Check Out Marty Friedman Playing “Wake Up Dead” During His Megadeth Audition in 1989

Ask any Megadeth fan which lineup was the best and I’m willing to bet that most would say the Rust In Peace iteration with Nick Menza on drums and Marty Friedman on guitar. And while I’d definitely be one to agree with that, the discussion’s somewhat come to the forefront again after Friedman briefly rejoined the band on stage in Japan.

All that attention on Marty, Dave Mustaine, and today’s iteration of Megadeth serves as backdrop for a newly uploaded video on YouTube that shows Friedman’s audition for the band. According to YouTube channel Menza Nation, the clip originates from an episode of British rock television show Raw Power, in which Mustaine and Dave Ellefson are interviewed.

At the time, Megadeth were looking for replacements for guitarist Jeff Young and drummer Chuck Behler, who left after some tension within the band. As you’ll see in the clip below, there’s also an entire play through of “Wake Up Dead” off the 1986 album Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying? that the band used as Friedman’s tryout piece. Featuring as many riffs as that song does, it seems like the perfect tryout for a band that relied on as much speed and precision as Megadeth did.

It’s hard to imagine what Megadeth would have eventually became had they not chosen Friedman to join the band. Thankfully, we’ll never have to know, as he ended up joining and staying with the band until his departure in 1999 thanks to the poorly conceived track “Breadline” off the Rust album.

(via BraveWords)