Megadeth

Led by the growled vocals and razor-wire riffing of Dave Mustaine, Megadeth are one of the “big four” thrash titans. Shortly after being kicked out of Metallica in 1983, Mustaine met bassist David Ellefson, and the pair bonded quickly, forming the core of Megadeth. Drummer Gar Samuelson and guitarist Chris Poland later joined, and Megadeth released their underground-hit debut Killing Is My Business… And Business Is Good! in 1985. Its follow-up, Peace Sells… But Who's Buying?, solidified the band’s status with sprawling yet tightly wound songs like the uneasy opener “Wake Up Dead” and the fiery title track. So Far, So Good… So What!, released in 1988, featured a new lineup as well as a thrashy cover of the Sex Pistols’ “Anarchy In the U.K.” and the anti-PMRC broadside “Hook In Mouth.” In 1990 they released Rust In Peace, with Nick Menza on drums and technical wizard Marty Friedman on guitar; songs such as “Holy Wars… The Punishment Due” and “Hangar 18” blended pummeling riffs and suspicion-fueled lyrics with a stadium-rock ambition that matched the era’s metal-embracing tendencies. Countdown to Extinction, released in 1992, and Youthanasia, released in 1994, continued the band’s dominance of metal and emergence in rock’s mainstream, with the latter album’s “À Tout le Monde” being a rare thrash ballad. After a brief breakup in the early 2000s, Megadeth returned as a de facto Mustaine solo project with 2004’s The System Has Failed. Ellefson rejoined in 2011 on the album TH1RT3EN and has remained in the Megadeth lineup since. The Mustaine/Ellefson duo is as crucial to thrash as Jagger/Richards is to rock, with Megadeth’s frenzied, paranoid version of the subgenre forming a substantial part of its foundation.