NOBODY EXPECTS subtlety from a band named Megadeth. Nor does singer-guitarist Dave Mustaine. On the band’s new album, “United Abominations,” Mustaine, 46, draws upon reserves of youthful fury for tunes like “Amerikhastan” and “Washington Is Next!”
“Heavy metal is a barometer for our political well-being,” says Mustaine, who plays Irving Plaza on Wednesday. “When we’re facing war, music like this is popular because it’s talking about aggression. I can’t tell you one soldier I ever met that said he was listening to Duran Duran.”
Despite a legendarily revolving lineup, Mustaine has managed to give Megadeth, which he formed in 1983, a consistent sound, with the tight crunch of his guitar always front and center.
“I like to punch my guitar in the stomach,” says Mustaine. “I have the aggressive side covered, and the other guys have the beautiful side.”
Several years back, though, fans saw a shockingly tender side of Mustaine in “Metallica: Some Kind of Monster,” when he confronted drummer Lars Ulrich about the hurt that Ulrich and vocalist James Hetfield caused him when they kicked him out of the band in 1983.
But whatever water lies under that bridge, Megadeth, with more than 20 million albums sold worldwide, seems to have all the love it needs.
“I’ve had a couple of shots of success because of that relationship with the fans,” he says, “just saying that I did some things I’m not proud of. It keeps us connected to them because we all do that.”