James Hetfield
James Hetfield performing with Metallica in 2012.
Background information
Birth name	James Alan Hetfield
Born	(1963-08-03) August 3, 1963 (age 48) Downey, California, United States
Genres	Heavy metal, thrash metal, hard rock, speed metal
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, producer
Instruments	Guitar, vocals, drums, piano, bass
Years active	1978–present
Labels	Warner Bros., Elektra, Megaforce
Associated acts	Metallica, Spastik Children, Leather Charm
Website	www.metallica.com
Notable instruments
Gibson Explorer ESP Truckster Ken Lawrence custom models Gibson Les Paul Custom "Iron Cross"

James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963) is the rhythm guitarist, co-founder, main songwriter, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Metallica. Hetfield co-founded Metallica in October 1981 after answering a classified advertisement by drummer Lars Ulrich in the Los Angeles newspaper The Recycler, searching for band members. Since then, Metallica has won nine Grammy Awards and released nine studio albums, three live albums, four extended plays and 24 singles. In 2009, Hetfield was ranked number 8 in Joel McIver's book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists,^[1] and ranked twenty-fourth by Hit Parader on their list of the 100 Greatest Metal Vocalists of All Time.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Hetfield was born August 3, 1963.^[2] He is of German, English, Irish and Scottish descent. He has two older half-brothers from his mother's first marriage and one younger sister. He attended Downey High School his freshman and sophomore years.

His father, Virgil, was a truck driver who left the family when Hetfield was young. His mother, Cynthia, was a light opera singer. The two divorced in 1976. Virgil and Cynthia were very strict Christian Scientists, and in accordance with their beliefs, Hetfield's parents strongly disapproved of medicine or any other medical treatment and remained loyal to their faith even as Cynthia was dying from cancer. This upbringing became the inspiration for many of Hetfield's lyrics later in his career with Metallica, such as songs like "The God That Failed".

Cynthia Hetfield died of cancer in 1979 when James was 16 years old. After the death of his mother, Hetfield went to live with his older half-brother David. Virgil died in late 1996, during Metallica's Load tour.^[3]

Musical influences[link]

Hetfield was nine years old when he first began piano lessons, after which he took on his brother David's drums and finally, at the age of fourteen, he began to play guitar with Robert Okner .^[4] He also was in a few bands as a teenager – one being Leather Charm and another, Obsession.

Hetfield identifies Aerosmith as having been his main musical influence as a child,^[5] and has said they were the reason he wanted to play guitar. He also cited Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Motörhead, Thin Lizzy, Ted Nugent and Deep Purple as important influences.

Metallica (1981–present)[link]

In the early days of the band, Metallica experimented with a few different vocals and guitar combinations, essentially creating a setup similar to that of Diamond Head. Some of the options considered included adding another guitar player, having John Roads play lead guitar, as well as asking John Bush from Armored Saint (who later joined Anthrax) to sing for the band. The finalized line-up of the band became Hetfield (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Lars Ulrich (drums), Dave Mustaine (lead guitar), and Ron McGovney (bass) who was replaced by Cliff Burton soon.

From 1982 to 1983, Mustaine's alcoholism sparked heated altercations between Hetfield and himself.^[6] Mustaine also once poured beer onto Ron McGovney's bass^[6] nearly causing serious damage. On April 1, 1983, the band recruited lead guitarist Kirk Hammett from the band Exodus and 10 days later Hetfield and Ulrich officially ejected Mustaine due to his alcoholic tendencies.^[6][7] Mustaine was sent home on a 4-day bus journey, and went on to form the heavy metal band Megadeth. Later, Mustaine would be quoted to wonder why Metallica did not send him to rehab, but the other band members themselves drank heavily, Hetfield in particular, though Mustaine's alcoholism was of a more aggressive nature.

Hetfield in 2008

Until the mid-1990s, Hetfield recorded all rhythm tracks and most harmony tracks^{[citation needed]}. Since the recording of Load, Hammett is recording rhythm guitars as well. Hetfield occasionally plays guitar solos on songs such as "Nothing Else Matters", "My Friend of Misery", the outro solo on "The Outlaw Torn", the second solo on "To Live Is to Die", the first solo on "Suicide and Redemption", the first interlude solo on "Master of Puppets", the harmonized solo on "Orion" and the introduction harmonic solo in "The Day That Never Comes". He also writes the majority of the guitar harmonies, as well as writing the lyrics, vocal melodies, and co-arranging the songs with Ulrich.

Hetfield has been involved in a number of onstage accidents, most notable being an incident with pyrotechnics at Olympic Stadium in Montreal during the Guns N' Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour on August 8, 1992. Hetfield was the victim of a severe pyrotechnics accident during the song "Fade to Black", in which a pyrotechnic exploded. Hetfield's guitar protected him from the full force of the blast; however, the fire engulfed his left side, burning his hand, arm, eyebrows, face and hair. He suffered second and third-degree burns, but was back on stage 17 days later, although his guitar duties were delegated to former guitar tech and Metal Church guitarist John Marshall for four weeks while he made a full recovery.^[8]

Hetfield has also broken his arm a number of times while skateboarding, which prevented him from playing guitar on stage, and subsequently caused Hetfield's management company Q Prime to add a clause in Hetfield's contract forbidding him to ride a skateboard while Metallica was touring.^[9] During a live performance on tour for the Metallica, Hetfield experienced complications with his vocals after performing a cover of the Anti-Nowhere League song "So What?", forcing him to take vocal lessons for the first time. He did basic warm-up exercises to piano keys with his vocal coach who also gave him a cassette tape of the piano warm-up for future use. Hetfield still uses the same cassette he was given in the early nineties to this day before any live performance or any recording Metallica does. Hetfield talks about his vocal training endeavours in the Metallica documentary film, Some Kind of Monster produced & directed by Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky.^[10] During the recording of the band's eighth studio album St. Anger in 2001, Hetfield went into rehab to address his alcohol addiction. He rejoined the band after seven months in rehab and four months recovering with his family. He is now clean and sober and is determined to remain so, all of which is featured in Some Kind of Monster.^[10]

Some Kind of Monster also shows the making of the St. Anger album and documents the various conflicts and issues the band were facing at the time including the departure of Jason Newsted, alcoholism, family commitments, and the future of the band with many in the rock press questioning whether the band would even still be together to see the completion of the St. Anger album.

Hetfield and Metallica addressed their need for a new bassist by recruiting Robert Trujillo, former bass player of Ozzy Osbourne. It was more of a swap since Ozzy Osbourne surprisingly recruited Jason Newsted shortly after Trujillo's transfer.The new line-up has continued to make music and tour worldwide. Metallica's ninth studio album, Death Magnetic, was released on September 12, 2008. Like St. Anger and every album of original material released by Metallica since 1991's Metallica, Death Magnetic went to #1 on the Billboard charts in over 30 countries during its first week of release.^[11]

On April 4, 2009, Hetfield, along with remaining Metallica members Ulrich, Hammett, Trujillo, as well as former bassist Newsted and the deceased Cliff Burton were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.^[12] In an interview after their nomination, Hetfield commented that everyone who had appeared on an album with the band would be inducted. This excluded original guitarist Dave Mustaine and original bassist Ron McGovney, as both had appeared only on the band's early demo tapes.

Hetfield was ranked 24th in the Hit Parader's Top Metal Vocalist of All Time.^[13] In 2009 he was listed at number 8 in Joel McIver's book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists.

Personal life[link]

When he is not writing, singing or playing, Hetfield engages in a variety of outdoor activities including hunting, skateboarding, snowboarding, water and jet-skiing; sketching, working in his garage customizing cars and motorcycles, watching his favorite football team the Oakland Raiders, and going to hot-rod shows.^[14]

He also collects vintage guitars — particularly those from 1963 — and enjoys working on classic automobiles. Among his favorites are a '74 Chevy Nova, which he helped restore, and "The Beast", an all-terrain four wheel drive Blazer.

He put his 1968 Chevrolet Camaro up for sale on eBay, with the proceeds going to a Music for Schools program.^[15] The car was used in the video for "I Disappear" and was given to him as a gift upon the video's completion. Years later, James donated the car to the Hard Rock Cafe which is featured in the movie Hard Rock Treasures. "Slowburn," his 1936 Auburn boat tail speedster won the 2010 Goodguys West Coast Custom of the Year.

Hetfield has a number of tattoos, including one which shows flames encasing four cards, – ace (1), 9, 6 and 3 – representing the year of his birth, and the words "Carpe Diem" ("seize the day", also part of the title of the track "Carpe Diem Baby" of ReLoad). The flames from the tattoo are in reference to the pyrotechnic accident which he suffered in 1992 during a concert in Montréal, Canada.^[16] He has tattooed an 'M' on his right hand which stands for "Metallica" and 'F' on his left hand which stands for "Francesca". He also has some Christian tattoos, including crosses and one of Jesus in his right arm. He has a tattoo of two razors forming the straight edge X symbol on his left wrist.^[17]

Aside from these pursuits, Hetfield says he is often happiest spending time with his wife Francesca and their three children:^[14] Cali (b. June 13, 1998), Castor (b. May 18, 2000), and Marcella (b. January 17, 2002). Hetfield married his wife Francesca Tomasi on August 17, 1997.

