by By now every metalhead on the planet knows the story of Megadeth‘s genesis and how Metallica bent over Dave Mustaine sideways without so much of a please or thank you. Personally, I’m grateful for Metallica’s hasty decision to dump Mustaine because doing so gave us a far superior thrash metal band. If Mustaine wasn’t already a rabid, angry young man while in Metallica, he certainly became the spawn of Satan afterward. He emerged from the breakup with a new-found aggression and hostility that drove him to writer faster, thrashier, heavier, better songs than his former band.
Don’t get me wrong, Metallica wrote some masterpieces as well, I just have a preference for Megadeth.
At the dawn of the Grunge era, Megadeth was kicking ass and keeping metal alive. In a way, their album Countdown to Extinction was able to retain the interest of fans who were migrating toward a “simpler” music style. This might be, in large part, because the songs on Countdown are different from previous Megadeth works; they’re more linear and hard rock oriented, but still pretty heavy and thrashy. Simply put, Countdown opened up Megadeth’s fan base to a more mainstream audience, just as Metallica’s Black album had done. Megadeth, however, didn’t get as starry-eyed and greedy.
Many Megadeth fans say, not me however, that the 1992 lineup consisting of Mustaine, Dave Ellefson, Mary Friedman, and Nick Menza was the best. This performance on the Monsters of Rock tour is certainly a huge piece of evidence to that argument. Even with a short set, they ripped it to near perfection. The above video of the performance is definitely one of the best, most authentic live Megadeth performances out there. The audio doesn’t sound overdubbed, you can hear them play, they don’t sound like they’re playing in a tin can, and it’s raw and aggressive.
I love Megadeth to this day, but when I watch more recent live performances I’m left with the feeling that it’s become scientific and way too technical. Give me mistakes with energy, and I’m much happier.
Anyway, enjoy the full concert from Megadeth, courtesy of 1992.
Megadeth: Monsters Of Rock – Italy (1992) – Set List:
01. The Punishment Due
02. Skin O’ My Teeth
03. Hangar 18
04. Lucretia
05. Sweating Bullets
06. Foreclosure Of A Dream
07. In My Darkest Hour
08. Medley (Peace Sells / The Conjuring / Wake Up Dead)
09. Symphony Of Destruction
10. Anarchy In The U.K.
Yell! Magazine’s Concert Series brings you kick-ass live shows to get your party started right and to help you vent your Friday frustrations.
Rock Hard \m/
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