DaveMustaine

Dave Mustaine

Thrash metal's sharpest riff architect and its most relentless survivor

Dave Mustaine was born in La Mesa, California, and had a turbulent childhood marked by frequent moves. He found stability in the guitar as a teenager, learning to play heavy rock and forming an early band called Panic, some of whose ideas later resurfaced in his own music. In 1981 he answered an advertisement placed by Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield and became the lead guitarist of the newly formed Metallica, contributing riffs and songwriting to the band's earliest material.

His time with Metallica was brief. In April 1983, as the band prepared to record its debut, he was fired over his drinking and volatile behaviour and replaced by Kirk Hammett. Several songs he co-wrote still appeared on Kill 'Em All and Ride the Lightning. Stung by the dismissal, Mustaine formed Megadeth the same year, determined to build a faster, more technical band, and released the raw debut Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! in 1985.

Megadeth's second album, Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? (1986), made the band a leading force in thrash. After line-up upheavals, Mustaine recruited Marty Friedman and drummer Nick Menza, and the resulting Rust in Peace (1990) is regarded as one of metal's great records. Countdown to Extinction (1992) brought mainstream success. Throughout, Mustaine fought serious addiction problems, entering rehab many times, and in 2002 a nerve injury to his arm led him to disband the group temporarily.

He revived Megadeth in 2004 and relearned his technique, then led the band through a long run of albums including Endgame and Dystopia, whose title track won the 2017 Grammy for Best Metal Performance. In 2019 he was diagnosed with throat cancer and was declared cancer-free early the following year. In 2025 he announced that a self-titled album would be Megadeth's last, followed by a farewell tour, bringing four decades of the band to a planned close.

The 10 greatest Dave Mustaine solos

1. 1
   Hangar 18

   Megadeth · solo by Marty Friedman & Dave Mustaine · 1990
2. 2
   Holy Wars... The Punishment Due

   Megadeth · solo by Marty Friedman, Dave Mustaine · 1990
3. 3
   In My Darkest Hour

   Megadeth · solo by Dave Mustaine · 1988
4. 4
   Wake Up Dead

   Megadeth · solo by Dave Mustaine · 1986
5. 5
   Peace Sells

   Megadeth · solo by Chris Poland, Dave Mustaine · 1986
6. 6
   Rattlehead

   Megadeth · solo by Dave Mustaine · 1985
7. 7
   Mechanix

   Megadeth · solo by Dave Mustaine · 1985
8. 8
   Devil's Island

   Megadeth · solo by Dave Mustaine · 1986
9. 9
   Dystopia

   Megadeth · solo by Kiko Loureiro · 2016
10. 10
    Hit the Lights

    Metallica · solo by Dave Mustaine · 1982

The sound

Mustaine is best known as a rhythm player of ferocious precision, using fast downpicking and alternate picking to drive intricate, multi-part riffs that change tempo and feel within a single song. His "spider chord" fingering helps him move quickly between power chords with minimal hand movement. As a soloist he is aggressive and slightly unhinged, favouring fast bursts, wide vibrato and dive-bomb flourishes, and he enjoys trading leads with a second guitarist. His snarling, sardonic vocals and politically charged lyrics complete a style that defined the sound of thrash.

• B.C. Rich (guitar) His main brand in the early years, including his time in Metallica.
• Jackson King V (guitar) Adopted in 1987 and forever linked to the Rust in Peace era.
• Dean VMNT (guitar) His signature V-shaped model from 2007 until 2021.
• Gibson Flying V (Dave Mustaine Collection) (guitar) Launched in 2021 as part of his move to Gibson.
• Marshall (amp) A mainstay of his live sound, including signature cabinets.
• Neural DSP Quad Cortex (effect) Became the heart of his live rig from 2022.
• Seymour Duncan Live Wire pickups (guitar) Signature active pickups used in many of his guitars.

Covers

• These Boots Are Made for Walkin', originally by Nancy Sinatra A sneering thrash rewrite of a sixties pop hit.
• I Ain't Superstitious, originally by Willie Dixon The blues standard gets a heavy, swaggering treatment.
• Anarchy in the U.K., originally by Sex Pistols A nod to punk, featuring Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones.
• No More Mr. Nice Guy, originally by Alice Cooper A punchy, tightened take on the shock-rock classic.
• Paranoid, originally by Black Sabbath A fast, punky version for the Sabbath tribute album.

Timeline

• 1961 Born in La Mesa, California
• 1981 Joins Metallica as lead guitarist
• 1983 Fired from Metallica; forms Megadeth
• 1985 Megadeth releases its debut album
• 1986 Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? becomes a thrash landmark
• 1990 Releases Rust in Peace with Marty Friedman and Nick Menza
• 2002 Arm nerve injury leads him to disband Megadeth
• 2004 Revives Megadeth
• 2017 Wins Grammy for Best Metal Performance for Dystopia
• 2019 Diagnosed with throat cancer; declared cancer-free in early 2020

Facts

1. He is credited as a writer on four songs from Metallica's Kill 'Em All.
2. He was fired from Metallica in April 1983, shortly before they recorded their debut.
3. Megadeth has reportedly sold more than 50 million records worldwide.
4. A 2002 nerve injury forced him to relearn how to play guitar.
5. He was raised as a Jehovah's Witness and later became a born-again Christian.
6. He is known for the 'spider chord' technique for fast power-chord changes.
7. Joel McIver's book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists ranked him number one.
8. He formed a short-lived side project called MD.45 in the nineties.
9. His first band was called Panic.
10. Megadeth's final album, announced in 2025, includes a cover of Metallica's Ride the Lightning.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Dave Mustaine