This is a special one. The end of Megadeth is in sight with their forthcoming self-titled, seventeenth and final album hitting shelves on January 23rd. Those of you lucky enough to grab a ticket to the screening of Behind The Mask will get a chance to hear all of the songs before the release date – even if it is only by a few hours! The film will be a one-night-only showing across many cinemas on January 22nd.
I won’t give too much away, and it’s no surprise that the two main features are the new music and a retrospective fronted by Dave Mustaine. In terms of the latter, the events covered are in approximately chronological order with very little rambling. There aren’t any real surprises, especially for long-time fans of the band, but it’s nice to have it all in one place and told from Dave’s perspective. Much as he has “that” reputation, he really comes across well on screen as he dives into the songwriting process for and between the videos for each song being played in album order. In fact, he dips back to older songs in the band’s history as well to throw up more little nuggets of trivia. For instance, I didn’t realise that the cover art for Countdown to Extinction was originally created for the band Y&T!
While in the opening moments Mustaine clearly states that he has no ill will towards his ex-band mates in Metallica, he’s open throughout the film about his thoughts and feelings in earlier years where their paths have re-crossed. Particularly poignant is the writing of “In My Darkest Hour” around the time of Cliff Burton’s passing, something which hit him hard. It’s his ability to look back at events like this and be honest about his feelings then, from the perspective of a more experienced and older musician, that makes the whole film quite enjoyable to watch. Twenty years ago, I have a feeling this would have been a less comfortable experience. I mean, there’s the occasional mini-rant, but in each case it’s in good humour and pretty much about something we can appreciate.
At an advertised time of 1hr 49m, I was really surprised when I watched the entire feature in a single sitting. This isn’t like me when I’m at home; I tend to watch even short films in little blasts while I work around other things, but I really did find myself absorbed by the whole thing.
I’m wondering if they’ll fix this prior to the cinema release, but if they don’t then see if you can spot the lyrical error in the video for “Ride The Lightning”…
I wasn’t too sure what to expect when I sat down to watch Behind The Mask, but I really enjoyed it. It’s well-paced, so you’re not spending too long listening to Dave before another song kicks in. It’s just long enough to absorb what he’s saying before the next item comes along, then a new track, some info on that song, a dip back into history… and on it goes.
For those who’ve got tickets… enjoy! I’m sure you will!
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Megadeth: Behind The Mask is out on January 22nd for one night only
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