During an interview ^[18] on NPR's Fresh Air, Hetfield stated that his wife had helped him to mature and learn to deal with his anger issues more constructively, explaining that after they met, his destructive tendencies embarrassed both of them. He is also sober and has been since undergoing a rehab program in 2002 (documented in the film Some Kind of Monster), maintaining total abstinence from alcohol. In a 2010 interview with So What!, the official magazine of Metallica's fan club, Hetfield stated that he is a "reborn straight edge".^[17]

The first single he ever bought was "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd.^[19]

He and his family currently reside in Marin County, California, north of San Francisco. He was featured in a documentary, called Absent, directed by Justin Hunt, which takes a look at the effects of absent fathers on their children and the "father wound" that they leave behind.^[20][21] Hetfield and Hunt were interviewed about the film by Fox News Channel's Fox and Friends program on March 30, 2011.^[22]

Hetfield has expressed his disdain for politics and celebrities who "soapbox their opinions," stating that, "For us, people are people — you should all have your own opinion."^[23] In 2007, Metallica performed at London's Live Earth concert. When James was asked for his thoughts on climate change, he responded by saying,

Equipment[link]

Guitars[link]

Hetfield has been a major endorser of ESP Guitars since the 1980s, and is best known for playing custom-made Explorer-style guitars with an EMG 81/EMG 60 set for pickups. Hetfield's main guitar from the early days was a Flying V copy made in Japan by Electra, used almost exclusively until 1984 when he switched to the Gibson Explorer model.

During the mid-1990s, ESP produced the first of his signature model guitars. To date, Hetfield has had six signature guitars (may soon be seven)^{[citation needed]} with the company. However, Hetfield often uses guitars from Gibson and other companies instead of ESP despite his endorsement.

Some of Hetfield's current tour guitars are:

• ESP Truckster signature models in grey and black finishes
• ESP "Iron Cross" – Has the Eclipse body shape; distressed black with gold hardware, with a gold racing stripe and a gold Iron Cross on the body. It is based on the design of his 70's Gibson Les Paul Custom.
• ESP Explorer – distressed black finish with white pickguard
• ESP Explorer – silver diamond plate
• ESP Explorer – black diamond plate
• ESP Explorer "Papa Het" – with a white finish and some drawings by Dirty Donny
• ESP Explorer – black diamond plate with deer antler inlay
• ESP Flying V – white finish (replica of his old Flying-V copy)
• ESP LTD "The Grynch" – signature guitar, black with green flames on both the front and back of the body and neck, used for the song Frantic
• ESP "Snakebyte"- custom guitars in black and white finishes; feature a custom body and headstock designed by James. The retail model was revealed to the public at the Winter NAMM 2011 show.
• Gibson Explorer – silverburst with white pickguard
• Gibson Explorer "Rusty" – black satin with tarnished metal pickguard
• Gibson Flying V – sunburst
• Gibson Flying V – silverburst
• Gibson Flying V – white, chrome pickups
• Gibson Les Paul Custom- 70's era Les Paul with distressed black finish, gold stripe and gold iron cross on body; referred to as "Uncle Milty" and was the inspiration for his ESP Iron Cross signature model
• Gibson Les Paul Custom- purple satin finish
• Gibson Les Paul Custom- natural finish with drawing on body that says "Cliff Burton RIP"
• James Trussart metal Explorer
• James Trussart Steel DeVille – Les Paul-shaped guitar with a perforated, rusted steel front
• Ken Lawrence Explorer- The first of three custom made Explorer-type guitars made by Northern Californian luthier Ken Lawrence. It features a mahogany body with a chechen bark laminate top, modified Kenneth Lawrence headstock and custom "Tribal Hunting Scene" inlays.
• Ken Lawrence Explorer- It features a mahogany body with a quilted bubinga top, modified Kenneth Lawrence headstock, chechen rear cover plate and custom "Sun-Ray" inlays.
• Line 6 Variax Acoustic 700 – used live for songs featuring acoustic guitars, such as Fade to Black and The Unforgiven
• "Dave of England custom aluminium engraved tattoo finish" – a Zemaitis guitar with an engraved metal top
• Fender Telecaster – with B-Bender in butterscotch finish

Other guitars owned/previously used by Hetfield include:

• 1984 Gibson Explorer#1 – white finish with "MORE BEER" written on white tape in the bottom left corner, the stock pickups were swapped for EMG 81/EMG 81 set
• 1984 Gibson Explorer#2 – white finish with "So What" written in the bottom left corner, the stock pickups were swapped for EMG 81/EMG 81 set
• ESP Explorer – black finish with EMG pickups, used as a warm-up guitar in the early '90s
• Several Gibson Les Paul models – including Standard models in black, cherry sunburst, and lemon burst finishes
• Gibson EDS-1275 – red finish
• 1963 Gibson SG – red finish with Gibson Vibrola vibrato system
• Gibson Moderne – black finish, gold hardware
• Gibson Firebird – seen in practice
• ESP Explorer#1 – Hetfield's first ESP guitar: white finish, "EET FUK" on the body, "middle finger" inlays. The headstock broke many times and so the guitar was eventually retired from live use, it has been seen in use on the recording of the new album during the making of "Suicide and Redemption"
• ESP Explorer#2 – Hetfield's second ESP guitar: white finish, occasionally used live but Hetfield retired it for studio use
• Numerous other ESP Explorer models – including models with black finishes and custom inlays (including the "man-to-wolf" inlays model and eagle inlay model); a double-neck model; a model with a custom "Burnt Elk Skull" finish; and a model with a black finish and EMG pickups in an H/S/S configuration.
• ESP JH1 Flying V – signature guitar with flames over a black finish
• ESP Flying V with green flames (similar to the JH1)
• ESP Eclipse JH3 – Eclipse with black finish, with white "hot rod" pinstripe design, gold hardware, and checkered flag inlays
• ESP Eclipse – "kustom kulture" graphic finish with iron cross inlays
• Other ESPs include: a Viper with custom artwork, several Eclipses and F-series models (including 7-strings in standard and 6-strings in drop-C tuning)
• ESP Horizon Double-neck – Used while touring for the Black Album. Was possibly used after his ESP Explorer Double-neck was damaged in a pyrotechnic accident
• Ken Lawrence Doubleneck Explorer
• Ken Lawrence Dragon Les Paul
• Zemaitis GZ Series GZV500MF-MBK – V-shaped guitar that has an engraved metal plate on the front of the body. Recently used by James in the World Magnetic Tour.
• Fender Stratocaster – modified with natural finish, gold hardware and EMG pickups
• Jackson King V – white finish with chrome hardware, used during the Master of Puppets tour
• White Flying V copy – This guitar is not a Gibson Flying V, but a Japanese copy made by Electra which Hetfield purchased for $200. It was retired after the neck broke twice and the guitar started to go out of tune easily. The stock bridge pickup was later replaced with Seymour Duncan Invader. Recently James had ESP make an exact copy of it even down to the bolt on neck. The pickups were swapped for EMG 81/60, knobs were replaced with Gibson style black speed knobs, pickup selector has been moved up and stock machineheads were replaced with Shaller machineheads. This guitar has been seen during the making of Death Magnetic during the making of "The Judas Kiss".

(This list is not exhaustive – he has a large collection of guitars, not all of which are listed.)

Amplifiers and cabinets[link]

Throughout Metallica's career, Hetfield has used a wide range of different amplifiers. For the first two albums, he used Marshall heads and cabinets, with occasional effects. The specific Marshall that he used for Kill Em All was stolen after a concert prior to the recording of Ride The Lightning; Hetfield was extremely upset by the theft, as his mother had helped him purchase the amp before her death. In 1986, for the recording of Master of Puppets, he and Kirk Hammett each bought a Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ amplifier (the preamp sections of which were connected to Marshall power amps), and since then he has mostly used Mesa/Boogies, including the Triaxis and Rectifier models. Around the time of St. Anger, Hetfield began using the Diezel VH4 head. The majority of his clean tones come from a Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus Guitar Amplifier, although many different amplifiers have been used over the years.

In December 2011, it was announced by Fortin Amps that they would team up with Randall Amplifiers to start a new line of tube amps based on the Fortin Meathead amplifier. Kirk Hammett currently has two prototypes, and Hetfield will eventually be receiving one.

The amplifiers currently used on tour by Hetfield are:

• Mesa/Boogie TriAxis preamp (x4)
• Mesa/Boogie Simul-Class 2:90 power amp (x2)
• Mesa/Boogie Triple Rectifier heads
• Diezel VH4 heads
• Mesa/Boogie 4x12 cabinets with Celestion V30 speakers in isolation cabinets
• Roland JC-120 combo amplifiers

Effects[link]

To avoid problems with pedals being damaged during live performances, Hetfield keeps his effect pedals in a rack along with his amplifiers and his tech controls them through a pedalboard sidestage. The pedal controller allows him to change between different effect pedals and amplifiers.

Hetfield's live rig in 2008 included:

In 2010, a Line 6 effects unit was added to the list, along with the TC Electronics unit, perhaps indicating that this had replaced his stompboxes.

Accessories[link]

In addition, Hetfield uses Shure Super 55 microphones for vocals.

