Megadeth

Megadeth is an American thrash metal band led by Dave Mustaine. The group was formed in 1983, disbanded in 2002, and reformed in 2004.

Lyrical themes

Aside from Megadeth's unmistakable guitar style, there are several recurring lyrical themes across their albums. War and military themes — particularly nuclear war (as in "Set The World Afire," originally titled "Megadeth") — is a common theme for many of the bands songs. In fact, the band's name is a play on the word megadeath, a term coined by the US military to mean one million deaths. However, beyond nuclear war, topics for Megadeth songs include the military-industrial complex (Architecture of Aggression), the aftermath of war (Ashes in your mouth), and the Israel Palestine conflict (Holy Wars... The Punishment Due). The video clip for "In My Darkest Hour" was banned from MTV as it was interpreted to have been written about suicide, a theme which arose more blatantly in "Skin o' My Teeth" and "A Tout Le Monde".

Related Topics:
Nuclear war - Megadeath - Israel - Palestine

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Politics is also a common theme to many Megadeth songs. Mustaine is scathing in his assessment of Tipper Gore, the PMRC, and music censorship in the song "Hook In Mouth", attacks gambling in "Train of Consequences", takes an environmentalist stance in "Countdown to Extinction", and shuns dictators in songs like "Warhorse", "Symphony of Destruction", and "Ashes in Your Mouth". Mustaine's general cynicism about politics shines through on tracks like "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?" and "The World Needs A Hero". "Blackmail the Universe" includes an Alex Jones soundbyte.

Related Topics:
Tipper Gore - PMRC - Censorship - Gambling - Environmentalist - Alex Jones

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While Megadeth has recorded songs about relationships, they tend to be songs either about breaking up, or have a dark twist. "Trust", "Almost Honest", "Addicted To Chaos", and "1000 Times Goodbye" are examples of the former. Examples of the latter include "Promises", an eerie ballad from beyond the grave, and "Last Rites / Loved to Deth", a song about a man who is angry that he can't have the woman he loves, and seeks to kill her. The one exception to this was the Risk track "I'll be there", and is often held up as an example of what was "wrong" with that particular album's pop-rock influences.

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