Master of Puppets Shook Ex-Megadeth Guitarist Chris Poland So Much He Hated Peace Sells
So it turns out that Dave Mustaine wasn’t the only person paying attention to what Metallica was doing back in the 80s. In fact, even ex-guitarist Chris Poland took notice of the other guys — and what he saw bummed him the fuck out when comparing it to Megadeth’s output.
During a recent interview with the Disturbing the Priest Podcast, Poland admitted that when Master of Puppets came out, it not only changed the genre, but it changed his opinion of his own work on the classic Megadeth album Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying?
“I remember when we made that record, Peace Sells, and that’s when I first heard Master Of Puppets. And I was so bummed out I never listened to Peace Sells again.”
Man, that had to suck, working on a new record for so long only to have your feelings about it get completely trampled by your perceived “rivals.” Can’t feel good.
Apparently it took nearly 20 years later for Poland to finally come around to Peace Sells, having waited until Mustaine released those (sometimes garbage) remakes of the classic Megadeth albums. As someone who owns the Peace Sells remake from 2004, I can tell you one thing — it’s rough in spots.
This isn’t the first time that Poland’s pointed to Master Of Puppets as a hard album to deal with while in Megadeth. Back in September, he told Joel Gausten that he was incredibly jealous of how Metallica’s third album sounded.
“I really like all the songs, it was a real strong record. My only qualm was, I know we were playing a lot different style than Metallica, but the production on Master Of Puppets was just so good that it just hurt every time I listened to it.
“Both records came out at the same time, and it was like, ‘If we could have gotten that vibe and that sound with our production…’ I’m not sure we could have, because you get what you get, you are what you are.
“The mic’s on, it only records what you give it. Maybe we weren’t sonically in the same cool space those guys were at the time, guitar-wise and recording technique-wise.
“I think honestly, Peace Sells… and Master Of Puppets are the two best records of that whole era.”
As a fan of both records, it’s hard to imagine a world where you put together something like Peace Sells and feel anything but immense pride in the work. Both records kick ass, so it’s all good. That being said, what are your thoughts on Poland’s feelings? Let us know in the comments.