Discography[link]

Metallica[link]

• Kill 'Em All (1983)
• Ride the Lightning (1984)
• Master of Puppets (1986)
• ...And Justice For All (1988)
• Metallica (1991)
• Load (1996)
• ReLoad (1997)
• St. Anger (2003)
• Death Magnetic (2008)

Guest appearances[link]

• Hetfield sang "Stone Cold Crazy" at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, accompanied by the remaining members of Queen and Tony Iommi on rhythm guitar.
• He provided backing vocals on "Man or Ash" on the Corrosion of Conformity album Wiseblood.
• He sang backing vocals on "Twist of Cain" and "Possession" on Danzig's debut album, Danzig.
• He played guitar on "Eclectic Electric" from the Primus album Antipop.
• Though previously believed to have been sung by Trey Parker, the song "Hell Isn't Good" from the film South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut was actually sung by Hetfield. He admitted to doing so in 2000, confirming what many Hetfield fans had already recognized as his trademark growling style.The Playboy Interview: Metallica (April 2001).
• Hetfield sang on the Gov't Mule song "Driving Rain" with fellow guest Les Claypool, which appears on the compilation album Crank It Up with NASCAR.
• He also performed at the Outlaws Concert in 2004, alongside Hank Williams Jr., Cowboy Troy, Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson, and Kid Rock. Hetfield played one of close friend Waylon Jennings's songs, "Don't You Think This Outlaw Bit's Done Got Out of Hand," the very same he recorded on the tribute album to Jennings, I've Always Been Crazy. At this same event, he performed Metallica's "Mama Said" with Jesse Colter, the widow of Waylon Jennings, though this was cut from the television broadcast.
• Hetfield, as well as Metallica's lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, voiced characters in a number of episodes of the Adult Swim cartoon Metalocalypse.
• Hetfield, along with Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, voiced a pair of teenage dragons in an episode of Disney's Dave the Barbarian, entitled "Here There Be Dragons".
• He also appeared as a guest in an episode of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast entitled "Jacksonville" alongside Hammett.
• Hetfield, along with the current Metallica lineup, appeared on an episode of Discovery's Time Warp, aptly titled "Metallica."
• Hetfield appeared on an episode the MTV show, Celebrity Deathmatch in which he killed Limp Bizkit vocalist, Fred Durst, but he and ref Mills Lane disappeared after Mankind jumped from the top of the roof and onto the ring and then it collapsed.
• A photo of Hetfield appeared on Rammstein's music video Haifisch, and was apparently "picked" to be the replacement for the "dead" Till Lindemann (only a video set and was not official despite him actually still alive as seen later in the clip).
• Hetfield and Metallica also appeared in a Simpson's episode, The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her Homer.
• Hetfield appeared onstage with Seattle grunge band Alice in Chains in 2006 at Rock Am Ring, singing deceased lead vocalist Layne Staley's vocal parts on the song "Would?". Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell has also joined Metallica in concert, performing "Nothing Else Matters".
• Hetfield was invited by Mike Portnoy to make a guest appearance on Dream Theater's ninth studio album, Systematic Chaos, on the song "Repentance" to speak spoken apologies along with a number of other musicians, as part of Portnoy's Twelve-step Suite program, though Hetfield declined this invitation.^{[citation needed]}
• Hetfield and filmmaker Justin Hunt were interviewed about the documentary Absent, which was directed by Hunt and features Hetfield and takes a look at the effects of absent fathers on their children, on Fox News Channel's Fox and Friends program on March 30, 2011.^[22]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: James Hetfield

• James Hetfield at the Internet Movie Database
• NPR Interview With Metallica Guitarist and Vocalist James Hetfield (2004, audio)
• James Hetfield discography at MusicBrainz
• Peisner, David (February 2007). "Rock Stars Who've Caught Fire Onstage!". Blender Magazine Online. http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?ID=2529&src=blender_ed. Retrieved 2007-02-27. 

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (February 2012)

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Dave Mustaine
Mustaine performing with Megadeth in 2010
Background information
Birth name	David Scott Mustaine
Born	(1961-09-13) September 13, 1961 (age 50) La Mesa, California, U.S.
Genres	Heavy metal, thrash metal, speed metal, hard rock
Occupations	Musician, singer-songwriter, producer, actor, author, manager
Instruments	Guitar, vocals, piano
Years active	1978–present
Labels	Loud, Combat, Capitol, Sanctuary, Roadrunner
Associated acts	Megadeth, Metallica, MD.45
Website	www.megadeth.com
Notable instruments
Jackson King V Signature model ESP DV8 Signature model Various Dean VMNT Signature model

David Scott "Dave" Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is the founder, main songwriter, lead guitarist, and lead vocalist for the American heavy metal band Megadeth. Prior to Megadeth, Mustaine was the first lead guitarist and a co-songwriter of the heavy metal band Metallica until he was fired from the band in 1983. In 2009, he was ranked No. 1 in Joel McIver's book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists.^[1] Mustaine was ranked 89th by Hit Parader on their list of the 100 Greatest Metal Vocalists of All Time.^[2] He is also the manager for the Canadian band, Baptized in Blood.

History[link]

Dave Mustaine was born in La Mesa, California, to Emily and John Mustaine. His mother was Jewish but Dave was brought up as a Jehovah's Witness. By the age of 17, Mustaine had rented his own apartment and was surviving financially by dealing drugs.^[3] One of his clients, Willow^{[citation needed]}, was often short of cash, but worked in a record store, so in return for drugs, she offered albums by artists such as Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Motörhead and Judas Priest in trade,^[3] which helped form his taste in heavy metal. In the late 1970s, Mustaine began playing electric guitar, most notably a B.C. Rich and joined a band known as Panic for a short time.

The 1980s[link]

Panic[link]

Panic was Mustaine’s first real band. The lineup was Mike Leftwych on drums, Bob Evans on bass, Tom Queck on guitar, Pat Voeks as the vocalist and Dave Mustaine was the lead guitarist. Both Mike Leftwych and the sound man were killed in a car crash after Panic's first show. ^[4]

Metallica (1981-1983)[link]

In 1981, Mustaine left Panic to join Metallica as the lead guitarist. Metallica's drummer Lars Ulrich had posted an ad in a local newspaper, The Recycler, looking for a lead guitarist. In his own words, Mustaine remembers his first meeting with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich: "I was in the room warming up and I walked out and asked, 'Well, am I gonna audition or what?', and they said, 'no, you've got the job.' I couldn't believe how easy it had been and suggested that we get some beer to celebrate."^[5]

Mustaine's membership in Metallica lasted less than two years. Brian Slagel, owner of Metal Blade Records, recalls in an interview: "Dave was an incredibly talented guy but he also had an incredibly large problem with alcohol and drugs. He'd get wasted and become a real crazy person, a raging megalomaniac, and the other guys just couldn't deal with that after a while. I mean, they all drank of course, but Dave drank more...much more. I could see they were beginning to get fed up of seeing Dave drunk out of his mind all the time."^[6]

On one occasion, Mustaine brought his dog to rehearsal; the dog jumped onto the car of Metallica bassist Ron McGovney and scratched the paint. Hetfield allegedly yelled at Mustaine's dog and kicked it in anger, to which Mustaine responded by physically attacking Hetfield and McGovney and verbally abusing Ulrich. Mustaine was fired following the altercation, but the next day, Mustaine asked to be allowed back in the band and was granted his request. Another incident occurred when Mustaine, who had been drinking, poured a full can of beer down the neck and into the pick-ups of Ron McGovney's bass. When McGovney tried playing it, he received an electrical shock which he claims 'blew him across the room and shocked the hell out of him'. McGovney then told Mustaine and Hetfield to leave his house and left the band shortly after.^[7]

On April 11, 1983, after Metallica had driven to New York to record their debut album, Mustaine was officially fired from the band because of his alcoholism, drug abuse, overly aggressive behavior, and personality clashes with founding members Hetfield and Ulrich, an incident Mustaine refers to as "no warning, no second chance". The band packed up Dave's gear, drove him to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, and put him on a Greyhound bus bound for Los Angeles.^[5] It was on this bus ride that Mustaine scribbled some lyrical ideas on the back of a hand bill, which would later become the song "Set The World Afire" from the 1988 Megadeth album So Far, So Good... So What!

During his time in Metallica, Dave Mustaine toured with the band, co-wrote four songs which appeared on Kill Em All, and co-wrote two songs which would eventually appear on Ride the Lightning. Mustaine has also made unverified claims to have written parts of "Leper Messiah" from Master of Puppets.^[5] He also recorded several songs with the band including the No Life 'Til Leather demo tape. A few of the songs he wrote with Hetfield and Ulrich went on to be re-recorded by Metallica. The most well-known of these is "The Four Horsemen" from Kill 'Em All, which Mustaine wrote as "The Mechanix" and later released on Megadeth's debut album with the original lyrics as "Mechanix".^{[citation needed]}

Fallen Angels (1983)[link]

Fallen Angels was the name, although shortlived, of the band that Mustaine founded after his ejection from Metallica. In April 1983, after being fired from Metallica, Mustaine returned to California to live with his mother. He then landed what he calls 'my last real job' with the aid of Robbie McKinney. McKinney and his friend, Matt Kisselstien, worked with Mustaine as telemarketers. Mustaine quit his job after earning enough money to move to an apartment in Hollywood, and recruited McKinney, who played guitar, and Kisselstien, who played bass, for his band Fallen Angels. In his biography, Mustaine describes that 'We lacked the chemistry, the energy, the spark--or whatever you want to call it--that gives a band life in its infancy.' The partnership did not last.

This paved the way for his partnership for Dave Ellefson and Greg Handevidt. Ellefson was playing the opening bass line of Van Halen's 'Running with the Devil' in the apartment below Mustaine's. After stomping on the floor and shouting for them to stop, Mustaine, being hung over at the time, took a potted plant and threw it out of his window and hit the air conditioner of the apartment below. This resulted in the 2 coming up to Mustaine's apartment to ask for cigarettes. Mustaine replied 'The store is down the street' and slammed the door in their faces. A few minutes later, they knocked on the door, this time asking if he could buy them beer. Mustaine's reply: 'Ok, now you are talking'. They spent the night talking about music, and soon after, Mustaine, Ellefson and Handevidt were then bandmates.

