megadeth - 'ARSENAL OF MEGADETH' (2 dvd set)
                                                                                                                                                                                        Released March 21, 2006

Band Members:
1985 - 1986
Dave Mustaine: lead guitar, vocals, piano
Chris Poland: lead guitar
David Ellefson: bass guitar, back-up vocals
Gar Samuelson: drums, tympani
1988:
Dave Mustaine: Lead vocals, lead, rhythm & acoustic guitars
David Ellefson: Bass guitar & background vocals
Jeff Young: Lead, rhythm & acoustic guitars
Chuck Behler: Drums & percussion
1990 - 1997
Dave Mustaine: vocals, guitars
Marty Friedman: guitars
David Ellefson: bass guitars, backup vocals
Nick Menza: drums, backup vocals


A brief history....
    Almost to the exact month twenty-three years ago, a then young Metallica were living in New York trying to get a record deal.  It was during this time lead vocalist James Hetfield, and drummer Lars Ulrich gave lead guitarist Dave Mustaine a one-way ticket back to Los Angeles with the news he was fired from the band.  Not long after Dave returned from New York he met David Ellefson and formed Megadeth.  With the addition of guitarist Chris Poland and drummer Gar Samuelson the band hits the studio in the summer of 1985 to begin working on their first album to be titled, 'Killing Is My Business ... And Business is Good'.  There were enough songs written during the Killing sessions for Megadeth to return to the studio in October and begin working on what would become 'Peace Sells But Who's Buying'.  With in a year of it's release 'Peace Sells...' is pick up by Capitol Records and signs the band.  Not long after the band gets signed to Capitol Records both Chris Poland and Gar Samuelson leave the band and are replaced by guitarist Jeff Young and drummer Chuck Behler.  It is also during this time Metallica releases 'Master of Puppets' and begin to gain a huge following.  Once fans and critics hear David was a former member who had been fired from the band he will forever live underneath the Metallica shadow.  In 1998 the band release their first studio album under a major label titled, 'So Far, So Good...So What'.  In October of 1990 Megadeth release their fourth studio album titled. 'Rust In Peace'.  This release features new band members Marty Freidman and Nick Menza.  This line-up consisting of Dave Mustaine, David Ellefson, Marty Freidman, and Nick Menza will release four studio albums together, 'Countdown To Extinction', 'Youthanasia', 'Hidden Treasures', and 'Cryptic Writing'.   After the release of 'The World Needs A Hero' in 2001 Dave suffered server nerve damage in left hand forcing him to announce he was disbanding Megadeth and retiring.  In 2004 a fully recovered Dave return to Megadeth with a brand new line-up an released "The System Has Failed".
    This double DVD takes you from Megadeth's first video, "Peace Sells...But Who's Buying" shot in 1986, up to live concert footage taken from the 'GIGANTOUR' of 2005.  The video for Megadeth's cover of the classic Alice Cooper song "No More Mr. Nice Guy" which, they recorded for the 1989 Wes Cravens horror movie 'Shocker' includes film footage.  This film footage was not included in the video that was rotated by MTV's 'Headbangers Ball'.  After this video is where the first of three hidden tracks are located.  The hidden track is of Marty Friedman's (Vixen -no relation to all female band-) audition.  The Video for "Hanger 18" is the unedited long form version.  Disc one ends with the final video taken off of 1992's 'Countdown To Extinction' titled, "Sweating Bullets".  Disc two opens with an excerpt from the band's home movie called 'Evolver'.  The first video on disc two happens to be the first video off of 'Youthanasia' titled, "Train Of Consequences".  While watching this video if you look for the curser and press play you will find the second hidden track.  This hidden track is raw behind the scenes footage of the making of "Trains Of Consequences".  From this point on all the videos except for "Trust" off of 'Cryptic Writing' are previously unreleased videos.  The last hidden track is during this video.  Connecting the videos together are interviews segments, live concert footage, and television promotional commercials.  A lot of times with DVD's such as this they will have a recent interview with the artist trying to explain the feelings or emotions of something that may have happened twenty to twenty-five years ago.  The problem with this is more than likely the artist, like most people is going to grow and not look at things the same way now as they did twenty years ago.  In the way this DVD is set up that problem is corrected.  Basically, what they have done was  lace excerpts from past interviews in between the videos.  You can actually hear the dislike Dave Mustaine has for Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield (Metallica) in '86, just a few years after he was fired.  In doing this you get a very good perspective on the band and it's members.
    Since I've been doing this I have always tried to stay biased.  An as a longtime fan of Megadeth's you have no idea how difficult it is for me not to climb up on a soap box. I have always thought Dave has been treated unfairly by former friends, the media, and even some music fans over the years.  After watching this double DVD and gathering my thoughts on what I wanted to say, I came to this conclusion I'm glad Dave was fired from Metallica.  Here is the way I see it, there is twenty-three years of music on this DVD that my never had been recorded if it wasn't for that spring day in 1983.  This double DVD set is a must have for all die-hard metal fans!