Richard Bienstock sat down with MEGADETH frontman / founder Dave Mustaine for an interview that was originally published in the July 2010 issue of Guitar World Magazine. It is now available online, an excerpt is below.

Q: The Rust in Peace material is rather complicated. The guitar work, in particular Marty Friedman’s soloing and your rhythm playing, is incredibly advanced from a technical standpoint.

Mustaine: "Well, you know, by the time we went into the studio with Marty, the album was already completely written. And one thing that most people don’t realize is that on every Megadeth record, I play the majority of the rhythm parts, with only a little embellishment from the other guitarist. So all Marty had to do was put the solos on the top of everything, and he did a great job. Now, as far Chris [Broderick] having to play Marty’s parts on this current tour, the fans are losing their minds, because hearing him do those solos is just like hearing Marty. That’s how good Chris is."

Q: What was your impression of Marty when he auditioned?

Mustaine: "Well, I liked Marty when I first met him, because he was a gentle guy and was really dedicated to his craft. But I was kind of put off by his appearance. Our manager had his CD [Friedman’s 1988 solo album, Dragon’s Kiss] on his desk for months, and I would look at it and just be like, 'No way.' But one day, I put in the CD and was just like, 'Wow! This guy wants to play with us? Let’s bring him in.' And Marty showed up, and he was pretty funny looking—he had the two-color hair and all that stuff. He was living hand-to-mouth in Hollywood, you know? But he was great."

Q: How did you and Marty work together in the studio?

Mustaine: "We just did what we did. And it worked because of the differences in the dynamics of our playing. You had 'the fire and the ice,' as people used to say about us. Love and hate, you know? And I thought it was really cool to have a player who was so different from me but who was also coming from a similar place. Because the guy that was there before Marty [Jeff Young] was a big fan of Tony MacAlpine, and I wasn’t. And the guy before him [Chris Poland] was a big fan of Mahavishnu Orchestra, who I did like, but still… So we had had a bunch of different types of guitar players in Megadeth. When Marty came in it was like, 'This is what we like. This is what we need.'"

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Megadeth recently issued the following update:

"Megadeth's Rust In Peace Live CD — which captures the final night of the band's historic month-long Rust In Peace 20th anniversary tour — has debuted at position #161 on The Billboard Top 200 chart. Meanwhile, the DVD/Blu-ray version of Rust In Peace Live has landed at #2 on the Top Billboard 50 Music Videos chart. The concert was recorded at The Palladium in Hollywood on March 31, 2010 and was directed by Kerry Asmussen. The 80-minute DVD and Blu-ray also includes behind-the-scenes footage, including a rare glimpse of the band rehearsing in their dressing room as they prepare to take the stage. See the full track listing for the Rust In Peace Live CD, DVD and Blu-ray here ."

Following is the official Rust In Peace Live press release:

On March 31, 2010, at this incredibly special show at the legendary Hollywood Palladium, not far from where Dave Mustaine formed the band in 1983, Megadeth played their landmark, genre-defining 1990 Rust In Peace album in its entirety, in addition to other Megadeth favorites.

Rust In Peace Live also marks the return of original bassist David Ellefson (Megadeth 1983-2002) to the iconic multi-platinum group after eight years. Ellefson (bass), joins Mustaine (lead vocals, guitar), Shawn Drover (drums) and Chris Broderick (guitar).

Rust In Peace Live features the entire Rust In Peace tracklisting, including all-time classics 'Holy Wars...The Punishment Due' and 'Hangar 18' along

with bonus fan favorites from various other Megadeth releases such as Symphony For Destruction, Peace Sells, and Skin O’ My Teeth.

Megadeth founder/frontman/guitarist Dave Mustaine explains, “We are pumped to be able to share the RIP Live concert with you all around the world. The anniversary and David Ellefson coming back was better than a facelift and a bottle of Viagra for old Vic.”

The 80-minute Rust In Peace Live DVD (5.1 Dolby Surround 16:9 Widescreen) and Blu-ray (5.1 DTS Master Audio 1080p High Definition) were directed by Kerry Asmussen. The DVD and Blu-ray will also include behind-the-scenes footage, including a rare glimpse of the band rehearsing in their dressing room as they prepare to take the stage.

Rust In Peace is considered one of the best metal albums of all time by fans and critics and debuted at #23 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart in the U.S. and #8 in the U.K. The album showcased a much tighter sound, with Mustaine's writing style adopting a rhythmically complex progressive edge, prompting All Music Guide to cite Rust In Peace as "Megadeth's strongest musical effort.” The album received Grammy nominations in 1990 and 1991 for "Best Metal Performance."

Emphasizing the massive impact of Rust In Peace in the July 2010 issue of Guitar World writer Richard Bienstock calls it “one of the pinnacles of the first wave of thrash metal.” He continues, “A defining quality of Megadeth’s sound—and the one that perhaps most sets them apart from their ‘Big Four’ thrash brethren, METALLICA, SLAYER and ANTHRAX — has always been the band’s fiery mix of speed-metal ferocity and progressive instrumental virtuosity… nowhere has this combination been displayed better than on Rust In Peace.”

The full track listing for the Rust In Peace Live CD, DVD and Blu-ray is as follows:

Rust In Peace Live:

'Holy Wars...The Punishment Due'

'Hangar 18'

'Take No Prisoners'

'Five Magics'

'Poison Was The Cure'

'Lucretia'

'Tornado Of Souls'

'Dawn Patrol'

'Rust In Peace...Polaris'

Bonus Content:

'Skin O’ My Teeth' (Countdown To Extinction)

'In My Darkest Hour' (So Far, So Good… So What!)

'She-Wolf' (Cryptic Writings)

'Trust' (Cryptic Writings)

'Symphony Of Destruction' (Countdown To Extinction)

'Peace Sells' (Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying?)

'Holy Wars – Reprise' (Rust In Peace)