To promote their new and final album, thrash metal band Megadeth launched a listening party in theaters for their self-titled, “Megadeth.” Fans of all ages filled the seats, donning band merchandise and an excited attitude to see “Megadeth: Behind the Mask.”
As the lights dim, the movie opens with a message from the frontman and last remaining original member, Dave Mustaine. The theater roared with distorted guitars, rapid double-pedaled drums and infamous vocals. The film covers the process of production to songwriting for the album. The history of Megadeth was also widely discussed, from album cover art stories and other intriguing anecdotes.
The first of 11 songs, “Tipping Point,” shows the band performing in an abandoned prison and Mustaine fighting his own demons, attempting to escape. It is a captivating track with fantastic visuals, but the artificial intelligence-generated graphics made it look sloppy and cheap.
“I Don’t Care” is an ode to the art of being punk — behavior that is careless, reckless and nonconforming. The visualizer showed teenage boys with liberty spikes, cut up shirts, skateboards and quintessential punk attire. Disappointingly, the video sexualizes young alternative women, showing them near nude and being choked in a very concerning, sexual manner.
The absence of the three other members of Megadeth was unsatisfying. Mustaine was the only member who commented on the band’s history and the process of creating the new album — commentary from other members would have been insightful.
Throughout the film, Mustaine’s commentary seemed to focus on the history of the band rather than the growth of himself and the current members. Much of the insight was also negative, having unpleasant attitudes with former members — including Metallica.
“Hey God?!” came from a time in which Mustaine questioned his own faith, admitting to the metal community that believing in religion is not something to be ashamed of and reflects back to his speech when Megadeth received a Grammy in 2017.
Thankfully, human-made art by Blake Armstrong was implemented in the album cover and visualizers. However, the use of artificial intelligence was consistent, showing AI generated pictures of other band members and animations of the work made by Armstrong. Mustaine mentions various times that production of their releases can never be lazy, yet the use of AI contradicts that statement.
“I Am War” seemed repetitive at this listening point. Lead guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari delivers another great solo, but it seems Mustaine is constantly recycling lyrics. The frontman mentions that this track was inspired by “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu.
“The Last Note” provides a chilling intro, containing eerie words spoken by Mustaine reflecting on all the band has gone through, making it a very impactful ending to the album. The track beautifully mixes in classical guitar, further elevating the experience with perfect harmony.
One more track remained. The theater went ballistic when the final bonus song, a cover of Metallica’s “Ride the Lightning,” started to play. The track was written by Mustaine and co-written by other members of Metallica. A while after Mustaine was kicked from the band, Metallica named an entire album after the song. It seems a little late, unnecessary and even petty to cover this track, but the singer insisted it was not an attempt to “clap back” at Metallica, but a way to heal a part of himself.
Overall, it is impressive that the band has been able to maintain their classical 80’s thrash sound and themes. “Megadeth: Behind the Mask” showcased a very fascinating but incomplete commentary for the album; the film demonstrated Mustaine’s impressive memory. Regardless, Megadeth’s “Megadeth” was a fantastic loop to the band’s past, and a breathtaking last strum for the group.
