In a recent interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, Dave Mustaine shared a story about a fan who unexpectedly became a friend after impressing him with their masterful rendition of a MEGADETH song.
“There was only one time ever that a fan showed me one of my songs,” Mustaine said. “He played it the same way I played it. But it was not in the premise of somebody showing me an easier way to play my songs. He had said he knew one of my songs and I said, ‘No, you don’t.’ It was the beginning of ‘Lucretia,’ which is very difficult.”
“He goes, ‘Yeah, I do.’ He picked up my guitar, which made me mad in the first place, and then he played ‘Lucretia.’ I went, ‘Damn, he’s got it.’ That began a 25-year friendship, and he’s still working with me today.”
“You never know how these business things turn into friendships,” he added. “I don’t like friendships that turn into business. That never works. When it’s a business that turns into friendship, even that is risky. But yeah, we’ve been together now for 25 years. Probably more.”
MEGADETH‘s 16th studio album, The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!, was released in September 2022 via UMe.
The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, with 48,000 equivalent album units sold in its first week in the U.S. This achievement marked MEGADETH‘s eighth album to reach the top 10. Of the 48,000 units, 45,000 came from album sales, 3,000 from streaming equivalent albums (SEA), and a negligible amount from track equivalent albums (TEA).
Reeder, the visionary behind Metal Addicts, has transformed his lifelong passion for metal into a thriving online community for metal aficionados. As a fervent devotee of black metal, Reeder is captivated by its dark, atmospheric, and often unorthodox soundscapes.