With little confidence in his own vocal capabilities, Mustaine added Lawrence 'Lor' Kane to the Fallen Angels roster. Kane did not stay long, although is credited for the suggestion that they should change the name to Megadeth, knowing that Mustaine had written a song of the same name. After Kane left, the first of many drummers, Dijon Carruthers, joined the band. The lineup of Mustaine, Ellefson, Handevidt and Carruthers would be the first incarnation of Megadeth.^[8]

Megadeth (1983-present)[link]

After a series of unsuccessful vocalist auditions, Mustaine elected to take on vocal duties himself in addition to playing lead guitar. In 1984, Megadeth cut a three-song demo with drummer Lee Raush, who replaced Carruthers after Mustaine and Ellefson learned of his mixed heritage, despite claiming he was Spanish.^[8] Kerry King joined the band for a few shows; however, he opted to leave Megadeth after less than a week so he could continue working on his own band, Slayer. Jazz-influenced drummer Gar Samuelson replaced Raush, who left after Mustaine convinced him to play with a broken foot.^[8] Megadeth recorded a demo as a three-piece band which captured the attention of guitarist Chris Poland, also a jazz player and a friend of Samuelson, who subsequently joined the band.^[9] In November, the band signed a deal with Combat Records and began touring.

In May 1985, Megadeth released their first album, Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!, on Combat Records. That summer, the band toured the U.S. and Canada with Exciter. Guitarist Mike Albert replaced Chris Poland for a while because Poland was charged for possession of heroin. After Poland was released, he rejoined the band in October and the band then began recording their second studio album for Combat. On New Year's Eve of that year, Megadeth played in San Francisco with Exodus and Metal Church. Metallica was the headliner. This was the only time Megadeth and Metallica were on the same card, until 1991.

In 1986, after recording Killing Is My Business..., Mustaine approached Jackson Guitars for a custom-built guitar. Jackson modified their existing Jackson King V model for Mustaine by adding 2 more frets to the standard 22 fret King V. In the 1990s the company began mass-producing a Dave Mustaine signature series Jackson King V which continued into the early 2000s. This model uses Seymour Duncan SH-4 pickups, also known as TB-4 pickups.

The following year, major label Capitol Records signed Megadeth and obtained the rights to their second album, Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?, from Combat. Megadeth opened a U.S. tour with King Diamond and Motörhead. This album, released in November, is regarded as a landmark metal album. It produced the notable title track (the opening bass lick of which was used by "MTV News" segments) as well as the thrash anthem "Wake Up Dead." The videos for both songs became staples on MTV's Headbanger's Ball.

In February 1987, Megadeth opened for Alice Cooper on his Constrictor tour. The band also toured with King Diamond whose previous band, Mercyful Fate, were a huge influence on Megadeth. In March, Megadeth's first world tour began in the U.K. Mustaine and Ellefson guested on the band Malice's License To Kill album. Megadeth re-recorded "These Boots" for a movie soundtrack, and that summer went on tour with Overkill and Necros. Amid drug problems and suspicions of stealing the band's equipment and pawning it for drug money, Mustaine fired Poland and Samuelson after their last show in Hawaii.

Chuck Behler, who had been Samuelson's drum tech, became Megadeth's new drummer with a guitarist named Jeff Young replacing Poland. Megadeth released their third album, So Far, So Good... So What!, in January 1988. The album contains the song "In My Darkest Hour", which, according to the liner notes of So Far, So Good... So What!, was composed after the death of Metallica's bass player Cliff Burton, despite the lyrics having nothing to do with Burton. "Hook in Mouth" attacked the Parents Music Resource Center with gusto, although their cover of the Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the UK", despite a guest appearance from ex-Pistol Steve Jones, was ill-advised in the eyes of Allmusic's critic.

Later that year, Megadeth opened for Dio and then Iron Maiden on tour before playing the Monsters of Rock festival at Castle Donington in the U.K. with Kiss, Iron Maiden, Guns N' Roses, David Lee Roth, and Helloween. Shortly after, Mustaine fired Behler and Young, accusing Young of having thoughts of a relationship with Mustaine's then-girlfriend. Around this period, Mustaine produced the debut album from Seattle thrash band Sanctuary, called Refuge Denied.

Nick Menza, who was Chuck Behler's drum tech, joined Megadeth in 1989, and the band recorded their only track ever as a three-piece: a cover of Alice Cooper's "No More Mr. Nice Guy" for the Wes Craven-directed horror flick, Shocker. Video director Penelope Spheeris would later recount in the Megadeth episode of Behind The Music that Mustaine showed up to the video shoot so fried on heroin and other drugs that he could not sing and play guitar at the same time; therefore, the singing and playing had to be recorded separately. Mustaine was arrested for "impaired driving" that March with seven or more drugs in his system and was forced by authorities to enter a rehabilitation program (the first of his 17 visits to rehabilitation centers).

The 1990s[link]

In February 1990, guitarist Marty Friedman (formerly of Cacophony) was auditioned to fill in the vacant lead-guitar position. In September of that year, the band joined the "Clash of the Titans" tour overseas with Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies and Testament. The tour began one month before Megadeth released Rust in Peace (1990), which continued their commercial success. They then went back on the road to promote the new album, this time as support for Judas Priest.

Megadeth started off 1991 by performing for 145,000 people at a festival in Brazil before starting their own world tour with Alice in Chains as their special guest. Mustaine got married in April, the same month the Rusted Pieces home video was released. That summer, the Clash of the Titans tour hit the U.S., featuring Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax, with Alice in Chains taking the opening slot. Later that year, the Megadeth song "Go to Hell" was featured on the soundtrack to Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey.

Also in 1991, Mustaine collaborated with Sean Harris from Diamond Head on the track "Crown of Worms." (Mustaine would later appear on Diamond Head's reformation album Death and Progress.) Mustaine's wife, Pamela, gave birth to their son Justis on February 11, 1992. The band was featured on another soundtrack, this time for Super Mario Bros. with the song "Breakpoint." July saw the release of Megadeth's most commercially successful record: Countdown to Extinction. The album debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 and boasted some the band's most commercially successful songs, including "Symphony of Destruction", "Sweating Bullets" and "Skin o' My Teeth". The original version of the "Symphony of Destruction" video was edited due to its depiction of a political leader being assassinated; "Skin o' My Teeth" was aired on MTV with a disclaimer from Mustaine insisting that the song did not endorse suicide. Ellefson contributed lyrics to the family-farm ballad "Foreclosure of a Dream", and Menza wrote the lyrics about canned hunting for the title track. This album began a new, more "collaborative" Megadeth.

Pantera and Suicidal Tendencies opened for Megadeth on the Countdown to Extinction tour. MTV News invited Mustaine to cover the Democratic National Convention for them that summer. In November, the "Exposure of a Dream" home video was released. In 1993, Mustaine guested on a new album by one of the bands who had influenced his own sound: Diamond Head. Megadeth began a U.S. tour with Stone Temple Pilots as their opening act. This tour, including a planned appearance at Budokan, was ultimately canceled due to Mustaine's continuing struggles with addiction. In June, Megadeth played Milton Keynes Bowl with Diamond Head and Metallica and later opened for Metallica on a handful of European Stadium dates. Megadeth was kicked off Aerosmith's U.S. tour after just seven dates due to the comment made by Mustaine that "We don't have much time to play because Aerosmith don't have much time left to live." was deemed offensive to Aerosmith. "Angry Again" was featured on the soundtrack to the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie Last Action Hero, while "99 Ways To Die" was featured on The Beavis and Butt-head Experience compilation album.

Megadeth spent the bulk of 1994 making Youthanasia, a much more commercial album undoubtedly inspired in part by the success of Countdown to Extinction. The band covered Black Sabbath's song "Paranoid" for Nativity in Black: A Tribute to Black Sabbath and performed on MTV's "Night of the Living Megadeth" in celebration of the Halloween release of their new album. They began a tour the next month in South America. Youthanasia became the quickest album to go gold (500,000 units) in Canadian history and sold well throughout the world. It was an album that showed a more melodic side to the band with tracks such as "À Tout le Monde." The album also included "Train of Consequences," the music video for which became one of the band's most well-known.

Another soundtrack appearance, "Diadems" on Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight, kicked off 1995. Megadeth spent the first two months of the year on the "Youthanasia" tour with Corrosion of Conformity in tow. In March, the Hidden Treasures compilation hit European stores. The "Evolver: The Making of Youthanasia" home video followed in May, and Hidden Treasures made it to the U.S. and Japan in July, just in time for the start of the "Reckoning Day" tour with special guests Flotsam and Jetsam, Korn and Fear Factory. In September the band performed at the "Monsters of Rock" festival in South America.

A Grammy nomination for "Paranoid" began 1996 for Megadeth. Enlisting Fear singer Lee Ving, Mustaine released an album under the moniker "MD.45" with Suicidal Tendencies drummer Jimmy DeGrasso. In September, Megadeth returned to the studio, this time in Nashville, TN, to record Cryptic Writings.

Cryptic Writings (1997) included thrashing songs like "Vortex" and "FFF" - reminiscent of Megadeth's older material - alongside radio-friendly fare like "Trust," the song which put Megadeth on the #1 spot in the U.S. Billboard, earning them many spins at rock radio. Megadeth.com launched that year, and in June, the reformed Misfits opened for the band on tour. Chaos Comics released "The Cryptic Writings of Megadeth" comic books, and a remix of "Almost Honest" showed up on the "Mortal Kombat Annihilation" soundtrack. The first ever all-acoustic Megadeth performance in Buenos Aires, Argentina closed out the year in December.

Mustaine's daughter, Electra Mustaine, was born on December 28, 1998, the same month that "Trust" was nominated for a Grammy. Megadeth played on the Howard Stern Show and that summer took part in Ozzfest^{[citation needed]}. As Nick Menza sat in the hospital side-lined by a knee injury, he received a call from Mustaine informing him that his services would no longer be needed. Jimmy DeGrasso, who Mustaine had enjoyed playing with in MD.45, joined Megadeth in his place. On New Year's Eve, Megadeth opened for Black Sabbath alongside Soulfly, Slayer, and Pantera.

