One of the best things Metallica ever did was the firing of Dave Mustaine, because his rage gave birth to Megadeth, so thank you Metallica. I was hooked on Megadeth from the moment I heard the intro to Peace Sells…that little bass hook that David Ellefson plays at the start of the song became iconic as the background music for MTV News back in the day. Of course the video and the song itself totally rip, with the sneering, venomous anger spilling from Mustaine’s lead vocals, and the crushing precision of his guitar, coupled with Chris Poland’s frenzied leads. Megadeth were equally as fast as their comrades in Slayer and Anthrax, but delivered nearly surgical precision of their thrash attack in addition to their socially aware lyrics, which had more in common with punk and hardcore than most of their contemporaries. Some of my prime cuts on this landmark album were Wake Up Dead, Devil’s Island, and My Last Words, but the title song will forever hold first place for me, because it was my point of entry into the Megadeth universe.

Written By Braddon S. Williams