Steve, here it is in it's entirity. Enjoy!
Comrades,
I've always considered Dave Mustaine to be the "inventor of Thrash/Speed Metal". Now I know that's a bold statement to start with and doesn't leave me much room to go anywhere but down. Not so. In the tradition of such luminaries as Edison, Tesla (not the band), and George Washington Carver, Dave Mustaine created something that has touched and influenced millions of lives. Granted "Thrash/Speed Metal" may not be as important as say, the light bulb, but just the same, someone had to invent it. I'm not going to go into the whole history of Dave and Metallica, etc. It's been well documented a zillion times over. And although it sounds like it, it's not going to be some big ass-kiss fest brought to you by "The Mutual Admiration Society." It's about respect. We respect eachother as people and artists. And I gotta say I was fuckin' stoked that he asked me to do this. Ya know why? Because I love this record. To be able to go back to those heady days of '83-'84 when hair was long, jeans were tight, sneakers were big, riffs were fast, and drinks were many. What a time.
Four debut records by the bandsthat would become known as the 'N.W.O.A.H.M.' (New Wave of American Heavy Metal), or 'The Big Four'. Metallica with Kill 'Em All. Slayer with Show No Mercy, Anthrax with Fistful of Metal, and my favorite, Megadeth with Killing Is My Business...And Business Is Good!
I remember being in the parking lot of the Country Club, July '84. We were playing Los Angeles for the first time and Dave and Dave came to the show. They had a demo of the new Megadeth. They played me "Love You To Death" on someones crappy car stereo. I was hooked from the piano intro. Couldn't wait for the record. It didn't disapoint. Riffs for days. Brutal. Fast. An unbelievable cover of "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'." The Skull Beneath The Skin" Nuff Said.
Killing was the favorite of the four debuts. I thought it was the most complete and consistant of the four. What it may have lacked in production, it made up for in songs and pure energy. And don't you feel lucky boys and girls to be listening to the remixed, remastered version?
I do.
Crank it up and bang your head like it's nineeen eighty fuckin' four.
That's my story.
-Scott Ian
11/7/01
NYC