LifeMinute recently had the opportunity to visit Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine at his home, where he, his wife Pamela, and their daughter Electra discussed their ambitious wine brand, House Of Mustaine. The visit also included a tour of their stunning residence and, of course, an update on all things Megadeth.
When asked about the role music plays in people’s lives, Mustaine reflected on its impact, saying: “It depends. If you believe all of the colloquies about music, there are all kinds of sayings and stuff. The one that comes to mind first with your question is music soothes the savage beast. And I don’t know who coined that phrase, but it’s pretty accurate, depending on the type of music.”
He then shared his perspective on certain styles of metal, particularly those featuring harsh vocal styles: “Now, if you play modern metal with the guys that can’t sing and they do the screaming bit, that’s really understandable to me, ’cause they can’t sing and they’re making the best of what they can do.”
Mustaine also took a moment to revisit the early 2000s trend of nu-metal, a genre he was never particularly fond of: “There was a period in 2000 where we had these bands called — I think it was ‘nu metal’, and they didn’t do any solos. Well, why didn’t they do any solos? They couldn’t do solos. And thank God that genre went away. People started to learn how to do solos.”
He went on to suggest that many of those musicians would struggle to play a classic like “Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry, emphasizing his relief that the trend faded: “I would say, if you’re in a ‘nu metal’ band, you probably would be challenged even playing ‘Johnny B. Goode’. So I’m glad that went away.”
When the conversation shifted to newer bands that have caught his attention, Mustaine admitted that he prefers older music, citing the sheer volume of aspiring guitarists today as both a blessing and a curse… “Well, I like some of the older music because new stuff — I mean, all the good chords are taken. And if you think back when I started 40 years ago, the music playing field didn’t have millions of kids sitting at home doing guitar riffs into their computer and then posting it online”.
While he appreciates artistic expression, he criticized the rise of manufactured albums, calling it “fraud” when band members don’t actually play on their own records: “There’s good and bad with everything, and when people do things for their own art, that’s great. But when you start seeing these manufactured records that band members didn’t play on, that’s fraud. So, I like bands that really play what they do.”
Mustaine also praised a legendary guitarist whose approach to the instrument remains influential: “One of my favorite guitar players is one of the simplest guys in the world — it’s the guy from Pink Floyd, David Gilmour,” he said. “He could do more with one note than some of the guys playing nowadays can do with 12. And it’s just a matter of feeling. The guitar, you’re touching it, so it’s an extension of your spirit, your soul, and how you make it sound.”
His thoughts on musicianship extended to other instruments as well, comparing the learning curve of a guitar to that of a violin: “Violin has gotta be one of the most dreadful sounds ever when you’re learning it, because the sound of it and rosin the bow and all that stuff is almost as bad as having someone practice on a wind instrument, like a sax or a clarinet.”
We recently learned that the next Megadeth album will be released under his Tradecraft imprint in partnership with Frontiers Label Group’s new division, BLKIIBLK.