While touring after Cryptic Writings, Mustaine told interviewers that songs like "She-Wolf" and "Vortex" had reinvigorated his love for classical music by bands like Iron Maiden and Motörhead, and that he intended to write an album that was "1/2 Peace Sells, 1/2 Cryptic Writings"; however, after hearing about a comment that Lars Ulrich had made in the press in which he said he wished Mustaine would take more "risks," intentions changed. Managers and producers had more input. The song "Crush 'Em" was written with the express purpose of being played in wrestling arenas. In later years, Mustaine would blame much of this period on Friedman's desire to go in a more "pop" direction. Recorded with producer Dann Huff, again in Nashville, Risk was released on August 31, 1999. "Crush 'Em" made it onto the Universal Soldier: The Return soundtrack and into WCW wrestling events (notably played live on Monday Nitro). In July, the band covered "Never Say Die" for a second Black Sabbath tribute. They closed the Woodstock '99 music festival and again opened for Iron Maiden in Europe. There were few other highlights in the Megadeth world in 1999, a year that ended with Marty Friedman announcing his departure from the band.

The 2000s[link]

As the tour behind Risk soldiered on, Al Pitrelli replaced Friedman on the road. In April, the new lineup entered the studio to begin work on a new album a couple of months before they officially parted ways with Capitol Records. The summer was spent on the road with Anthrax and Mötley Crüe. Capitol released a "best of" collection in the fall, Capitol Punishment: The Megadeth Years, featuring two brand new (and more metal-leaning) songs, "Dread and the Fugitive Mind" was one of the brand new songs and appeared on the next studio album the following year. With a new deal in place with Sanctuary Records, Megadeth returned to the studio toward the end of the year to finish their album and on New Year's Eve, played a show in Anchorage, Alaska.

An acoustic tour sponsored by radio stations, a press tour, and a video shoot for the song "Moto Psycho" all preceded the May, 2001 release of The World Needs A Hero. The summer was filled with festival appearances supporting AC/DC. In September, Megadeth set out across North America with Endo and Iced Earth. VH1's "Behind The Music" special on Megadeth aired that year and was later released on DVD. At the end of the year, the band filmed two shows in Arizona, which were released as the 2CD and DVD Rude Awakening. The early part of 2002 saw the release of a remixed and re-mastered Killing Is My Business... with bonus tracks and expanded packaging, followed by Rude Awakening.

In January 2002, Mustaine was admitted to the hospital to get a kidney stone removed. While undergoing treatment, he was administered pain medication that triggered a relapse. Following his hospital stay, he immediately checked himself into a treatment center in Texas.^[10] While at the treatment center, Mustaine suffered a freak injury causing severe nerve damage to his left arm. The injury, induced by falling asleep with his left arm over the back of a chair, caused compression of the radial nerve. He was diagnosed with radial neuropathy, also known as Saturday Night Palsy, which left him unable to grasp or even make a fist with his left hand.^[11]

On April 3, 2002, Mustaine announced in a press release that he was disbanding Megadeth, officially due to his arm injury.^[11] For the next four months, Mustaine underwent intense physical therapy five days a week.^[10] Slowly, Mustaine began to play again, but was forced to "re-teach" his left hand.

Mustaine himself gave what he called "the Reader's Digest version" of the whole matter during an interview for SuicideGirls: "I went into retirement because my arm got hurt really bad. I broke up the band which at the time was Al Pitrelli, Dave Ellefson, Jimmy DeGrasso, and myself. I was having problems with Al because he liked to drink, and we didn’t want to show up at places with him drunk. Al also got married to a nice woman, but he wanted to spend time with her. After a few years, most married men are willing to die, so I figured if we got a couple years into the marriage that might have changed. But the fact was, Al wasn’t fitting. DeGrasso was really hard to be around because he was so negative all the time with his complaining about money and wanting things. Ellefson was all about 'play my songs, play my songs.' I hated being around these guys so when the arm injury happened, it was a welcome relief and an indication that I had to stop."^[12]

Mustaine went through physical therapy for his arm injury. During his recovery, he explored other areas of the music industry, including production. Contrary to what doctors had predicted, within a short time he fully recovered. However, all was mostly quiet on the Megadeth front for the better part of 2003. Mustaine left Jackson guitars, did a solo acoustic performance at a benefit show, unveiled his new ESP model at the NAMM convention, and oversaw the release of Peace Sells... But Who’s Buying? as an audio DVD presented in Dolby 5.1 surround.

At the same time, Mustaine's personal life once again underwent change. It was during this period that Mustaine became a Christian. He expressed his intent to withdraw from a show in Greece that had Rotting Christ and Dissection opening for Megadeth.^[13][14] Mustaine told The Daily Times during a recent interview, his own world was already shattered, and becoming a Christian was the one way he's found to put the pieces back together. “I went back to being a Jehovah’s Witness, but I wasn’t happy with that.” He later said in an interview, “Looking up at the cross, I said six simple words, ‘What have I got to lose?’ Afterwards my whole life has changed. It’s been hard, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. Rather go my whole life believing that there is a God and find out there isn't than live my whole life thinking there isn't a God and then find out, when I die, that there is."^[15] Mustaine also considers his talent a gift from God. "To be the No. 1 rated guitar player in the world is a gift from God and I'm stoked about it, but I think Christ is better than I am, anyway," he said. "Either way, I don't put too much earthly merit on it."^[15]

In 2004 Mustaine oversaw the remixing and re-mastering of Megadeth's entire Capitol Records catalog. All albums were re-released with bonus tracks and full liner notes. With one album remaining in his contract to Sanctuary Records, Mustaine began recording what he intended to be the first Dave Mustaine solo album with drummer Vinnie Colaiuta and bassist Jimmy Sloas. Complete with guest solos from old friend Chris Poland, this project became a new Megadeth album, The System Has Failed, released September 14, 2004. One month before, Mustaine announced a new touring lineup for Megadeth: Glen Drover (King Diamond/Eidolon) and James MacDonough (Iced Earth). Nick Menza had briefly been a part of the new band before differences once again caused his departure. One week before a new US tour with Exodus supporting, new drummer (and Glen's brother) Shawn Drover (Eidolon) joined Megadeth.

Dave Mustaine at a Gigantour show in Orlando, FL.

The "Blackmail The Universe" tour started in February 2005 with Diamond Head and Dungeon supporting. Capitol released a new greatest hits, Back To The Start, in June, a month before Mustaine created "Gigantour" with Dream Theater, Anthrax, Fear Factory, Symphony X, Dillinger Escape Plan, Life of Agony, and more. During 2005 Gigantour Mustaine brought a "spiritual counselor" to help him avoid the problems that almost cost him his life due to his prior drug addictions. The Dillinger Escape Plan frontman Greg Puciato stated: "He had a pastor walking around with him on tour and riding on his bus, I think to help keep him on the straight and narrow path."^[16]

Arsenal of Megadeth, a two-disc anthology DVD, was released in March 2006. Bass player James LoMenzo (Black Label Society, White Lion) replaced James MacDonough in February shortly before the band headed to the Dubai Desert Rock Festival in the United Arab Emirates. On April 19, the band began recording a new album, United Abominations, at SARM studios in the UK (David Gilmour's house), they announced a worldwide deal with Roadrunner Records in May 2006. United Abominations was released worldwide on May 15, 2007. However, the album had already been leaked before its release. On January 13, 2008, Dave Mustaine confirmed that guitarist Glen Drover had quit Megadeth to focus on his family and that he had been replaced by Chris Broderick of Jag Panzer. The new lineup made its live debut in Finland on February 4 and returned to the US for Gigantour 2008 in the spring.^[17] A 12th studio album titled Endgame was released on September 15, 2009.

Mustaine planned to open Megadeth's California recording studio to under-privileged children to teach them about rock 'n' roll. The band owns a building in San Diego, California, which has housed their recording equipment over the years. In an interview with Kerrang, Mustaine wanted to make better use of the studio by turning the space into a learning center for children who come from under-privileged backgrounds. He also said he vowed to teach them how to play instruments.^[18]

The 2010s[link]

Long time bassist, David Ellefson has recently re-joined Megadeth after 8 years since the disbanding of Megadeth in 2002. Ellefson and Mustaine have agreed to keep any unresolved issues in the past and are working on building and maintaining their friendship again.

Megadeth embarked on a Rust In Peace 20th Anniversary tour, playing the album in its entirety, along with fan favorites such as "Wake Up Dead", "In My Darkest Hour" and "Skin O' My Teeth."

On August 3, 2010, Mustaine released his autobiography in the US, titled "Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir". The book covers Mustaine's life from childhood till shortly before the release of the 2009 Megadeth album "Endgame". The book was released in the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand titled "Mustaine: A Life in Metal"

On November 16, 2010, Mustaine revealed that he and Megadeth were working on material for a new album. At the time of the statement, they had "five songs almost finished".

On August 10, 2011, Mustaine revealed he approached Metallica's James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich to form a heavy metal supergroup. Dave Ellefson is said to be the bassist of the band. Mustaine said it was "on my bucket list." James has declined at this point.^{[citation needed]}

On 10 December 2011, Mustaine reunited on stage with Metallica to play five songs as part of band's 30 year anniversary celebration at the Fillmore Theater.

[edit] Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock

Dave Mustaine composed the song "Sudden Death" for Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock under the name of his band. The game also features two Megadeth titles: "Holy Wars: the Punishment Due" and "This Day We Fight". Megadeth downloadable contents are also available as tracks including "Hangar 18", "Symphony of Destruction" and "Peace Sells".

Gigantour[link]

In the summer of 2005, Mustaine launched a travelling North American metal festival. He named it Gigantour after a favorite childhood cartoon of his, Gigantor. It spanned six weeks and was co-headlined by Megadeth and Dream Theater, with a variety of other supporting metal acts such as Fear Factory and The Dillinger Escape Plan. Mustaine has been quoted as saying that his main intention when conceiving the tour was to bring the American metal audiences an eclectic and affordable alternative to Ozzfest.

