Gigantour- Megadeth leads army of metalheads

With the rising cost of putting on a full-scale tour, not even the dark, angry anti-establishment world of heavy metal can escape suckling on the corporate sponsorshipteat. The second go-round of the Gigantour, headlined by thrash metal pioneers Megadeth, will be brought to you by the good folks at Microsoft, more specifically the X-Box 360 game ‘Gears of War’. The 25-city tour kicks off September 6th in Boise, Idaho.

The Bands
Old-guard metal masters, Megadeth, thrashing since the early eighties, usher in a new wave of death and destruction, carrying the burning torch for the up and coming dutiful soldiers in the metal army. Dave Mustaine and company are joined by Lamb of God, Opeth, Arch Enemy, Overkill, Into Eternity, Sanctity, and the Smashup on the 2006 Gigantour. Not all bands play in all cities so check the official website www.gigantour.com for more info.

The Songs
If there is any doubt to bleak world view or state of mind of Megadeth, a quick perusal of  their song catalog should clear that right up.  With subtlety of an anvil bludgeoning you over the head,  “Wake Up Dead,’ ’99 Ways to Die,’ ‘Symphony of Destruction,’ and ‘Killing is my Business…and Business is Good’ properly convey what Megadeth is all about.  Behind that image of darkness and decay is some really fantastic guitar work being played at breakneck speed to further up the mayhem quotient.
Following this template, metal understudies Lamb of God show what they’ve learned on ‘Remorse is for the Dead,’, Overkill with ‘Playing with Spiders/Skullkrusher,' and Arch Enemy get in on the act with ‘Dead Inside.'

Back From the Dead
In 2002 Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine suffered a career-threatening arm injury that doctors predicted would prevent him from playing the guitar the only way he knew how, fast and furious.  He has since reemerged with a new Megadeth lineup and is on the eve of new album release for the band entitled ‘United Abominations’.