Watch Marty Friedman Audition for Megadeth in 1989
Today (Sept. 24) marks the 30th anniversary of Megadeth's groundbreaking album, Rust in Peace. It was the first album on which both guitarist Marty Friedman and drummer Nick Menza played on and, thanks to YouTube's bottomless video archive, you can watch Friedman audition with the group in 1989.
In the 1980s, Megadeth's lineup was in constant turnover as Dave Mustaine and David Ellefson were unable to retain any one particular member for too long. By 1989, over a dozen other musicians had already been in and out of the band and in that same year, the thrashers auditioned Marty Friedman, who was making a name for himself as a hotshot guitar player in both Hawaii and Cacophony.
Megadeth's search for a new guitarist also found them auditioning members of bands from the local area — Guns N' Roses, Heathen and Dark Angel, as well as members of Savatage, Annihilator and an 18-year-old Jeff Loomis, who would later join Sanctuary and then Nevermore.
Mustaine had even offered the gig to Dimebag Darrell of the then budding Pantera, who had yet to release Cowboys From Hell. Dime had one condition though — that Megadeth also bring in his brother, drummer Vinnie Paul. Mustaine declined and the search continued.
In the video below, Friedman is seen playing "Wake Up Dead" with Mustaine, Ellefson and Menza, who would ultimately represent stability within the Megadeth lineup until 1998 when Menza left, followed by Friedman a year later. That lineup recorded four albums together, three of which were certified Platinum by the RIAA.
Mustaine also recently issued a new book, Rust In Peace: The Inside Story of the Megadeth Masterpiece, which dives into the history of the band's revolutionary 1990 album.
Marty Friedman Auditions for Megadeth in 1989
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