The second annual Gigantour began in September 2006 and was composed of Megadeth, Lamb of God, Opeth, and Arch Enemy. The second stage bands were Overkill, Into Eternity, Sanctity, and The Smash Up.

The 2007 Gigantour featured Bring Me the Horizon, Static-X, DevilDriver, and Lacuna Coil along with Megadeth. Megadeth appeared on their first tour to India, Bangalore in March 2008.

The 2008 installment of the tour featured Megadeth, Children of Bodom, In Flames, High on Fire, and Job for a Cowboy (and Evile for the UK and Scandinavia tour).^[19]

Megadeth Blood in the Water: Live in San Diego (from the Gigantour 2008) premiered on HDNet Sunday November 2 at 8PMET in high definition and 5.1 audio (Repeats check www.hd.net)

In November 2011, it was announced the Gigantour would start up again. The lineup consists of Megadeth, Motorhead, Volbeat, and Lacuna Coil. The tour kicks off at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ on Jan 26, 2012.

Equipment[link]

A KV1, same model played by Mustaine before the Y2KV was created.

Mustaine used B.C. Rich guitars early in his career (and for his entire duration with Metallica), most notably a B.C. Rich Bich 10 string with just the regular six strings. First the guitar started in a natural finish, but Dave painted it black around the time 'Peace Sells' was released. In 1987 he switched to Jackson guitars.

In March 2009, while he was guest hosting Bruce Dickinson's Friday night radio show, Mustaine attributed his choice of the Flying V guitar to being a fan of UFO's Michael Schenker when he was growing up.

After switching to Jackson Guitars he helped to re-design the guitar maker's version of the King V model (at the time, it was a "double Rhoads size" meaning it had two of the longer fins from the RR). The reshaped Mustaine KV1 model had slightly shorter fins, Kahler bridge and Seymour Duncan JB (SH-4b) and Jazz (SH-2n) pickups. He also specified 24 frets rather than the original King V's 22, a tradition which Jackson still keeps on its King V models today, and the KV1, as have all of Mustaine's signature models, also featured a smaller, medium fretwire compared to the extra jumbos featured on most Jacksons.

Mustaine later switched to ESP Guitars. The company released the DV8 signature model in the 2004 NAMM convention also at which time Mustaine announced his ESP endorsement deal. In 2005, Mustaine and ESP teamed up to release the ESP Axxion, (pronounced Action), in order to celebrate Megadeth's 20th anniversary.(the XX in Axxion and the fretboard inlays being the number 20 in Roman numerals) The ESP Axxion and ESP DV8 were both successful and cheaper models such as the LTD-DV8 R, LTD DV200 and the LTD Axxion were released to target a bigger market.

Dave Mustaine with his Dean VMNT USA Gears of War guitar on tour supporting United Abominations

However, on December 6, 2006, Dave Mustaine announced that he was leaving ESP guitars and shifting his endorsement to Dean Guitars. His new signature guitar was revealed during NAMM Show on January 19, 2007. The signature guitar is called the Dean VMNT. The V-shaped guitar is very similar to his earlier Jackson and ESP Signature models. The release campaign of the VMNT had a limited copy of only 150 in the world and are signed by Dave Mustaine. This was posted on the website.

"After two successful years, I have decided to leave ESP guitars. This was a business decision and had nothing to do with the guitars or the manufacturing of the guitars, and I wish the staff of ESP, both in the USA and in Japan and Korea the very best of health and prosperity. Meanwhile, I am taking my Classic Metal V known formerly as a Jackson King V1 or an ESP DV8, and my new guitar design presently known as an Axxion, which was the recipient of the Gold Award from Guitar World Magazine for 2005 for new guitar designs with me. I will also be re-introducing through my new endorsement many special models, including re-issues of my old models from over the span of my career, as well as some retro V shapes, similar to the formerly known Jackson Y2KV or a Gibson Flying V. I will make my announcement and be attending the 2007 NAMM show to meet Megadeth fans and all metal fans, musicians of all styles-especially guitarists."

Dave Mustaine performing with Megadeth in Hartford, CT, with his Dean Zero.

Today he uses his signature models by Dean Guitars, the Dean VMNT and Zero. The USA models were available briefly in limited run after release, although the Korean and Chinese models are in continuous production. Mustaine uses the USA and Korean models on stage.

Dave Mustaine has also recently collaborated with Marshall in order to produce the 1960DM Dave Mustaine Signature Cabinets. He is now using his signature Marshall cabinets on tour.

Dave Mustaine endorses Seymour Duncan and has his own Signature Live Wire pickups and uses Signature GHS Progressives Strings (10-52).

The Dean Zero debuted in 2010 with Dean guitars was a unique new shape for Dave, resembling the Gibson Explorer with sharper points. Dave has made a few appearances so far; with this guitar on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon and on shows during the Australian tour with Slayer. He has also used the guitar in the later dates of the 2009 Endgame tour and continues to use it to this day. He says he primarily still uses his VMNT's so he can grab on to the lower horn with his legs for certain songs.^[20]

Dave has also used Ovation acoustic guitars for most of his career. However, he stopped endorsing the company after receiving a signature acoustic from Dean, dubbed the Mako.^[20][21] Dave also has his own signature Zoom pedal, called the Zoom G2.1DM.

Gear[link]

Guitars

• Dean Dave Mustaine Signature VMNT Models
• Dean Dave Mustaine Signature Zero Models
• Seymour Duncan Dave Mustaine Live Wire Pick Ups
• Dunlop .73mm Picks
• GHS Dave Mustaine Progressive Strings 10-52

Amps

• Marshall JVM410 100W Amp Head
• Fractal Axe FX Ultra Preamp
• DigiTech GSP1101 Preamp
• Marshall EL34 100/100 Dual Monobloc Power Amp
• Marshall Dave Mustaine Signature 1960DM Cabinets With Celestion Speakers

Other Effects/Rack Equipment

• Rocktron All Access Controller
• Furman PL Plus Power Conditioner
• Mogami Cables
• Whirlwind MultiSelector
• Shure UHF-R Wireless Guitar System
• Ebtech Hum Eliminator

Guitar playing[link]

In 2004, Guitar World magazine ranked Dave Mustaine and Marty Friedman together at #19 on the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time.

In 2009, Mustaine was named the #1 player in Joel McIver's book The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists. As he told Classic Rock magazine in September 2009: "It was especially sweet when I found out that Joel has written books on Metallica. Every page I turned, I became more excited. I get to Number 5 and it's Kirk Hammett, and I thought, 'Thank you, God'. At that point it didn't matter [which position I was]. To be better than both of them [James Hetfield and Hammett] meant so much – it's been one of the pet peeves of my career and I've never known how to deal with it. All I thought was – I win!"^[22]

Personal life[link]

Mustaine was married to Pamela Anne Casselberry in 1991.^[23] They have a son named Justis David Mustaine and a daughter Electra Nicole Mustaine.^[23] Mustaine recently confirmed to Eddie Trunk that after two trial separations, he and Pam had reconciled.^[23]

Coffee line[link]

Mustaine helped promote his wife Pam's coffee business, Net Worth Coffee Brokers, by creating a Dave Mustaine line of coffee and associated items, with part of the proceeds going to Door of Faith charity. The bags featured his silhouette with a guitar and his signature. Among the items in the line were Dave Mustaine's Peruvian Blend coffee, Black Gold Blend coffee, Decaff coffee, Dave Mustaine's Perfect Tea Maker, a Barrel Mug, Travel Tumbler, and a Christmas T-shirt. Mustaine announced the line would be discontinued in August 2009, though his wife's business would continue.^{[24][25][26][27]}

Christianity[link]

Mustaine was raised as a Jehovah Witness^[28] and is now a born again Christian.^[29] In 1988, in response to the British government's criticism of homosexuality, Mustaine said: "More power to them. It says in the Bible that men should not lay with men like they lay with women. I mean I don't wanna fuck up and not go to heaven."^[30] In an answer to a question about Judas Priest having an overt homosexual image, "I don't wanna talk about this. The last thing I need is a bunch of homos picketing us."^[30] In 2012, on KIRO-FM he was asked if he supports gay marriage and replied: "Well, since I’m not gay, the answer to that would be no."^[31][32] He was then asked if he would support legislation to make gay marriage legal and said, “I’m Christian. The answer to that would be no.”^[31]

Mustaine began to focus on his Christian faith more directly while attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.^[29] Finding that the meetings were actually impeding his progress in sobriety and spirituality, Mustaine left to focus on Christianity on his own.^[29] Through this process he became a committed Christian.^[29] It has become his policy not to appear with any band that is seen as black metal or satanic, such as declining to appear in a music festival in Greece with the band Rotting Christ as well as in Israel with the band Dissection.^[33] In these instances, Mustaine requested that the bands not be kicked off the bill, but that Megadeth would step down and perform some other night.^[29][33] However, the promoters actually removed the smaller bands from the billing rather than deal with rescheduling the headliner.^[29]

Politics[link]

Over his career, Mustaine has made comments about politics in the US and internationally. In a confrontational 1988 interview with Sounds journalist Roy Wilkinson, Mustaine said, "If I were President of the United States, I'd build a great wall along the Mexican border and not let anybody in. ... The beauty is gone when you see Americans sleeping on sidewalks and it makes me sick to to think we have assholes in this country letting fucking Mexicans in. Who needs this shit?"^[30]

In 1988, Mustaine caused a riot when Megadeth played a concert in Northern Ireland after he "unwittingly" expressed support for the Irish Republican Army (IRA) regarding the problems between Northern Ireland's Catholic and Protestant communities.^[34][35] This incident occurred amid a period of turmoil in the province known as the Troubles.

