The Record that Changed My Life: Lamb of God's Mark Morton Discusses Megadeth's 'Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?'

FROM THE ARCHIVE: Lamb of God's Mark Morton chooses (and discusses) the record that changed his life.

Megadeth
Peace Sells...But Who's Buying? (1986)

Peace Sells made me realize I could take all my adolescent rebelliousness and negative energy and craft it into something that was both sophisticated and dangerous.

Basically, it made me want to be a metal guitar player. Before I heard the record, I was a 13-year-old skater listening to a lot of punk: Black Flag, Bad Religion, JFA, Sucidal Tendencies, G.B.H. and Sex Pistols. It was in that context that I got a guitar and started making noise, punk-rock style.

When I heard Peace Sells, I was struck by its punk edge. It was really raw, chaotic, unrefined and dirty, in the same way punk records were. It snarled and seemed to be giving the middle finger to everything.

There was nothing classy about it, but at the same time it was smart and meaningful. I thought it was the best punk rock I'd ever heard — except it was made by dudes who could play their asses off.

I can still go back and listen to that record and get things out of it. The riff work at the end of "Wake Up Dead" is still a lesson to me. They flip time and veer off into odd time signatures, but they still maintain the groove and chunk. When you can make someone's head bob in 15/8 time, you've really achieved something. And the socially conscious lyrics are great, too.

Megadeth seem to be selling the idea that you can be rebellious and still be smart, that you can make a statement with your music and not lose any power or danger. That was a big influence on Lamb of God. We've had the opportunity to work with [Peace Sells guitarist] Chris Poland on two of our records, and those were among the coolest moments in my career.