[[File:Hj78tyjhdtyurt76t.jpg|thumb|Megadeth current line up]]

<!---==History==

Just two months after lead guitarist [[Dave Mustaine]] was fired from [[Metallica]] due to drinking, drug use, violent behavior and personality conflicts, Mustaine, bassist [[David Ellefson]], guitarist Greg Handevidt, and drummer Dijon Carruthers formed Megadeth in Los Angeles. Mustaine later said, "After getting fired from Metallica, all I remember is that I wanted blood. Theirs. I wanted to be faster and heavier than them".

Fueled by the desire for revenge, Mustaine elevated the intensity of Megadeth's music, speeding up existing songs such as "[[The Mechanix]]", which Metallica's new line-up adapted into the slower paced "[[The Four Horsemen]]". After unsuccessfully searching for a vocalist for nearly six months, Mustaine decided to handle lead vocal duties himself, while also serving as the band's primary lyricist, main songwriter, and co-lead and rhythm guitarist.

Early in 1984 Megadeth recorded a three song demo, featuring Mustaine, Ellefson, and Rausch, which contained early versions of "Last Rites/Loved to Death", "Skull Beneath the Skin", and "Mechanix". [[Kerry King]] (of [[Slayer]] fame), covered a handful of live dates while a permanent replacement was sought. After just a few shows in 1984, Lee Rausch was replaced by fusion drummer Gar Samuelson.

On the strength of their three song demo, Megadeth signed with the New York based independent label [[Combat Records]], and in December added second guitarist Chris Poland, a friend of Gar's from the fusion scene.

===''Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!'' ===

Early in 1985, the band was given $8,000 by [[Combat Records]] to record and produce their debut album. However, after spending half of the album's budget on drugs, alcohol, and food the band was forced to fire their original producer and produce the album themselves. Despite the resulting poor production, ''[[Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!]]'', released in May 1985, was a well-received effort that blended elements of thrash, and speed metal.

The album features the first of many cover songs performed by Megadeth; a speed metal version of Nancy Sinatra's classic "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'", with lyrics altered by Mustaine. The song sparked controversy in later years when the song's original author, Lee Hazlewood, deemed Mustaine's changes to be "vile and offensive", and demanded that the song be removed from the album. Under threat of legal action, the song was removed from all pressings released after 1995. In 2002, however, the album was re-released with a partial version of the song, though with the altered lyrics censored by a "beep". In the ''Killing Is My Business...'' deluxe edition liner notes, Mustaine is strongly critical of Hazlewood, and notes he received royalties for almost 10 years before objecting to the altered version.''"Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good"'' remastered album notes''. May 2002, [[Loud Records]]

Originally completed in March 1986, Megadeth's second album again suffered from [[Combat Records]] small recording budget, and the band was initially unhappy with the final mixed product. Frustrated by the small independent label's financial insufficiencies, Megadeth signed to major label Capitol Records, who also bought the rights to the new album. Capitol hired producer Paul Lani to remix the recordings, and in November 1986, more than a year after recording began, Capitol released ''[[Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?]]'' The album marked Megadeth's commercial and critical breakthrough, eventually selling more than a million copies in the US alone.

The album's title track "Peace Sells" was chosen to be the band's first music video, receiving regular airplay on MTV's Headbangers Ball. "Peace Sells" ranked #11 on VH1's 40 Greatest Metal Songs and the opening bass line was used for years as the theme for MTV News. ''Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?'' was the first Megadeth album to feature art by Ed Repka, who redesigned the band's mascot [[Vic Rattlehead]] to the current standard, and designed much of the band's artwork in later years.

In February 1987 Megadeth was added as the opening band on Alice Cooper's ''Constrictor'' tour, followed by a brief tour supporting Mercyful Fate in the US. In March of that year, Megadeth began their first world tour as a headlining act in the United Kingdom, which featured support bands Overkill and Necros.

After years of problems stemming from substance abuse, both Gar Samuelson and Chris Poland were fired from Megadeth in July 1987, following the final show of the tour in Hawaii. Mustaine claimed that Samuelson had become too much to handle when intoxicated, and even had replacement drummer Chuck Behler flown out for the last few dates of the tour, fearing that Samuelson would not be able to finish with the band's commitments. Mustaine claimed that Poland had sold band equipment to fund his increasing drug habit, detailed in the song "Liar", which is also dedicated to Poland. He was initially replaced by Jay Reynolds of Malice, but as the band began work on their next album, Reynolds was replaced by his own guitar teacher Jeff Young, who joined Megadeth six weeks into the recording of their third album.

===''So Far, So Good... So What!''===

With a major label recording budget, and producer Paul Lani behind the desk, Megadeth spent five months recording their third album, ''[[So Far, So Good... So What!]]'' The recording process was again plagued with problems from the beginning, due in part to Mustaine's ongoing battle with addiction. Mustaine later said: "The production (of ''So Far, So Good...'') was horrible, mostly due to substances and the priorities we had or didn't have at the time". Mustaine also clashed with Lani, beginning with Lani's insistence that the drums be recorded separate from the cymbals (an unheard of process for rock drummers). During the mixing process, Mustaine and Lani had a falling out, and Lani was replaced by producer Michael Wagener, who remixed the album.

In January 1988 Megadeth released ''[[So Far, So Good... So What!]]'', and while the album was eventually certified platinum in the US, it was initially panned by critics. ''So Far, So Good...'' featured the single "[[In My Darkest Hour]]", with music written by Mustaine as a tribute to fallen [[Metallica]] bassist [[Cliff Burton]]. The song remains a fan favorite, and has been performed at nearly every Megadeth show since. ''So Far, So Good...'' also featured a cover version of the Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the UK", with lyrics altered by Mustaine (who later admitted to hearing them wrong).

On September 17, Megadeth played "Head Crusher" live on the Late Night show.

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==Band members==

<big>'''Current members'''</big>