist: Jeff Young
Two years after Peace Sells…, a new Megadeth lineup landed on their feet with a record that refused to conform to expectations. While the cover of Sex Pistols’ Anarchy in the U.K. seemed somewhat superfluous, Mustaine was at his finest on the emotional In My Darkest Hour – a tribute to the late Cliff Burton of Metallica – and the haunting Mary Jane. We also don't mind Hook in Mouth and Set the World Afire.
Rust in Peace (Capitol, 1990)
Guitarist: Marty Friedman
The debut album from arguably Megadeth’s finest lineup, with Mustaine and long-time bassist Dave Ellefson being joined by guitarist Marty Friedman and drummer Nick Menza.
Trying to come to terms with his substance dependence, Mustaine became much more politically charged in his lyrical themes, exploring the implications and ramifications of war.
The music is, at times, breathtaking, with Friedman proving he could cope with the considerable demands put on the guitarist in this most exhaustive of metal bands. Hangar 18 is a striking moment of genius.
Countdown to Extinction (Capitol, 1992)
Guitarist: Marty Friedman
Max Norman, the man behind Ozzy Osbourne’s solo success, was brought in to co-produce with Mustaine, and his obvious commercial leanings can be heard in the way many of the songs here are structured. Gone were the sprawling epics, only two tracks – Sweating Bullets and Ashes in Your Mouth – were over five minutes in length, and many had an almost traditional arrangement.
However, Symphony of Destruction was a triumph and remains a Mega classic. Was this an attempt to challenge Metallica’s success with the Black Album? If so, it worked to some extent, as Countdown to Extinction came up just shy of the mark, making it to Number 2 on the U.S. charts.
Youthanasia (Capitol, 1994)
Guitarist: Marty Friedman
Now the band were really starting to alienate some of their diehard fans. Almost divorced from the qualities that had made their early albums so successful, Megadeth were moving inexorably towards melodic hard rock.
Norman’s guidance saw them become virtually one-paced, which meant that songs like Train of Consequences weren’t given the credit they deserved. While A Tout Le Monde provided a moving interlude, nevertheless it appeared that Mustaine had lost touch with his roots.
Cryptic Writings (Capitol, 1997)
Guitarist: Marty Friedman
Often dismissed as the worst album of the band’s career, Cryptic Writings actually saw Megadeth get back in touch with their thrash roots, on songs like FFF, She-Wolf and Vortex. And I’ll Get Even saw them re-igniting a creative spark. The problem was in the production.
Mustaine has in recent times expressed his regret at the decision to bring in Dann Huff, known for his work in melodic rock circles – far removed from where Megadeth should have been. And it cannot be denied that this record suffers from a somewhat tame timbre.
Risk (Capitol, 1999)
Guitarist: Marty Friedman
The last Megadeth album of the 20th century and Friedman’s farewell performance. Part of the problem here is that tracks like the single Crush ’Em are so smooth that they positively glide, rather than truly bombing along in Mega style.
Mustaine has claimed that the decision to take Megadeth even further into the jungle of melodically driven music was suggested by Lars Ulrich and, as the album title suggested, it was a real risk.
Again, the production from Huff was a problem, and the album suffers for it. However, it couldn’t be denied that Mustaine was still a formidable songwriter, as he proved on Prince of Darkness and Breadline.
The World Needs a Hero (Sanctuary, 2001)
Guitarist: Al Pitrelli
A new label, a fresh guitarist (Al Pitrelli) and a return to the hard stuff. After the hard-rock dabbling of the ’90s, the band got suited up in body armor and plunged back into the metal melee.
While this was not a complete return to the band’s original principles, the album had just enough rough and tumble to keep diehard fans satisfied.
The System Has Failed (Sanctuary, 2004)
Guitarist: Chris Poland
After calling time on the band due to a career-threatening arm injury, Mustaine intended this as a solo return. This was subsequently changed, although it was very much a Mustaine-plus-hired-hands effort.
A darker, more insidious record than The World Needs a Hero – it offered no solutions but highlighted current social and political problems and inconsistencies. However, what it did do was put Megadeth right back to the fore. They were once more metal heroes.
United Abominations (Roadrunner, 2007)
Guitarist: Glen Drover
Although Megadeth were once more a true band, it was obvious that the songs were the product of Mustaine’s mind. However, if The System Has Failed was a little inconsistent, this time it was clear Megadeth had found their range again.
A cover of Zeppelin’s Out On the Tiles and a re-visit of A Tout Le Monde (with a guest appearance from Lacuna Coil’s Cristina Scabbia) apart, it pulled no punches.
