Mustaine - A Life In Metal

I have always loved Megadeth. I think they are a far superior band to Metallica*. I admire Dave Mustaine, there is no disputing that he is an incredibly talented musician and song writer. I suppose because of this I have always thought of Dave as a cool guy, regardless of what some Metallica fans would say about him. So with great anticipation I bought a signed copy of this book the day it came out. I read it in two days and I enjoyed the read. It's constructed in an easy-to-read style which is good for absorbing all the information. I don't want to spoil the book for anyone so I won't go into too much detail...

This book, as you would expect from an autobiography, is basically Dave's telling of his side of events and feelings surrounding the band that most Megadeth fans already know, with a mere smattering of his life outside of Megadeth. The beginning covers his time with Metallica, and it does make me hate James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich more than I already do, which I thought was impossible. The middle section chronicles Megadeth and their rise against the odds through drug addiction, numerous line up changes and Dave's relationships with those band members. It concludes with his religious transformation after rehab and recovering from his arm injury. Throughout the book there are some entertaining moments in his life that actually made me chuckle out loud.

In a nutshell this book is OK. The ending is very disappointing and has you finish thinking that Dave is a total weirdo, but if you ignore the last couple of chapters it was worth it. He does whine a bit and tries to make you feel sorry for him, which can be annoying, and I suppose it did make me think a little less about him overall but I'm still glad I read it. I think that any true Megadeth fan should read this book, but don't expect to learn too much.

Boojay

* This is not to say that I hate Metallica the band. In fact, up until the Black Album I thought Metallica were one of the greatest bands ever. However, they have failed to deliver anything of substance since then in my opinion. St Anger is possibly one of the worst albums I have ever heard. Compared to Megadeth's progression they pale in comparison.