CHRIS POLAND: 'I Like All The Different Versions Of MEGADETH'

In a new interview with Omar Rodriguez of The Metal Mixtape, former MEGADETH guitarist Chris Poland was asked if he thinks all the lineup changes the band has gone though in the last four decades, particularly when it comes to lead guitarists, has negatively affected MEGADETH's ability to stay consistent with regard to the group's sound, thereby resulting in MEGADETH not reaching the same commercial heights as some of the other bands that came up around the same time. Poland responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No, man. I don't think so, man. I think all the guitar players that [MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine has] had, almost every one brought something new to the band, I thought. Like when Marty [Friedman] was in the band, that was the pinnacle of MEGADETH. But then if you listen to [MEGADETH's] 'Dystopia' [album], that is the essence of what he had then."

Chris continued: "I like all the different versions of MEGADETH. I like 'Hook In Mouth'. What an insanely great song. So, yeah, without all those different guitar players, Dave, his mind wouldn't be thinking in a different way, and we wouldn't have had those records. If we were all [still playing together after all these years], it would've got boring, man. We would've been playing... I think it would've been boring, 'cause I was bored [already back then]. I wanted out. I was getting bored."

Poland was a member of MEGADETH from 1984 to 1987, during which time he performed on the band's classic albums "Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!" and "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?" He is also a featured soloist on the group's 2004 album, "The System Has Failed".

In a 2023 interview with Consequence, Mustaine said that "there hasn't been that many" lineup changes in MEGADETH "when you think about how many some of these bands go through. A lot of popular bands will go through lineup changes and sometimes it's really bad for the band. Other times, it's necessary," he explained. "So, I try not to hold it against guys that are in bands when they have personnel issues. Sometimes, you just end up having a different perspective, and when you guys start off doing stuff, it's very much like a marriage, and you want to have the same vision — but it doesn't always stay that way. So, compared to some bands, yeah, we've had several lineup changes, but not as many as others have. And the lineup that we have right now, I think is magic."

He continued: "I can tell you at any given time, we may have had a period where there was a more popular person on drums or a more popular person on bass or a more popular person on lead guitar. But the magic that the band is operating under right now is so different."

Back in 2012, Mustaine addressed the reasons for MEGADETH's many lineup changes, telling AL.com: "That's the problem when you start a band. You have to pick the right guys. But things happen. … We have our lineup and everything's working, and one guy says, 'I want more money.' Or 'I want to write more songs.' The truth of the matter is that it's hard to write songs. You have your whole life to write your first album. After that, it's hard."

NUCLEAR MESSIAH — the project built around Poland's visionary mastery — released its all-star concept album, "Black Flame", on April 24 via Cleopatra Records. The LP is described in a press release as "a sonic prophecy uniting 36 of the most iconic musicians in rock and metal history across five decades."