package essay
Penelope Spheeris
Megadeth was always on the forefront of innovation, always challenging tradition and bringing new rules to the game.
Since their inception, I was a Megadeth fan, but I really got to know them in 1986 when I directed the Wake Up Dead video. In retrospect it seems obvious that this piece set the standard for many metal videos to come. In 1988 I needed one last band to finish The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years. I knew it had to be a band that was going to go down in history, a band with substance, a band that would make a difference in the world. It had to be Megadeth.
They were a shining light in the vapid, depressing, glam rock / power-pop atmosphere of the time. While other bands wrote whiny lyrics about their personal problems, Megadeth addressed the problems of the planet. No other band was cutting the edge with songs about corruption, capitalism, toxic waste, Mankind's depravity and human beings' lack of integrity. It was as if Dave Mustaine took on the weight of the world and made us all feel better for it. His devil voice could rattle your soul and his angel voice could make you see God. His lyrics are profound poetry and his masterful guitar skills are unmatched to this day.
In a landscape of sellouts, Megadeth has always been intelligent and uncompromising; they gave an entire generation a new perspective on our troubled world. And a live Megadeth performance is an experience unequalled, their contribution to contemporary music immeasurable.
Long live Megadeth.
- Penelope Spheeris
Los Angeles / March 2005