In 1992 Mustaine covered the Democratic National Convention for MTV.^[36] He went on to vote for President Bill Clinton.^[37]

In 2004, Mustaine said he would vote for President George W. Bush because John Kerry would "ruin our country."^[38] In 2011, he called President Barack Obama "the most divisive president we've ever had. I've never, in my 50 years of being alive, listened to an American president try and turn one class of people against another class of people."^[39] In a March 2012 interview on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight, Mustaine said, "I know he was born somewhere else than America."^[40]

In 2009, Mustaine discussed the influence Alex Jones' films and ideas have had him and his music.^[41] Specifically, Mustaine said that he wrote the album Endgame based on Jones' film Endgame in order "to educate his fans and the general public about the conspiracy behind the march towards global government."^[42]

2012 U.S. Presidential election[link]

In a February 2012 interview, Mustaine gave a statement supportive of the presidential campaign of former conservative Republican Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum: "You know, I think Santorum has some presidential qualities and I'm hoping that if it does come down to it, we'll see a Republican in the White House...and that it's Rick Santorum." Mustaine pointed to Santorum's temporary suspension of his campaign to be with his sick daughter as the act that gained his attention and respect. He expressed his hope that Santorum would win the nomination but stated that regardless of the results he would be voting against a second term for President Barack Obama, "I can't bear to watch what's happened to our great country. Everybody's got their head in the sand. Everybody in the industry is like, 'Oh, Obama's doing such a great job...' I dont think so. Not from what I see." Mustaine also criticized other Republican presidential candidates. Mustaine was critical of a $100 million trust fund that Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney set up for his sons. He criticized Texas Congressman Ron Paul for his unorthodox political views saying Paul "make[s] total sense for a while, and then he'll say something so way out that it negates everything else." Mustaine admitted that he formerly supported former Georgia Congressman and House Speaker Newt Gingrich, but stated that he no longer thought he could vote for Gingrich.^{[43] [44]}

In a March 2012 interview on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight, Mustaine restated his support for Santorum, saying, "He just looked like he could be a really cool president, kind of like a JFK kind of guy."^[40]

Mustaine's more recent political positions are seen by many^[who?] as a switch from his politics during the George H.W. Bush administration when Mustaine acted as a reporter for MTV News during the Democratic National Convention in 1992, and was seen as leaning to the political left due to the lyrics of "Foreclosure of a Dream."^[45] Mustaine later claimed that his statement was not intended to be an endorsement for Santorum. ^[46]

Martial arts[link]

Dave Mustaine holds black belts in taekwondo and karate. In 2007, he was made a Goodwill Ambassador of the World by the World Taekwondo Federation.^[47]

Cameo appearances[link]

Dave Mustaine has appeared on various television shows:

• In 1992 Mustaine covered the Democratic National Convention for MTV. He also hosted the MTV2 Television Network's series Headbanger's Ball on two occasions: once on a tribute to Dimebag Darrell in December 2004 and the second time as a special guest on an episode which aired August 27, 2005. He also played the song "Gears of War" with Megadeth on an episode about the video game release under the same name.
• Dave Mustaine makes an appearance on the 1998 The Drew Carey Show episode entitled "In Ramada Da Vida". When Drew and the gang decide to start a band, they audition guitarists, including Mustaine. After playing a lightning fast guitar solo, Lewis Kiniski tells Mustaine "Don't be nervous son, just slow down," to which Mustaine replies, "It's supposed to sound that way." Drew replies by saying, "Yeah, sure it is..... next."^[48]
• In the 1996 Black Scorpion sci-fi series episode "Love Burns" Mustaine plays Torchy Thompson, a vengeful arsonist.
• Dave Mustaine and Megadeth appear in the Duck Dodgers 2006 episode "In Space, Nobody can Hear you Rock/Ridealong Calamity", the second-to-last episode of the series.^[48] In the show, Mustaine plays a cryogenically frozen version of himself. He is unfrozen because the main cast requires an incredibly loud noise to overload a Martian sonic weapon, and "nobody rocks harder, faster, or louder than Dave Mustaine." He is referred to by a documentry as being "genetically engineered to rock and raised by wolverines", though Mustaine denied these theories. During this episode he played the song "Back in the Day" from the album The System Has Failed. Mustaine appeared again in the show in the final episode, Bonafide Hero: Captain Duck Dodgers.
• Mustaine appeared on the second episode of season 8 on the television show Never Mind the Buzzcocks.
• Mustaine and Megadeth appeared in promotional videos for the NHL team Philadelphia Flyers in response to an inflammatory comment by Mike Wise in the Washington Post which suggested that some of the Flyers' fans could work security for Megadeth.^[49] Mustaine invited them to do so. Megadeth all wore Flyers' jerseys. Mustaine sported the one of team captain Jason Smith, while other members wore the jerseys of Danny Brière, Martin Biron and Mike Richards.
• Mustaine appeared in an episode of Rock & Roll Jeopardy! along with George Clinton and Moon Zappa. He won the game in a landslide victory.

See also[link]

• Megadeth discography
• MD.45
• Gigantour

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dave Mustaine

• Official Megadeth website
• Dave Mustaine at the Internet Movie Database
• Dave Mustaine on Myspace
• Dave Mustaine on Twitter
• Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir, review at UnRated Magazine
• A Heavy Metal Memoir, review at Guitar Noize

Big Mouth (Lakota: Itȟáŋka) (born 1822–died October 29, 1869) was an Oglala-born chieftain of the Brulé Lakota, highly regarded by the Brulé for his bravery and aggressive military leadership. He was one of the chiefs who signed the second Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868^[1] and remained a bitter opponent of further American settlement, ridiculing Spotted Tail and other Sioux chieftains upon their return from a mission to Washington, DC. He was sixth son of Old Chief Smoke (1774–1864) and twin brother of Blue Horse.

One of the principal chiefs at the Whetstone Agency, located along the Missouri River, where most of the Brulé and Oglala bands had gathered, Big Mouth gained increasing support for his stance among members of the tribe. He criticized what he described as Spotted Tail's reversal of Sioux policy, saying Spotted Tail had been entertained by American politicians and given a personal tour through the major cities of the east coast. Faced with increasing opposition to his leadership, Spotted Tail visited Big Mouth at his lodge, where, upon approaching the entrance, Big Mouth was seized by two warriors and held down while Spotted Tail shot and killed him.

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Grant, Bruce. The Concise Encyclopedia of the American Indian. New York: Wings Books, 2000. ISBN 0-517-69310-0
• Spartacus Educational:Spotted Tail

External links[link]

• AccessGenealogy.com - Indian Tribal Records: Brule Sioux Chiefs and Leaders

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Lars Ulrich
Ulrich performing in London in 2008
Background information
Birth name	Lars Ulrich
Born	(1963-12-26) December 26, 1963 (age 48) Gentofte, Denmark[1]
Genres	Heavy metal, thrash metal, hard rock, speed metal
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, producer, actor
Instruments	Drums, percussion
Years active	1980–present
Associated acts	Metallica
Website	www.metallica.com

Lars Ulrich ( /ˈʌlrɪk/ UL-rik; Danish: [lɑːs ˈulˀʁæg̊]; born December 26, 1963) is a Danish drummer, and one of the founding members of the American heavy metal band Metallica. He was born in Gentofte, Denmark to an upper-middle class family.^[1] A tennis player in his youth, Ulrich moved to Los Angeles, California at age sixteen to pursue his training; though rather than playing tennis, he became a drummer. After publishing an advertisement in a local Los Angeles newspaper called The Recycler, Ulrich met James Hetfield and formed Metallica.

Early life[link]

Lars Ulrich was born on December 26, 1963 in Gentofte, Denmark to Torben Ulrich, a tennis player. Saxophonist Dexter Gordon was Ulrich's godfather. In February 1973, Torben obtained five passes for five of his friends to a Deep Purple concert that was being held in the same Copenhagen stadium as one of his tournaments. When it was discovered that one of the friends could not go, their ticket was handed over to the nine year-old Ulrich. The young Ulrich found himself mesmerized by the performance, buying the band's Fireball album the next day. The concert and the album had a considerable impact on Ulrich, inspiring his entrance into the world of rock and roll and later on, heavy metal. As a result of his newfound interest in music, he received his first drum kit from his grandmother at the age of twelve, a Ludwig. Ulrich originally intended to play tennis, and he moved to America in 1980.^[2]

In 1981, Ulrich discovered British heavy metal band Diamond Head. He was excited about the band's style of music after purchasing its debut album Lightning to the Nations (1980). He traveled from San Francisco to London to see the band perform live at the Woolwich Odeon. However, Ulrich had not planned the trip out properly and was left without anywhere to go after the performance. He managed to meet the band backstage and explain the lengths he had taken to see them. The band warmed to him and lead guitarist Brian Tatler let him stay with him in his home town of Stourbridge, where Ulrich spent the next few weeks sleeping on Tatler's floor in his house. Ulrich remains a fan of Diamond Head and mixed its album The Best of Diamond Head.^[3]Upon returning to America, Ulrich placed an ad in a local newspaper looking for musicians to start a band with him. James Hetfield replied to the ad and Metallica was formed.

Career[link]

Later in 1981, Ulrich met James Hetfield in Downey, California they formed the thrash metal band Metallica. He got the name "Metallica" from a friend, Ron Quintana, who was brainstorming names for a heavy metal fanzine he was creating, and Metallica was one of the options, the other being "Metal Mania". Lars encouraged him to choose Metal Mania, and used the name Metallica for himself. He became known as a pioneer of fast thrash drum beats, featured on many of Metallica's early songs, such as "Metal Militia" from Kill 'Em All, "Fight Fire with Fire" from Ride the Lightning, "Battery" and "Damage Inc." from Master of Puppets and "Dyers Eve" from ...And Justice for All. He has since been considerably influential due to both the popularity of his band, as well as his drum techniques, such as the double bass drum in the song "One" (...And Justice for All) and the opening of "Enter Sandman" (Metallica). Since the release of Metallica, Ulrich adopted a more focused and precise style of drumming, and reduced his kit from a 9-piece to a 7-piece.

