The fact he writes them all, plays while singing and never wanted to be a singer is amazing. In one book of the greatest guitarists he was listed #1 because he does all three alone and manages his business too. Many are way better at any one but Dave does it all and that’s amazing
Dave’s lyrical themes are a little too trite for my tastes, as metal bands writing about war and opposition to “the machine” and status quo is so cliche. Moreover, his lyrics don’t ever seem to make sense or even flow with the theme of the song. For example, why would I try to take the pulse of a cyborg before his head explodes? And what do any of the lyrics in “Peace Sells” have to do with peace or war? Even so, when he does happen to write about something outside of the cliched metal themes, he usually ends up with cloddish lyrics like whats seen in “Mechanix.” All in all, Dave isn’t a good lyricist, in my opinion.
Dave vocals really fits they style, but he really isn't a good singer. Someone not into metal would think its trash for sure. But i would think is really thrash ;)
Dave’s voice is much of a signature sound of Megadeth as the music itself. No one in metal sounds like him. He has a hiss and a sneer in his voice. It’s like Cobra Commander singing. It’s awesome!!
The old school metal bands throw picks into the crowd. Throughout the show when Dave changes his pick you can see him throw the old pick and grab a new one
Yep, and you wouldn't play a pick that you got that way for two reasons: it was gifted to you by the metal forces above, and it's been beaten to hell by professional thrash licks, so the latter is a bit of a non-starter.
@@aaronmccutcheon I caught a pick from John 5 but I gave it to a girl that really really wanted it. I've gotten many more since but probably won't get another John 5 one lol
Megadeth so many great songs!!! Holy Wars… The Punishment Due is widely regarded as one of the best metal songs ever. I don’t think any live performance is as good as the album version/official video for a first listen anyways
Love this one, but a toute Le monde is my absolute favorite, closely followed by tornado of souls then sweating bullets and finally she wolf. Basically all their stuff is in my most played section. I have spent more than 10 years cultivating my megadeth pandora station and it’s fuckin awesome. Every day, every song is life!
Relating to the picks on the micstands- Thats super common. Even the best guitarist sometimes just has a pick fly out of their hand, so having extras is necessary. Also, a lot of bands throw a few to the crowd in between songs. Its a good way to give free stuff to the audience. Drummers also sometimes do it with their sticks.
As well as the tips of the picks actually get ground away while playing. My favorite picks tips only last for about 5 minutes if I am playing leads, but they are great for chords. So I go back and forth between very hard and thick sharp tipped picks like Jazz III and very flexible picks that don't last long at all. A little Tip, no pun intended, when the tip of your pick goes blunt you can resharpen it by running it over a rug or carpet along both edges to get it as sharp as you want. My all time favorite picks are metal, but they destroy your strings faster... think Billy Gibbons using a Peso...
Thank you for posting this.. I was going to post something similar if I did not see a post on the subject. I also will add that in many cases the picks themselves are customized with the autograph of the guitarist.. so they can play with the pick for a few moments than fling it to the audience for a souvenir. Yngwie Malmsteen did this when I attended a concert back in the late 80's (I got one of them) so I just assumed it was standard practice.
Despite ego-related suggestions to the contrary, over the years, Dave never intended to be the vocalist for Megadeth but became one out of necessity after trialing and failing numerous others in their formative years. For the first decade of their career he had no idea what he was doing and sung without technique, but around the mid 90s with 6th album 'Youthanasia' he began to take vocal coaching which showed marked difference in his ability, delivery and technique. He gets alot of flak for his unique delivery and style but in my opinion his voice is showcased at its best on the albums 'Countdown To Extinction', 'United Abominations' and the aforementioned 'Youthanasia'. Live, he has generally been extremely consistent, however his vocal ability noticeably changed on studio albums between 2006-2011, and the year following this performance he needed spinal fusion surgery as a result of worn down neck vertebrae from decades of headbanging. This procedure affected his throat and vocal ability which has caused his voice to become more gravally and deeper with age and has resulted in Megadeth downtuning in recent years as he no longer has the range that he once possessed. Coupled with his throat cancer a few years ago, and his vocals went though a stage of being quite weak and inconsistent, but hes still got it for the most part!
