Dan's Metal Memory of the Month: 8/07

Megadeth: One of the few metal bands that remained in my CD collection well past high school. Most of the metal I listened to in the '80s lacked holding power after I left Maine and discovered the music the rest of the country was enjoying. Most albums that the metal heavies produced post-1988 were woefully lame (Dio's Lock up the Wolves, Maiden's Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, Priest's Ram it Down and Whitesnake... oh, my... they were just bad, bad), but Megadeth remained a respectable thrash presence - even up to this day (United Abominations is quite good). Since their first drunken attempt in '85 after Mustaine's ousting from arch-enemy Metallica, each of their 11 full-length studio albums have gone either gold or platinum. More importantly, they've yet to disappoint their fans - new and old. From their start, I think they found a perfect combination of technical skill, hair band showmanship and political disdain. A definite no bullshit approach to speed metal. Sadly, I don't think I ever saw Megadeth in my youth... but I did listen to them religiously until 1993 - always a good shot of adrenaline on a bad day. Fortunately, a co-worker has recently supplied me with the CDs released over the past 14 years, including their latest release (which they've been promoting on tour with Sabbath's Heaven and Hell this year). That Dave Mustaine. Even after all those drugs, he just never ages.