Rise and Chaos

Now with Capitol Records, Megadeth had the opportunity to bring their music to a larger audience, but the rise came accompanied by internal chaos. Their second album, Peace Sells... but Who's Buying? (1986), marked a before and after in their career: with anthems like "Peace Sells", the band became one of the most popular American thrash acts, selling over a million copies in their home country. The album presented a more mature and technically superior sound to their debut, with complex riffs and virtuoso solos that would define Megadeth's distinctive style. The single "Peace Sells" featured a video aired on MTV that became iconic: it showed Vic Rattlehead in front of the ruins of the United Nations, an image that perfectly captured the rebellious and political spirit of eighties metal. The MTV exposure was crucial for expanding their audience beyond the underground.

The album that catapulted them to stardom

Iconic MTV video

With the band destabilized, Mustaine and Ellefson hurried to recruit replacements: guitarist Jeff Young and drummer Chuck Behler (who had been Gar's drum tech and knew the material well) joined just six weeks before entering the studio to record the third album. This urgency marked both the strengths and weaknesses of the result. So Far, So Good... So What! (1988) emerged as a furious and raw album, with flashes of genuine brilliance –like "In My Darkest Hour", an emotional and melancholic piece that Mustaine composed after learning of Cliff Burton's death from Metallica, showing a more introspective facet– but also reflecting the chaos in its rushed production. Among the songs stood out a frantic and accelerated cover of "Anarchy in the U.K." by the Sex Pistols, which perfectly captured the destructive spirit of the moment the band was living.

Although So Far, So Good... achieved good sales and kept Megadeth on an intense world tour during 1988, Mustaine's increasingly erratic behavior –then at the absolute peak of his addictions– caused serious logistical and artistic problems. In summer 1988, Megadeth achieved massive exposure by participating in the prestigious Monsters of Rock festival at Donington Park (England) in front of more than 100,000 people, sharing the bill with giants like Iron Maiden, Kiss and Guns N' Roses. It was a golden opportunity to consolidate their international status, but internal chaos continued to grow. Immediately after the festival, in an impulsive decision that exemplified his deteriorated mental state, Mustaine also fired Behler and Young, abruptly canceling the scheduled tour they had for Australia and leaving the band dismantled again in the middle of their success.

Jeff Young and Chuck Behler, the new duo

Monsters of Rock 1988

Monsters of Rock 1988 - 100,000 people

Finally recognizing the gravity of the situation, Ellefson entered rehabilitation after that turbulent tour, and Mustaine did the same (although the latter suffered a relapse weeks later, evidencing the depth of his personal battle). By the end of 1988, Megadeth was practically destroyed by excesses: Mustaine was facing his addiction in clinic, the lineup was incomplete again and the band's future was completely uncertain. The years of success had been eclipsed by self-destruction. However, from that total chaos would emerge the most important reinvention in Megadeth's history. In 1989, now more sober and determined, Mustaine met the extraordinarily talented guitarist Marty Friedman –former virtuoso of the neoclassical metal band Cacophony– and decided to integrate him into the band after considering several candidates (among them none other than Dimebag Darrell from Pantera). Together with Nick Menza (former drum tech of the band who knew the repertoire perfectly, promoted to official drummer after demonstrating his talent during Chuck's departure), Megadeth prepared for what would be their most successful reinvention. Fresh out of rehabilitation and with a renewed lineup that combined experience and technical virtuosity, Mustaine entered the studio in mid-1990 with fierce determination and recovered mental clarity. The result would be historic.

Marty Friedman, the virtuoso who would change everything

Nick Menza, from tech to star