It's been over two years already since the release of United Abominations; the album that managed to catapult Megadeth back to their rightful place within the ever expanding metal pantheon. For anyone doubting that Dave Mustaine could keep the momentum going with the latest incarnation of his band (comprised of Shawn Drover on drums, James Lomenzo on bass and new guitarist Chris Broderick), get ready to get your head crushed by Endgame! Megadeth are at the top of their game right now, and this twelfth entry in the band's discography should have the legions of droogies relentlessly bang their heads in unison. We caught up with drummer Shawn Drover to get all the gritty details on the latest Mega-platter and what the future might hold.
Upon first listen, it's clear that Endgame is quite reminiscing of early Megadeth; the instrumental intro sets the mood in a similar fashion to So Far, So Good... So What?, was that done on purpose to please the older fans?
We always try to please our fans, but we didn't go into this record with any pre-conceived ideas other than try ting to create the best record we could. Secretly, my hope was that this record would be a bit heavier/faster, so the fact that Endgame did turn out that was certainly made me happy. I have read and heard alot of positive feedback and comments saying that Endgame is a nod to some of the older records, which was not our intention, but if that makes people happy thinking that way, then more power to them.
This is your second studio recording with the band, was the writing and recording process approached any differently for Endgame?
The main difference between Endgame and United Abominations is that this time we recorded the entire record in our own recording studio (Vic's Garage) which for me, really created a much more relaxed, comfortable atmosphere. If we wanted to record until 2AM or take a day off, etc., we could, as we weren't "on the clock" as it were. As well, having Andy Sneap (Producer, Engineer) with us from the word go was very beneficial. He was right there in the thick of it when we listened to potential song ideas, riffs, etc.
Endgame's production is easily the best to ever grace a Megadeth album, on a personal level how was it to work with Andy Sneap again?
For me, it was great working with Andy. He is all about the Metal just as I am, so we were all on the same page in terms of what we wanted to achieve, both sonically and musically. Andy loves to work in the studio and be creative, as do I, so the overall vibe for me was very good. Plus, the both of us have the same ultra-stupid humor, which adds to the overall mood of the project. If you're in a good mind-frame and look forward to going into the studio each day, that is a good thing if you ask me.
How is it to work with Dave in a studio environment, does he tell you exactly what he wants for a song or do you have creative input for your drum parts?
The drums, as with everything we do in the studio, is based on throwing ideas and suggestions around, which is fine by me, as I don't have an ego about that kind of thing. I come up with the basic idea, then myself, Dave and Andy will talk about it and come up with what works best for a certain song. This time, as some of these songs are a bit more aggressive, etc. I got to cut loose a bit more, which was fun, but I always try to play for the song and what works best for it.
You share a writing credit with Dave for 'Head Crusher', the first single and one of the heaviest tracks on the album, can you give some details on how the song came about?
I had a bunch of guitar riffs I had written going into this record, as Dave always wants to hear what we have in terms of potential riffs that could work for a song. Dave had some meetings in L.A. so he told me that if I had ideas for a song, go ahead and record them so he could hear them when he got back the next day. I wrote and recorded guitars, bass and drums for the song in 3 hours, so Dave could hear a studio quality song, instead of submitting a poor quality sounding demo that I did at home. So naturally, I wanted to seize the opportunity, and I did. He liked about 50% of it, so he changed the chorus and middle section of the song, re-arranged a few parts, and made the song even better. Head crusher is the end result and I am really proud and happy it made it on the record.
After playing for so many years with your brother Glen, how hard was it to see him leave and have to build a new chemistry with guitarist Chris Broderick?
It was very hard on me and I did everything to try to change his mind and stay, until I realized it was the right thing to do at the time, as his son was very young and it was taking a toll on Glen to be gone on tour for so long being away from him. Once I supported his decision, we had to get another guitar player to take Glen's place, which was not easy, as this is an extremely tough gig on guitar, and also recommending a new guitar player who wasn't full of his own ego, or an alcoholic crackhead who likes to snort his own socks, so the list was very, very short. Between Glen, myself and Glen's guitar tech (now Dave's guitar tech) Willie Gee, we decided that Chris was the best choice to recommend to Dave and management. The transition was smooth and without incident, so I guess it worked out well.
What are your favorite tracks off Endgame and which songs can we expect to hear live on the upcoming tour?
Honestly, I think they are all good songs. Certainly, 'Head Crusher' is one of my personal favorites from Endgame, as it is more uptempo and violent. We have already played 'Head Crusher' live on the Canadian Carnage tour, and the song went over well, so you can pretty much bet we will be performing that on tour for a while. We are about to discuss which tunes from the new record we are going to perform in a live setting, so stay tuned for that.
Speaking of touring, how was it to tour with Slayer? Did you actually talk to any of the guys despite the tension between Dave and Kerry that seem blown out of proportion by certain gossip oriented metal sites?
I enjoyed the Canadian Carnage shows with Slayer a lot. I met and talked to all of them and they were very cool to me. I think a lot of this perpetuated stuff comes from journalists who haven't done their homework in knowing that both bands have a new record coming out, etc., so some of them resort to asking the same, redundant questions. For me, a new record and tour should be the focus, so I don't pay any mind to any of that other crap. Bottom line is that we are all here to entertain people and musically kick their asses, so I am glad to be a part of this.
What are your thoughts on a possible tour of The Big Four (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax) as it has been speculated in the press recently?
You know, I read this rumour too, and I have no idea if this is true or not, but I think it would certainly be interesting. If it were to happen, I think it would be better to do sooner than later, before we are all walking out on stage with walking cane's and wheelchairs. All the bands still can deliver in a live setting, so if this was actually true and were to happen, lets go on with it. From a heavy metal fans perspective, it could be one of the biggest events in Metal history, but I guess we will just have to see if this is even true or not.
It's no secret that you're quite the metal fan yourself, any particular bands or albums that you dig right now?
I love everything from Mozart to Marduk and listen to music every single day. As for newer Metal bands, I honestly don't listen to a lot of them. Job for a Cowboy is a new band I like a lot - but I always buy and support new releases from many bands I love - Cannibal Corpse, Arch Enemy, C.O.B, and Suffocation, just to name a few. More often than not, I go back to listen to the older stuff I love, like Van Halen, Pat Travers and Rush, as those bands really mean a lot to me, but I could go on about how many different bands I like all day long, dude. Music makes me happy and evokes emotion, which to me is exactly what it should do. If I am in the mood to be aggressive or violent mentally, I will whip on some Cryptic Slaughter or something like that. If I want to hear some more progressive or fusion based, I may throw on some Planet X or Al Di Meola. It just depends on what kind of mood I am in.
In closing, any personal goals that you would like to achieve in the near future?
Just to keep trying to improve as a musician and as a person. I am out here to have a good time while I can and try to make up for lost time. I didn't get to this level until I was 38, so I try to make the most out of each day and appreciate the fact that I get to do what I was put on planet Earth to do. Getting to tour the world and have a lot of fans like what I do doesn't suck, believe me.
Official MEGADETH Website:
megadeth.com
Official MEGADETH MySpace:
myspace.com/megadeth