Ulrich's voice can be heard in a few Metallica songs, including "Hero of the Day", "Battery", "The Memory Remains", "Enter Sandman", "The Unforgiven II", "Frantic", and "Purify".^{[citation needed]} Ulrich's voice can also be heard in the opening seconds of "Leper Messiah" and he also counts to four in his native Danish on the St. Anger music video.

He made his acting debut in the HBO original film Hemingway & Gellhorn, which began filming in March 2011 and was released on May 28,2012.^[4] Ulrich made a brief cameo appearance as himself in the film Get Him to the Greek, as the partner of the character Jackie Q.

Ulrich was also ranked #5 on the top 5 metal drummers from That Metal Show.

Napster controversy[link]

In April 2000, Ulrich became a vocal opponent of Napster and file sharing as Metallica filed a lawsuit against the company for copyright infringement and racketeering. In July 2000, he testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee after Metallica's entire catalogue, including the then-unfinished track "I Disappear" was found to be freely available for download on the service. The case was settled out-of-court, resulting in more than 300,000 Napster users being banned from the service.^[5] Since the Napster ordeal, Ulrich was quoted by LAUNCHcast as having some regrets:^[6]

Style[link]

Collage of Lars Ulrich at drums in March 2009

Ulrich's drumming style has changed throughout his career. During the 1980s he was known for his fast, aggressive and, more or less, basic thrash beats. He would often utilize the double bass technique in latin breakbeats (which is influenced greatly from the song Overkill by Motorhead), which has become highly popular among heavy metal drummers. The best examples of this are "Metal Militia" (Kill 'Em All), "Fight Fire with Fire" (Ride the Lightning), "Battery" (Master of Puppets), "Damage, Inc." (Master of Puppets), "Blackened" (...And Justice for All), "One" (...And Justice for All), "That Was Just Your Life" (Death Magnetic), "All Nightmare Long" (Death Magnetic) and, arguably his most extreme, "Dyers Eve" (...And Justice for All), among others. Ulrich uses groove in his drum style, including clean and fast double bass beats in many songs and heavy drum fills. He has been known to drum in sync with the rhythm guitar played by James Hetfield. However, during the 1990s and early 2000s he simplified his drum rhythms in order to fit the simplification in Metallica's overall musical style. This started with Metallica, and very roughly ended with St. Anger. With Metallica's ninth album, Death Magnetic, Ulrich returned to his style from the 1980s, in which he played more complex and fast rhythms. Ulrich has also named other heavy metal drummers such as Ian Paice and Bill Ward as influences on his playing [1].

Personal life[link]

Ulrich has been married twice. His first marriage was in 1988 to Debbie Jones, a British woman he met on tour, but divorced in 1990 due to Ulrich's constant absence during the recording of The Black Album. His second marriage was to Skylar Satenstein, an emergency medicine physician, from 1997 to 2004. They have two sons, Myles (b. August 5, 1998), and Layne (b. May 6, 2001). Myles is following his father's footsteps by playing drums for the band My Missing Half.

Ulrich has dated Danish actress Connie Nielsen since mid 2004 after his divorce from Skylar and the couple had their first child, Bryce Thadeus Ulrich-Nielsen, (b. May 21, 2007) in San Francisco.^[7] Nielsen also has another son named Sebastian (b. June 2, 1991).

He and Connie currently reside in Marin County, California, north of San Francisco.

Ulrich is a noted collector of art. His father, Torben, was also a fan of art and paintings. Ulrich grew up surrounded by art and music, and both have always been a part of his life. After forming Metallica, he began visiting museums and art galleries during the band's long periods on tour. In an interview from 2002 Ulrich said: "I felt I could lose myself in art and get away from the music world. It became this great hiding place."

In 2008, in an interview with Stereo Warning, he said: "We had art all over the house when I was growing up. It's been a passion of mine for 20–25 years. It's one area where I can go and be myself. It's not about being in Metallica or being the drummer in a rock band. I'm accepted for who I am in the art circles. I love going into artist spaces and galleries and auction houses. It's great because it has absolutely nothing to do with Metallica. It's my place of sanctuary."

When he and the rest of Metallica were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009, Ulrich was the first Dane to receive the honor.

He was in the audience during Andre Ward vs Mikkel Kessler in Oakland for the first bout of the Super Six World Boxing Classic on the 21st of November 2009 to support fellow Dane Mikkel Kessler.

Equipment[link]

Ulrich endorses Tama Drums (where he is one of the few endorsees to have had a full signature drum kit as well as a signature lacquer finish), Zildjian Cymbals and Remo Drumheads. He is rarely, if ever, seen without these brands onstage. He was an endorser of Calato Regal Tip drumsticks, before switching to Easton Ahead in 1994 because he said in an interview that wood sticks break during his playing. He would use one wood stick in his hand and the Ahead stick in another because he liked the sound of wood hitting cymbals during studio sessions. After that, Tama Drums has produced two Lars Ulrich Signature Snare drums, one with a steel shell (with diamond plate-like finish) and another made out of bell brass which was once Tama's most expensive snare drum on the regular catalogue. Both snare drums measure 14x6.5".

Current tour kit (2008–2012)[link]

• Drums – Tama Starclassic Maple, LU Magnetic Orange^[8]
  • 10"×8" Tom
  • 12"×10" Tom
  • 16"×14" Floor Tom
  • 16"×16" Floor Tom
  • 22"×16" Bass Drum (×2)
  • 14"×6.5" Lars Ulrich Signature Snare Drum
    • Note: Ulrich uses the standard Lars Ulrich Signature LU1465 snare live on tour (diamond plate), while he uses both the LU1465 and LU1465BB (bell brass) in the studio, depending on what type of sound he wants.
• Cymbals – Zildjian^[9]
  • 14" Z Custom Dyno Beat Hi-Hats
  • 19" A Custom Projection Crash
  • 18" A Custom Projection Crash (×2)
  • 17" A Custom Projection Crash
  • 18" Oriental China Trash
  • 20" Oriental China Trash
    • Note: Ulrich will occasionally use a 22" A Custom Ping Ride when playing live. He has also used splash cymbals in past tours.
    • All Crash Cymbals are in Brilliant Finish
    • In the past (mainly the St. Anger era) he had used a number of K Zildjians or K Customs in the studio.
• Drumheads – Remo
  • Toms – Coated Emperor | Clear Ambassador
  • Bass – Clear Powerstroke 3/Powersonic (depending on venue)| Ebony Powerstroke 3
  • Snare – Coated Controlled Sound (black dot on reverse) | Clear Hazy Ambassador
• Hardware – Tama and Drum Workshop
  • Tama IronCobra Power-Glide Single Pedal (×2)
  • Tama IronCobra Lever-Glide Hi-Hat Stand
  • Tama Roadpro Cymbal Stand w/Counterweight (×2)
  • Tama Roadpro Cymbal Stand (×3)
  • Tama Roadpro Double Tom Stand
  • Tama Roadpro Snare Stand
  • Tama Cymbal Holder (×2)
  • Tama Multi-Clamp (×2)
  • Tama Hi-Hat Attachment
  • Tama Ergo-Rider Drum Throne
  • DW Drop-Lock Hi-Hat Clutch
• Other
  • Ahead Lars Ulrich Signature Sticks (1994–present)
  • Calato Regal Tip Lars Ulrich Signature sticks (1981-1993)

Discography[link]

Metallica[link]

• Kill 'Em All (1983)
• Ride the Lightning (1984)
• Master of Puppets (1986)
• ...And Justice for All (1988)
• Metallica (1991)
• Live Shit: Binge & Purge (1993)
• Load (1996)
• ReLoad (1997)
• Garage Inc. (1998)
• S&M (1999)
• St. Anger (2003)
• Death Magnetic (2008)
• Lulu (2011)(with Lou Reed)

Mercyful Fate[link]

• In the Shadows (Guest on "Return of the Vampire 1993") (1993)

References[link]

Further reading[link]

1. Steffan Chirazi and Metallica (2004). So What!: The Good, The Mad, and The Ugly. Broadway. ISBN 0-7679-1881-9. 

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Lars Ulrich

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lars Ulrich

• And Justice for All Kit for Roland Vdrums TD12
• "Lars Ulrich's Biography on Metallica.com". Metallica.com. http://www.metallica.com/band/band-bio-lars.asp. Retrieved January 19, 2012. 
• "Lars Ulrich's St Anger Tour Setup". Tamadrum.co.jp. Archived from the original on January 4, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20060104153727/http://www.tamadrum.co.jp/world/artists/setup/larsulrich.html. Retrieved February 19, 2006. 
• "Lars Ulrich's Load/ReLoad/Garage Inc./S&M Tour Setup". Tama.com. Archived from the original on February 16, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20060216150705/http://www.tama.com/artists/artist.asp?ID=83. Retrieved February 19, 2006. 
• "Napster bans more than 300,000 for downloading Metallica". thefalcononline.com. http://www.thefalcononline.com/story/748. Retrieved June 19, 2007. 
• Lars' kit setup
• Lars Ulrich Drummerworld.com profile
• New York Times article about Lars' art collection
• Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame: Metallica FuseTV
• Rip It Up Video Interview In New Zealand
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Lars Ulrich on Charlie Rose
• Lars Ulrich at the Internet Movie Database
• Works by or about Lars Ulrich in libraries (WorldCat catalog)