As a Guitar student, Yes those are standard pick holders, though not everyone fills them to the brim like Megadeth's artists do. Most of them get thrown out at some point or another. And when you get hot and sweaty, even the most grippiest picks will just YEET themselves out of your fingers. You add outdoor weather to the mix and yep... you need a bunch on each clip for a long live set ;)
Dave mustain dorsnt have the best voice in metal, but that's a good thing because they focus more on the music, they probably have the best musical structure in thrash or even metal. The songs work just like symphonies.
Megadeth is best listened to from their studio work, their live energy is never worth the compromise for the quality of sound and performance. If you want to do more live Megadeth though, and we all want it, I would recommend the footage from That One Night: Live In Buenos Aires from 2007. She Wolf is amazing from this one.
I dont necessarily agree with that statement. While he does sound better in the studio, the energy during their show's is insane, and their performance is bar none some of the best i've heard compared to other bands. i saw them recently earlier in the month and i saw Metallica a few years ago. apart from Dave's singing Megadeth outclassed Metallica's performance in my opinion.
More Megadeth!!! The big 4 Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax. Dave Mustaine was an original member of Metallica he got kicked out just before Metallica released their first album. One of the greatest things too ever happen Dave Mustaine has ever since had a chip on his shoulder and his attitude, aggression and technical skills on the guitar really show in their music.
It's pretty hard to be into classical music and not love old school Metallica and Megadeth. The scope, arrangement, complexity, and progression of their 80's songs are clearly riffing on Bach and Beethoven to the max.
Mustaine is a guitarist who also happens to sing (reluctantly at first), not a vocalist who also plays guitar. And there is most definitely a difference. ... and this is hands down the best metal song ever recorded. 5 times I've seen MegaDave live, and this past month with Kiko on stage was epic as he's the first guy since Marty who puts so much emotion into his strings, and Megadeth is as tight as ever.
I remember when i first watched this show. Their entire set looked ABSOLUTELY rad in the rain. I will say that their live version of "Trust" is one of the few songs i like better live than studio. Same thing goes for "Hook in Mouth" Both are great for this show.
Dave had started Megadeth because Metallica had kicked him out over several incidents involving other band members. He'd beaten up James Hetfield for kicking his dog, spilled beer on Ron McGovney's bass equipment, and been responsible for a car accident that left the band temporarily stranded in between tour stops. I personally don't think it was a smart move for them, but history thanks them for allowing us to have both bands. Dave's vocal dynamics are interesting. If someone grits their teeth and applies nasal mask, they can get his mannerisms down pretty easily. That said, he had quite a range on him, and his instincts were somewhere between how a punk singer and power metal vocalist would sing. Very underestimated. As far as instrumentally, I know you're not a guitar expert, but I'd definitely recommend hearing the songs Into the Lungs of Hell, Tornado of Souls, Wake Up Dead, and Mechanix. When you hear how good he, Marty Friedman, Chris Poland, and a few other guitarists are, you'll absolutely be sold on them. Then Kiko Loureiro, their current guitarist. Personally, I find Friedman to be the absolute greatest of the greats. He was in a band called Cacophony before that brought shred like nobody else, and he's been doing Japanese music for about 20 years. That's the guy, when you need to hear some transcendent guitar work. It's always a pleasure to get your take on these guys, Ken!!! Keep rocking on!!! 😈🤘🏼
I see many people saying Dave's voice is not worth looking into it, but I think it's the opposite, cause with that voice he still manages to be very melodic.
I have 2 of Daves picks and one of his sweat/wristbands he threw out in the crowd. They have their own line of picks tailored to them. Having them readily available on the mic stand is common just in case one breaks or it slips out of their fingers or whatever. Usually they will throw whatever is left on the stand at the end of the concert too.
