Megadeth

Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine''s expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two EPs, 26 singles, 32 music videos, four compilations, and one box set. A pioneer of the American thrash metal movement, Megadeth rose to international fame in the 1980s and was ranked as one of the "Big Four of Thrash" along with Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax, who were responsible for creating, developing and popularizing the thrash metal sub-genre. Megadeth''s lineup has been changed numerous times, due partly to the band''s notorious substance abuse problems. Mustaine and Ellefson are the only original members present in the current lineup (as of September 2011[update]), and Mustaine is the only member who has been present throughout. After finding sobriety and securing a stable line-up, Megadeth went on to release a string of platinum and gold albums, including the platinum-selling landmark Rust in Peace in 1990, and the Grammy nominated, multi-platinum Countdown to Extinction in 1992.