The House That Mustaine Built

Metal and business mogul Megadeth's Dave Mustaine talks new album, new tour, and new lease on life

From Joann Butler, Editor-in-Chief

September 27, 2022

As an entrepreneur, I’d like to take a page out of Dave Mustaine’s life book. The metal mogul has not only managed to sell millions of albums honing a craft that he loves, but he’s also an enterprising genius, founding multiple brands, including his own beer Saison 13 À Tout le Monde and award-winning wine vineyards House of Mustaine. He’s also got signature guitar gear and is the author of three books. Nearly 40 years ago, he founded Megadeth after being unceremoniously given his walking papers as the original lead guitarist of Metallica, where he co-wrote many of the songs on the band’s albums Kill ‘Em All and Ride the Lightning. Since then, he has been unleashing his own precise and intense brand of thrash metal upon the world.

In ‘94, he launched the first-ever official band website megadetrizona.com, which became a blueprint for millions of band sites that followed. With more than 50 million albums sold, five consecutive platinum albums later, Mustaine has just released Megadeth’s 16th studio album, The Sick, The Dying... and the Dead!, their first since the 2016 Grammy-winning Dystopia, a welcome return to the band's earlier sounds, filled with intense riffs, killer guitar solos, eloquent lyricism, and that crystal clear Mustaine snarl that's as strong as ever, even through a cancer scare.

Yes unfortunately, this mega-smart mega-mogul has also had his recent share of turmoil. In May 2019, he was diagnosed with throat cancer and underwent an intense battle and recovery. Then, of course, the pandemic would bring all recording and touring plans to a grinding halt. Refusing to let any of these hurdles stand in the way, this metal giant has persevered and proved his "mettle" not only as a musician but as a human being. Mustaine sat down with LifeMinute and shared his new perspective on life after his health scare, the joy he continues to find with his wife of 30 plus years and two children, the coming of this album, new band members, and his current tour with Five Finger Death Punch.