MEGADETH's MUSTAINE Issues Studio Update

MEGADETH is in the final stages of the songwriting process for the band's new album, which is tentatively expected later this year via Roadrunner Records. The CD is once again being helmed by acclaimed British producer Andy "Undie" Sneap, who produced MEGADETH's last album, "United Abominations" (May 2007, Roadrunner Records).

MEGADETH's forthcoming LP will be the group's first with guitarist Chris Broderick, who replaced Glen Drover at the end of 2007.

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine has issued a lengthy update via the "Forums" section of the band's official web site. A few excerpts from his posting follow below.

"Today is the first day of the 'MEGADETH album 12' sessions after the Christmas and New Year's break. I was at the studio [Vic's Garage, in San Marcos, California] yesterday night with Justis [Dave's son] after flying home from our New Year's ski trip and it was unreal how much the studio has taken on a life of its own and is a living breathing building now that is responsible for forging the new MEGADETH record.

"We are starting out on the last songs today and I am set on six of the songs that we are recording for this album. Now the challenge is to keep the consistency of uniqueness with the other songs, and the explosiveness of the players at the top of their game. What you heard on the 'Fan Club' file [a clip of new MEGADETH music released via MEGADETH's official fan club, MegaFanClub] that some D.B. let most of you hear, was JUST A DEMO TAPE. it was for the ideas and we are going to re-cut everything once we get the arrangements settled on — which is what I was working on the whole time Andy was celebrating at a vegan orgy (where they forgo Vaseline for ranch dressing)."

Mustaine told Revolver magazine that MEGADETH's upcoming CD will contain "stuff that's melodic like nobody's business, stuff that's heavier than hell, and stuff that's a combination of both." He said, "The way I write, I'll play a riff and tape it and save it. And if I don't use it now, I'll use it later. The very first song I ever wrote, 'Rust In Peace… Polaris', didn't appear on anything until the fourth MEGADETH record. Right now, there are about 20 songs that are in the making, and there's another good 25-to-30 hours worth of guitar riffs on tape. And I've also got a lot of old lyrics I've assembled over my career. Some of it's relevant to this day and age; some of it is stuff that, if I released it, would probably get me in a lot of trouble. Those songs deal with a lot of the anger that I felt when I was younger and reading things like [the 1971 underground manual for making homemade explosives] 'The Anarchist Cookbook'."

In a recent online posting, Mustaine stated about the band's new material, "I am more excited about this new record than I was with 'United Abominations' or anything in the last several years. . . I am not saying that this is 'Rust In Peace 2'! But I can say that the five out of nine songs I have arranged, I like and love them all, and every one of the songs has one or more of the strong points of me as a guitarist being showcased instead of me writing songs for radio — radio that won't play us anyway. . . This is really going to be a record that will make a lot of people that thought we couldn't do it anymore sit up and take notice."