DATE:            OCTOBER 3, 2005

FROM:  KRISTINE ASHTON-MAGNUSON/TODD BROGINSKI/MITCH SCHNEIDER

GIGANTOUR WRAPS YEAR ONE,
EARNS CRITICAL PRAISE;
DVD AND CD SET FOR RELEASE VIA IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT IN 2006;PLANS UNDERWAY FOR GIGANTOUR 2006

GIGANTOUR, the summer touring festival conceived by MEGADETH singer/songwriter/guitarist DAVE MUSTAINE, recently wrapped its inaugural year amid enthusiastic fan response and critical acclaim--and now, plans are underway for GIGANTOUR 2006.  In addition, a DVD and CD of this summer’s GIGANTOUR are set for release in 2006 via Image Entertainment. 

             Starting July 21 in Fresno, CA and wrapping September 11 in Portland, OR, the six-week summer trek featured MEGADETH along with like-minded bands with a focus on musicianship:  DREAM THEATER, FEAR FACTORY, DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, NEVERMORE, LIFE OF AGONY, SYMPHONY X, DRY KILL LOGIC and BOBAFLEX, as well as the recently reunited ANTHRAX on select dates.  As Time Out New York noted: "A chop's fanatic's dream come true, Dave Mustaine's summer package just might be the choicest metal bill of the summer" (8/18/05).  The Chicago Sun Times weighed in by proclaiming: "With someone like Mustaine at the helm...GIGANTOUR has the potential to flourish in years to come" (8/15/05).

            In a recent website posting regarding GIGANTOUR and MEGADETH’s Blackmail The Universe tour, MUSTAINE comments: “To you, the fans that came out to see the Blackmail The Universe tour or GIGANTOUR...what can I say other than you made my dream come true. I love you and am indebted to your faith in me, in the other bands that you may have been fans of and came out for, and importantly most just for supporting our scene.”

            Here’s a sample of the critical praise that GIGANTOUR and MEGADETH received this summer:

“Megadeth proved that speed metal is alive and well with old fans and…a number of young ones…There was no rude behavior, the crowd was very respectful and not one thing was thrown on the stage…a 100 mph barrage of speed metal that never, ever let up…“Mustaine can still shred with the best of them.  And with Glen Drover, who shared the leads, the band was tight.  With both the band and audience bobbing their heads in true headbanging form, Megadeth served up the hits, including ‘In My Darkest Hour,’ ‘Symphony of Destruction,’ ‘Sweating Bullets,’ ‘Peace Sells’ and the encore, ‘Holy Wars.’  It was fast and furious…it does a heart good to see Mustaine able to buck the chameleon trend of rock and stay firm to his ideals, keeping the music the priority and not the image.”

--Erik Hamilton, Orange County Register, 7/26/05

“GIGANTOUR sounds like the name of a primitive prehistoric beast, but the giant summer festival is actually highly evolved.  The brainchild of Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine, the inaugural GIGANTOUR touched down…at Hard Rock Live, drawing a sell-out crowd…If you can live without extreme sports and temperatures, GIGANTOUR is the go-to event for music fans…Mustaine’s singing packed impressive emotional power…”

--Jim Abbott, Orlando Sentinel, 8/9/05 

“Mustaine…offered the better festival this year. This was world-class metal.”

--Jeff Miers, Buffalo News, 8/31/05

“Megadeth’s one-hour set demonstrated how Mustaine hasn’t lost his touch…what’s most noticeable is the intensity of his playing.  He exudes charisma--and it’s not just the magnetism that comes from being a band’s frontman.  There’s something almost awe-inspiring about his guitar-playing, something that makes you want to just stop and stare.”

--Lita Beck, Arizona Republic, 7/24/05

“Megadeth’s set was a thriller, a barrage of gorgeous noise, with the quartet channeling through immense, perfectly choreographed waves of guitar…the whole thing came off as a pulsating organism with an insistent, mesmerizing groove.”

--Teresa Gubbins, Ft. Worth Star Telegram, 8/4/05

MEGADETH will now head to South America for October dates as part of their Blackmail The Universe Tour.  Current tour dates are below and go to www.megadeth.com for more information.

Date                            City                                          Venue

Thur     10/6                 Santiago, Chile                      Chile Stadium

Sun      10/9                 Buenos Aires, Argentina             Pepsi Music Rock Festival

Tue      10/11               Sao Paulo, Brazil                Credicard Hall  

Sat       10/15               San Juan, Puerto Rico             Coliseo De Puerto Rico

MSO Contacts:

818-380-0400

Kristine Ashton-Magnuson            kashton@msopr.com           ext. 233

Todd Brodginski                   toddb@msopr.com              ext. 239

Mitch Schneider                    mschneider@msopr.com     ext. 235

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