Since Dave Mustaine's announcement last week that Megadeth's new album will be called The Sick, the Dying and the Dead, fans have been eagerly awaiting further details about its release. One YouTuber, however, is sick to death of the wait.
So much so that in a new video posted to his channel, guitarist Shawn McNair has pieced together what he believes to be a track from the album, using snippets from Dave Mustaine's Cameo profile. It's safe to say, regardless of how accurate his prediction turns out to be, the results are pretty astounding.
Firstly, as an intro, McNair recreates the clean arpeggiated riff heard in the background of the same Cameo video that revealed the title of the album. Next, he puts together a rhythm section to accompany a rapid-fire thrash riff revealed by Mustaine last week.
He then tags on a riff revealed by the Megadeth frontman at a Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp masterclass earlier this year, before composing completely original-yet-uncanny solos in the styles of Mustaine and lead guitarist Kiko Loureiro.
“At the time I'm recording this, at least to my knowledge, there's been three riffs that have been previewed from the upcoming Megadeth album, mostly through Dave Mustaine's Cameo,” the guitarist explains.
“So, what I thought I would do is work out how to play those riffs, add some drums and bass to it, and solo over it in the style of both Kiko and Dave, and see what a new Megadeth song could sound like.
“I don't know if these riffs are from the same song – I don't even know if they're going to end up on the album – but we'll see when it comes out. I'm really excited for that.”
In a recent Cameo video, Dave Mustaine revealed that the forthcoming album is “almost done”.
“I'm just listening to the last little bits right now,” he said. “Kiko's stuff is all done. We should be turning this in any day now. We've been turning in individual songs, and right now it's down to just approving the last couple of songs. So, keep your fingers crossed and hold your breath. It won't be long till there's a new Megadeth record.”
