Staff Picks: Megadeth's Greatest Song Of All Time

Megadeth fever is currently sweeping across the Music Feeds office, with only 5 days until the metal lords themselves descend onto Australia for what will no doubt be one of the biggest tours of the year.

As per usual with a epic international tour event such as this one, staff have begun the age-old discussion of what their favourite Megadeth song is, so in order to keep things from getting too ugly and before blood is spilt, we thought we’d give equal time to each of our writers to put forward their favoruite track and tell us why.

We’ll bring you a staff fav each day as the countdown continues, to assist in your no-doubt heated discussions of your own. Find them each day right here and get all the ticket deets for the tour below!

Mitch Feltscheer – A Tout Le Monde

Look, I’m not trying to deny Megadeth’s position as one of the true lords of heavy metal, but can we talk about the softer side for a moment? A Tout Le Monde off 1994’s Youthanasia album deserves some god damn praise as a ballad for history books.

I mean not only is the song title French, but Mastaine busts out a (just passable, let’s be honest) whole verse in French. In a heavy metal song? The language normally reserved for romance and baguettes featuring in a Megadeth tune. Why are we not talking about this more?

Anyway, it’s my favourite track for more than just that, it’s also the shameless 80s injection, the touching lyrics and the fact the original video was banned on MTV for being “pro-suicide”, which it very obviously isn’t. Being banned is cool though, so bonus points.

Emmy Mack – Symphony Of Destruction

That apocalyptic war-chant of a riff. That screamin’ Marty Friedman guitar solo. Those philosophically epic lyrics. Symphony Of Destruction is a straight-up heavy metal masterpiece. Why else would it have the word “Symphony” in the title. Stick that in your Pied Piper and smoke it, rats.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX6UjWMffaY

Michael Carr – Hangar 18

This song takes me back to my brooding awkward youth and one of it’s all consuming early passions – Guitar Hero. I was crazed, a madman who’s delusions of stardom were unleashed via a flimsy plastic guitar proxy and too much time to myself. Of all the songs that I slaved away over though, Hangar 18… well Hangar 18 was my first true masterpiece.

The song explodes from the very get go, it’s iconic riff blasting you in the face relentlessly over and over again. You can try to get away from it, but it’s there, always, untiring in it’s pursuit, dripping in metal like a sonic T1000 running you to ground with it’s unbridled guitar brutality. And I rode it, rode it’s lighting riffs astride my heaving steed of rock, haranguing the frenzied twisting fretwork from the game with the pathetic relish of a sad teenager.

For me, this will always be the defining guitar song, because it defines everything I love about the ridiculousness of rock and roll and heavy metal, the sheer shut up and listen to this swagger of it. Possibly matched only by the likes of Iron Maiden in it’s sheer love of it’s own self indulgence, Hangar 18 has everything you expect from a Megadeth track – including an amazing video starring fan favourite Mega-mascot Vic Rattlehead – it’s undeniable status as a classic confirmed by that holiest of heavy metal institutions – The Grammy’s – earning a nomination for Best Metal Performance in 1992.

Tom Williams – The Punishment Due

Holy Wars brought Megadeth chugging into 1990’s beloved Rust In Peace with almost seven minutes of unbridled energy, ridiculous guitar work and an almost prog-rock structure. Lyrically, Holy Wars is inspired by conflicts involving nationalists in Northern Ireland, but at around the 2:15 mark there’s a delicate acoustic bridge which pulls influences from Middle Eastern music. A combination of styles, influences and structures means it’s practically two or three songs in one, so it’s great value for your six-and-a-half minutes.