MEGADETH: BEHIND THE MASK – Dave Mustaine Opens Up About Megadeth’s Final Studio Album!

MEGADETH: BEHIND THE MASK is directed by Casey Tebo. The film stars Megadeth frontman and founder Dave Mustaine.

Over 40 years ago, Dave Mustaine was fired from Metallica for his violent drunken ways. He vowed revenge, and to make the world’s hardest and heaviest music. Many would argue he succeeded, but not without hardships, addictions, paranoia, and everything in between. The release of the latest and presumably final Megadeth album (simply entitled MEGADETH) has arrived. BEHIND THE MASK serves as a “listening party” event (similar to what Metallica did with their latest studio effort, 72 SEASONS), combining music videos for the complete new album plus one-on-one interviews with Mustaine himself.

I’ve been a longtime Megadeth fan, as many hard rockers around the world are. So many artists out there claim they’re quitting/disbanding/going away (even Megadeth/Mustaine did this once before), but that never seems to be the case; no band ever truly dies or goes away anymore it seems. That said, I truly believe Megadeth’s MEGADETH album will be their grand finale. BEHIND THE MASK is a great look at the new record with music videos of varying quality. The introspective interviews are fantastic, and the songs are all top-notch Mr. Mustaine. If this is truly the final curtain falling, Dave has gone out with a glorious bang.

The song selection is fantastic here. Several of these songs had been released prior to the album in anticipation, satiating the hunger of Megadeth’s followers around the globe. It’s some of the hardest and heaviest material from the band in years, but it isn’t mindless heavy thrash either. Songs like “Hey God?!” show off Mustaine’s introspective and contemplative side, demonstrating that despite the man’s rough singing style, he’s a far more brilliant lyricist than people give him credit for. “I Am War” continues Mustaine’s ongoing look at war themes, and may even be the best attempt at it so far. But the true stunner of the bunch is “The Last Note.” This is essentially Mustaine’s elegy and “final song” to the word, with lyrics that hit hard and hold nothing back. This is Dave laid bare at the end… and what a finale it is. We even get a “bonus” track in the form of Mustaine covering Metallica’s “Ride the Lightning,” a tune he co-wrote while a member of those fellow Big Four thrash giants. And it’s more or less what you’d expect… that song with Mustaine on vocals. Not that that’s a bad thing, but it won’t replace the Metallica version anytime soon.

Each song on display in BEHIND THE MASK gets a music video, though these vary in form and quality. It ranges from concert footage to vintage silent movie footage. One video even utilizes content that looks like it was shot on a low-res video camera for a deliberately retro look. Most of the videos are fantastic, but some are bit more mundane, with at least one simply being the lyrics played against a static background. That said, there are more hits than misses in the video department here.

As fantastic as the new album cuts are, however, the real highlight here is the introspective segments with Dave Mustaine, who talks between each track, sharing stories from throughout the band’s history. This is by no means a complete and comprehensive history of the group, but you may learn a thing or two you didn’t know. I was especially pleased to see people like former guitarist Jeff Young and producer Max Norman get mentions here; Mustaine certainly gives credit where credit is due, from the band’s triumphs to their lesser moments.

BEHIND THE MASK delivers the goods with the complete array of new songs from the self-titled final MEGADETH album, along with (usually) stimulating visuals and some fantastic interview segments with Dave Mustaine. The group’s latest effort, unsurprisingly, comes highly recommended. This is Mr. Mustaine going out with a bang in the best way.