Megadeth shows are great! The most energy I've experienced was at a Sepultura show in '96. It was right before "Roots" came out I believe. The pit was crazy, lol!
Glad you reacted to the entire arrangement of things in this hymn. Very respectful over Dave's limitations and you tried to grasp the nest of his vocals. Very nice! The melody, the composition and the intrinsic deatils of this fantastic piece were appreciated. Thx!
Hi Ken, It been my experience that people who like metal are generally the most open to all different genres of music. This comes from two different places 1st being the influences for many of the early metal bands were blues & classical arrangements, the 2nd is we have had to put up with mainstream music that’s playing at (non metal) festivals and clubs.
Massive Megadeth fan here but the band is all about their musical talents and their deep lyrics. Dave's voice is probably the last you wanna react to. Great reaction btw
Dave Mustaine getting kicked out of Metallica is the best thing that ever happened to metal/thrash/music. Had that not happened we wouldn't have Megadeth, this song and all of Megadeth's amazing music never would have been written or performed, etc. Dave is fantastically creative and talented. How many people are there in the world that could play the rhythm to this song and sing at the same time. Very few. This is next level talent.
Really great song. If you have time, check out an older performance from 1992 at Hammersmith…. On a side note, Dave had throat cancer a couple of years ago, this may or may not have influenced later performances. I dunno.
Dear Ken; first of all; great video. Thanks for analysing one of my fave bands. I'd just would like to add; that the vocals of this video were recorded in a studio back in 2007/2008. In fact; the band has another concert released back in 2008 (check "San Diego - Blood in the Water"). The vocals in that concert sound exactly the same as in Bulgaria for the song you're analysing. Cheers! Notr: Back in 2010 was experiencing severe problems regarding his vocal cords and throat, so for the DVD release they did this sort of mixing between the vocals recorded at the studio and the instrumental tracks recorded at Bulgaria.
Now Mind you Dave Writes ALL his songs with the exception of 2 songs. Dave is indeed one of the greatest songwriters in all Genres of Rock! #Snapplefact#704
Megadeth is a different animal. Love em Damn it megadeth is so good. Scary freaking good man. Dave is the reason this kind of metal exists. Face it. He was THE sound in metallica, all of the rest of the band's have been copying him. He is just a different kind on music man
Seen them three times, first when I was 15 back in 87 at the Palmetto Civic Center in Florida: it was the So Far, so good, so what tour. I saw storm when Rust in Peace dropped too. MEGADETH, the original revenge band.
Loving your reactions, it always amuses me seeing people reacting to metal for the first time, saying you should have done it years ago - you didn't think we were listening to it cos it was crap did you?
My good sir... the next live Megadeth video you should react to is "She Wolf" from the Rude Awakening Live DVD. You certainly will not be disappointed... Dave's growls, solo battles, and a killer drum solo. Keep up the great work my man!
The lead playing in that version is just beautiful. My confession though is that I love everything about that version except the drum solo is way too long and kind of boring - and I love drum solos, but it just lingers way too long.
Kiss and Cheap Trick were doing that in the 70's. Those are souvenirs for the audiences. They chuck them into the audience. Pretty standard for all bands.
I sort of look up to Big Dave in an almost divine way, he can do no wrong. Love the guy, glad you enjoyed - there's so much more to explore, I highly recommend checking out all their stuff :)
Hello sir. Just to give you a brief Megadeth history, technically they did start in 1983. Dave Mustaine met bassist, David Ellefson shortly after returning to L.A. from the east coast after Mustaine was fired from Metallica before recording their debut album, “Kill ‘Em All”. Dave wrote a lot of songs on Metallica’s first album and granted he was credited for writing them, Metallica decided to use his songs on the album against his wishes, thus Mustaine initially formed Megadeth to get revenge on Metallica. Megadeth’s first record came out in 1984/ 1985. After achieving their own success they pretty much just moved forward on to build their own legacy. They are still touring to this day in 2021.