In keeping with modern cynicism, Mustaine showed himself to be as angry and agitated as he was in 1985. UA topped the GW readers poll for 2007’s best metal album.
Endgame (Roadrunner, 2009)
Guitarist: Chris Broderick
Endgame features yet another new lead guitarist entering MegaDave’s midst. This time around, it’s Chris Broderick, who came in hot, adding bouts of old-school thrash meets new-school edginess.
The result is an album that felt like a true band effort that was still clearly spearheaded by Mustaine, who continued to run the gamut of lyrical topics, ranging from Lord of the Rings themes to the Great Recession.
Songs like Head Crusher and 44 Minutes showed that Mustaine wasn’t just back at it, but aiming to properly reinstate the Megadeth machine atop the proverbial MegaMountain. And once again, this barn-burner topped Guitar World's end-of-year poll for the best metal album of 2009.
Th1rt3en (Roadrunner, 2011)
![Megadeth - Public Enemy No. 1 [OFFICIAL HD VIDEO] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/fLN1OB3_wG8/maxresdefault.jpg)
Guitarist: Chris Broderick
For the first time since the halcyon days of Marty Friedman, Megadeth made an album with the same lead guitarist as the previous one. Also noteworthy is the return of founding bassist David Ellefson, whom James LoMenzo had previously replaced. The results were good, if not outstanding… in a way.
The Al Capone-inspired Public Enemy No. 1 was kind of weird, but also kinda awesome in that Mustaine continued to push his lyrical ideas past their limits. And then there’s a cut like Sudden Death, which found Mustaine and company pummeling away at full blast with intent to kill.
Super Collider (Universal, 2013)
Guitarist: Chris Broderick
Three albums in a row with a guitarist not named Marty Friedman? Madness! Sadly, this would be Broderick’s Megadeth swan song. Thankfully, he went out with a bang, as Super Collider was the band’s best since the vaunted Rust in Peace. This is not to say Super Collider is as good as Rust in Peace, but that Mustaine had harnessed some sort of latter-day resurgence, landing Megadeth back among the genre’s best and most consistent bands. Evidence can be found in songs like Kingmaker and Burn!
Though great things were to come, it’s a shame Broderick didn’t stick around to challenge the vaunted Friedman era for consistency and dominance. That aside, he did find his way onto GW's cover (our June 2013 issue), becoming the first Megadeth guitarist to share the cover with Mustaine since Friedman back in 1991.
Dystopia (Universal, 2016)
It’s not hyperbolic to say that Dystopia was the best Megadeth album since the band’s first few beloved records. But this time, this isn’t just because it’s good, but because it’s truly great.
With former Angra guitarist Kiko Loureiro aboard, Mustaine found the best foil he’d had since the ’80s, leading to the creation of a modern metal monster. Fatal Illusion, The Threat Is Real and Post American World are commentaries that pummel the listener into blissful submission. Dystopia is top-tier Mustaine, so it’s no wonder that it nabbed him a Grammy for Best Metal Performance.
Guitarist: Kiko Loureiro
The Sick, the Dying… And the Dead! (Universal, 2022)
Mustaine and co carried the momentum from Dystopia into the sessions for The Sick… leading to another late-career metal masterstroke. But there was more at play here, such as the Covid pandemic and Mustaine’s throat cancer diagnosis.
We’ll Be Back netted Megadeth another Grammy nod for Best Metal Performance, which was the icing on the cake given all that Mustaine had been through. On the downside, this record put a period on Lourierio’s tenure.
Guitarist: Kiko Loureiro
Megadeth (Frontiers, 2026)
Given the fact that Mustaine and his band of merry men had nabbed two Grammys after the release of the band’s previous two records, and that their live show is as hellacious as ever, it was a surprise to hear that Megadeth will be the band’s final album.
But it’s not all bad, as newbie Teemu Mäntysaari made like it was 1990, delivering a Friedman-ish performance across Tipping Point, I Don’t Care and Let There Be Shred. Mustaine is going out like he came in: kicking, screaming and delivering blood‑boiling rock just as he did in ’85.
Guitarist: Teemu Mäntysaari
- Megadeth is out now via Frontiers.
- This article first appeared in Guitar World. Subscribe and save.
Andrew Daly is an iced-coffee-addicted, oddball Telecaster-playing, alfredo pasta-loving journalist from Long Island, NY, who, in addition to being a contributing writer for Guitar World, scribes for Bass Player, Guitar Player, Guitarist, and MusicRadar. Andrew has interviewed favorites like Ace Frehley, Johnny Marr, Vito Bratta, Bruce Kulick, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Morello, Rich Robinson, and Paul Stanley, while his all-time favorite (rhythm player), Keith Richards, continues to elude him.
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