16 Aug 8th-Aug 14th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | so on but (their popularity) is based off of songs from their catalog, from many years prior. That’s cool, though, because we’ve been in that position where we have songs that the fans really care about that are older songs, too,” Mustaine says. Variety is definitely all over “The Sick, The Dying … And The Dead!” While there’s no mistaking that it’s a Megadeth record, there are some pleasant surprises throughout. Gangster rap icon turned TV star Ice-T makes an appearance on the manic, heavy-as-heck thrash song “Night Stalkers” which also features some epic guitar wizardry from Mustaine. “Celebutante” harkens back to the early days of Megadeth with a hair-whipping thrash attack that will no doubt bring back happy memories for longtime fans. There’s a specific guitar breakdown about halfway into the song that absolutely slays. When you hear this riff it reminds the listener how much influence Mustaine had over early Metallica music. One of the fun bonus tracks on the digital copy of “The Sick, The Dying … And The Dead!” is an excellent cover of Dead Kennedys song “Police Truck.” Having added several notable punk covers to his records over the years, Mustaine clearly has a little punk rock in his blood. “Oh, yeah! Jello and I, Lee Ving, too, we’re friends. They’re real punk people. They’re not like some fashion haircut. I remember going to (legendary punk club in Costa Mesa, California in the early 1980s) the Cuckoo’s Nest and seeing Fear. I had never seen anything so bizarre and disgusting in my life. Once the first song started, there was spit fucking everywhere. It was so carnal and out of control. The horsepower that was in the room was inebriating and I loved it,” Mustaine says. Mustaine ended up doing a project called MD.45 with Lee Ving of Fear in 1996 and had asked Jello Biafra from Dead Kennedys to sing a song on the project as well, but Biafra declined. “(Biafra) turned me down because he said he didn’t want anything to do with (the record label) EMI because EMI made nuclear warheads. I thought, ‘Wow, this guy’s really in the know.’ He was telling me what Coca-Cola did during World War II, (continuing to do with business) with the Nazis, and stuff that happened with Oldsmobile with machine guns (they made M2 Browning .50 caliber machine guns for the U.S. military as part of the war effort) and all this crazy shit. It was sad that he turned me down, but I ended up walking away a little more educated than I was going into the conversation,” Mustaine says. Perhaps someday the collaboration will happen. One can only imagine what two great lyricists like Mustaine and Biafra could come up with together. While Mustaine clearly is on a contin- uous path to discover and understand the world around him and himself, he has channeled that curiosity and restless, relentless drive into Megadeth. His efforts have entertained millions of fans around the world and given listeners 16 studio albums, six live albums, eight compilations of songs from across the band’s catalog, two EPs and six different long-playing videos while overcoming challenges that would have stopped a lesser man in his tracks. Mustaine has survived addiction and cancer, a nerve issue in his arm and hand that almost ended his guitar-playing career and a significant bout with stenosis due to years of headbanging. Thanks to his faith and sobriety, though, he carries on. It’s music to Megadeth fans’ ears. There’s a lot to dissect and try to under- stand, but more than anything, Mustaine just wants you to enjoy his work. When I point out the breadth and diversity of Megadeth’s catalog, he humbly says, “Thank you. That’s really nice to hear. I’m glad you like it.” Not what I really expected, but with Dave Mustaine it was apparent, you’re always going to get the real thing. That’s a great feeling. Welcome home. Megadeth. With Mudvayne and All That Remains. 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 8. Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, 2121 N. 83rd Ave. Visit livenation.com. Dave Mustaine and the rest of Megadeth perform Aug. 8 at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre. (Photo by Travis Shinn) Guitar Hero from p 14