Megadeth photo

Megadeth

par · Lecture: 2 minutes

Megadeth

Megadeth is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson.

Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the « big four » of American thrash metal along with Metallica, Anthrax, and Slayer, responsible for the genre’s development and popularization.

Their music features complex arrangements and fast rhythm sections, and lyrical themes of death, war, politics, personal relationships, and religion.

In 1985, Megadeth released its debut album, Killing Is My Business… and Business Is Good!, on the independent record label Combat Records, to moderate success. It caught the attention of bigger labels, which led to Megadeth signing with Capitol Records. Their first major-label album, Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying?, was released in 1986 and was a major hit with the underground metal scene.

Band members’ substance abuse issues and personal disputes had brought Megadeth negative publicity during the late 1980s. Nonetheless, the band went on to release a number of platinum-selling albums, including So Far, So Good… So What! (1988), Rust in Peace (1990), and Countdown to Extinction (1992). These albums, along with worldwide tours, brought them public recognition.

Megadeth has had numerous guitarists, drummers and bassists throughout its 38-year career, with Mustaine being the only remaining original member of the group. The band temporarily disbanded in 2002 when Mustaine suffered an arm injury and re-established in 2004 without Ellefson, who had taken legal action against him.

Ellefson settled out of court and rejoined in 2010, but was fired from the band in 2021 amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Megadeth’s current lineup includes Mustaine, guitarist Kiko Loureiro and drummer Dirk Verbeuren; former bassist James LoMenzo currently serves as touring bassist.

Megadeth has sold 38 million records worldwide, earned platinum certification in the United States for six of its fifteen studio albums, and received twelve Grammy nominations. Megadeth won its first Grammy Award in 2017 for the song « Dystopia » in the Best Metal Performance category.

The band’s mascot, Vic Rattlehead, regularly appears on album artwork and live shows. The group has drawn controversy for its music and lyrics, including album bans and canceled concerts; MTV refused to play two of the band’s music videos that the network considered to condone suicide.

Megadeth has hosted its own music festival Gigantour, several times since July 2005, and held its first annual MegaCruise in October 2019.

Megadeth guitar tabs

Mazzy Star photo

Mazzy Star

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Mazzy Star

Mazzy Star is an American alternative rock band formed in Santa Monica, California from remnants of the group Opal, in 1988. Founding member David Roback’s friend Hope Sandoval became the group’s vocalist when Kendra Smith left Opal.

Mazzy Star is best known for the song « Fade into You, » which brought the band some success in the mid-1990s and was the group’s biggest mainstream hit, earning extensive exposure on MTV, VH1, and radio airplay.

Roback and Sandoval were the creative center of the band, with Sandoval as lyricist and Roback as composer of the majority of the band’s material until his death in Los Angeles on February 24, 2020 from metastatic cancer.

The band’s most recent studio album, Seasons of Your Day, was released in 2013, followed by the EP Still in 2018.

Mazzy Star guitar tabs

Marillion photo

Marillion

par · Lecture: 2 minutes

Marillion

Marillion /məˈrɪliən/ are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, in 1979.

They emerged from the post-punk music scene in Britain and existed as a bridge between the styles of punk rock and classic progressive rock, becoming the most commercially successful neo-progressive rock band of the 1980s.

Marillion’s recorded studio output since 1982 is composed of nineteen albums and generally regarded in two distinct eras, delineated by the departure of original lead singer Fish in late 1988 and the subsequent arrival of replacement Steve Hogarth in early 1989.

The band achieved eight Top Ten UK albums between 1983 and 1994, including a number one album in 1985 with Misplaced Childhood, and during the period the band were fronted by Fish they had eleven Top 40 hits on the UK Singles Chart.

They are best known for the 1985 singles « Kayleigh » and « Lavender », which reached number two and number five respectively, with « Kayleigh » also entering the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States.

Marillion’s first album released with Hogarth, 1989’s Seasons End, was another Top Ten hit, and albums continued to chart well until their departure from EMI Records following the release of their 1996 live album Made Again and the dissipation of the band’s mainstream popularity in the late 1990s; save for a resurgence in the mid- to late-2000s, they have essentially been a cult act since then.

Marillion have achieved a further twelve Top 40 hit singles in the UK with Hogarth, including 2004’s « You’re Gone », which charted at No. 7 and is the biggest hit of his tenure. Marillion continue to tour internationally, becoming ranked 38th in Classic Rock’s « 50 Best Live Acts of All Time » in 2008. In 2016, they returned to the UK Albums Chart Top Ten for the first time in 22 years with their highest chart placing since 1987.

Despite unpopularity in the mainstream media and a consistently unfashionable status within the British music industry, Marillion have maintained a very loyal international fanbase, becoming widely acknowledged as playing a pioneering role in the development of crowdfunding and fan-funded music. They have sold over 15 million albums worldwide.

Marillion guitar tabs

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