Dave's voice is Dave's voice. Nobody listens to Megadeth for his vibrato or vocal fry lol There's so much more to love about the band than that, like the lyrics, incredible guitars, crazy energy, and being blessed to be on the same planet as Dave Mustaine. I'm really loving this channel!
Yes on the picks! I always kept many in my pockets. In Thrash you attack the strings allot and sometimes they fly away. Some use the stands to keep them some like Steve Vai use the guitarheadstock. Many times it’s a self made thing of tape, or Velcro and uses the binding plastic peace from the floppy portfolio things from you copy and business store.
I would say Dave is less of a singer and more of a snarl-and-shouter. He's not traditionally "skilled" but he's very good at conveying anger without just screaming unintelligibly. A lot of his vocals involve baring down and straining to I do agree about having titanium vocal folds though.
BTW .... Most of your folks here -- Like ME -- We LOVE your videos, brother!! Your open mind to music is the MOST REFRESHING to view, here on YT!! Thanks my man!!!
So many EXCELLENT +++++ megadeth songs ! Also you may listen to excellents HELLOWEEN songs like Keeper of the seven keys,cry for freedom, Victim of Fate,reptile,... . AND the underrated fabulous CORONER band +++++. Listen to mental vortex, grin albums . Songs like Host , Son of lilith , semtex revolution, excellent cover of Beatles song I want you... . Wonderful Dave mustaine, Mickael Weikath, Kai Hansen,Tom Vetterli.
I'm sure other has commented on this already, but Dave is actually the rhythm guitarist, but he is an amazing shredder too. I think this is one of their best songs, ever!
Regarding false cord technique: it doesn't come naturally to most people, and is easier with a lower register, literally in the sense of how close the false and true cords are. Gender doesn't matter in my experience; men have deeper voices for unrelated reasons. Melissa Cross is practically the godmother of false cords (and full epiglottal fry), but there are tons of vocalists on RU-vid who will teach you at least basic stuff for the cost of just watching their videos. My main concern regarding you, Ken, and other professional "clean singers," is that your muscle memory will try to adjust your pitch too much while engaging your false cords. This _will_ injure you if you keep going when it hurts. I remember Geoff Castellucci describing subharmonics as "hurting," but that's what you're aiming for. At full distortion, you'll feel your false cords interfering with your true cords, and you have to let it happen without trying to move your true cords much, if at all. The force, the projection, is all from the diaphragm, and you're essentially just letting out breath while forming words with your mouth/facial muscles. Most of your pitch really comes from opening or closing your mouth, be it on the X or Y axis, and placing your tongue differently. And there's pitched screaming, which Chester Bennington was famous for, but Sam Carter from Architects, Andrea Ferro from Lacuna Coil, and a fair few others are great at.
Hello Ken. First time I see one of your videos to be honest but is it your very first step into the metal genre? If you, you just stepped into a very wide world without knowing it already. The metal genre has a whole spectrum of vocal ranges. Cheers from Montréal, Canada
When Mustaine formed Megadeth, his initial position was to be lead, and find a singer. After some time , there wasn’t much luck finding one, so he said “Screw it, I’ll sing”.
PLEASE react to Widower by The Dillinger Escape Plan, the album version. Greg Puciato is one of my biggest vocal influences and NOBODY talks about him; criminally underrated and one of the best around. Love the content, and look forward to more of your own performances!
Guitar picks are very, VERY personal and individual items for guitarists. A lot of metal guitarists will literally wear through multiple picks in a set and they also like to throw them into the audience as souvenirs, so it makes sense to have a bunch ready to replace them. There are also, as you say, different picks designed for different genres, though I think the choice and preference is more important than using the "right" pick. I use ultra-fancy $15/each picks because they're what I like to use, and I've used the same pick for hundreds and hundreds of hours and not worn it out yet, which is part of why they're expensive. That said, a basic 70 cent Jazz III pick works for countless pro guitarists. It really is entirely down to personal preference.
9:35 he actually botches a note in there. You should hear the guy who wrote it, Marty Friedman. His sense of melody is unparalleled and he writes some of the most obscenely hard solos.
