FEAR, EMPTINESS, DECIBEL: MEGADETH’S RUST IN PEACE ENTERS THE HALL OF FAME!
Before there were blogs there were these things called magazines, and the only metal magazine we still get excited about reading every month is Decibel. Here’s managing editor Andrew Bonazelli…
So, you’ve made art, and somebody wants to ask you questions about it. Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, huh? Yet, for whatever reason, there are some people who just don’t give a good interview. Okay, “good” isn’t the adjective—“enjoyable.” Maybe they grow weary of the repetition, maybe they’re naturally contrarian, maybe they’re just total fucking assholes. When it comes to Dave Mustaine, well, it’s a combination of that and a whole lot more. Mega-Dave has long been one of the most outspoken and polarizing voices in extreme music. This generally makes for fun, outrageous copy, especially in an election year, because who wouldn’t want to know what this dude thinks of the GOP Final Four, civil unions, internet porn, etc.
Well before his crackpot era, Dave was our kind of rock star: obliterated on hard drugs, crystallizing an entire genre with his signature riffing style and candidly complimenting his drummer’s endowment in bike shorts. Yes, that is one of many classic divergences in our latest HOF, Megadeth’s Rust in Peace, appearing in the May Decibel. Chris Dick soldiered through conversations with Mustaine, Friedman, Menza and Junior, and given that it was all about the music (and Nick Menza’s boners), the resulting oral history is one of our most honest, excoriating, hilarious Hall of Fames yet. Never forget that these guys really were incredible in their prime. I dunno if they were so incredible that we need to know what their frontman thinks of Trayvon Martin, but hey.
-AB
The May 2012 issue of Decibel, which also features Behemoth, a Baroness studio report, and an awesome In Solitude flexi disc, can be ordered here. But why not just get a full subscription to ensure that you never miss an issue?
