RUST IN PEACE (MEGADETH's Album)
Following Mustaine's new found sobriety, Megadeth began a lengthy search for a new lead guitarist. Among those who auditioned were Lee Altus of Heathen and Eric Meyer of Dark Angel fame. Meyer had been invited to join the band following Chris Poland's departure, but had declined in order to remain in Dark Angel. Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash had been jamming with Mustaine and Ellefson and, though it appeared that he was being drafted into Megadeth, he remained with Guns N' Roses. In 1987/88 Dave had just spent several months on tour with the Florida metal band Savatage and was a long time fan of their lead guitarists Criss Oliva. After supporting Ronnie James Dio on tour with Savatage, Dave hired Criss's best friend and long-time guitar tech Dan Campbell for the "So Far So Good So What" tours as his personal guitar tech. Dave had mentioned to Dan that he would like to speak to Criss about the lead guitar position so Dan called Criss and Dave offered him the position. Criss was seriously considering the move but then graciously declined the offer and continued with his brother and Savatage.
Dimebag Darrell Abbott of then-obscure Pantera also auditioned, and was eventually offered the spot. Darrell, however, would not join without his brother, Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott. Having already hired Nick Menza, the band was forced to turn Darrell down.[25] In 1987, a 16-year-old Jeff Loomis of Sanctuary and, later, Nevermore, auditioned following the departure of Chris Poland. Afterwards, Mustaine complimented Loomis on his playing, but rejected him because of his age.[26] Loomis later saw Cacophony with Marty Friedman and Jason Becker on tour, and told Friedman, who had just released his first solo effort in 1988, of the experience. Afterwards, Friedman also auditioned for the spot, but was initially rejected by Mustaine for having multicolored hair. However, after undergoing what Mustaine called "Rock School 101", Friedman officially joined Megadeth in February 1990.[27]
A revitalized Megadeth entered Rumbo Studios in March 1990 with co-producer Mike Clink to begin work on what would become their most critically acclaimed album to date, Rust In Peace. For the first time in their career, the band remained sober while working in the studio, alleviating many of the problems they'd had recording previous albums. Clink was also the first producer to successfully produce a Megadeth album from start to finish without being fired.[28]
Released worldwide on September 24, 1990, Rust in Peace was a hit with fans and critics alike, debuting at No. 23 in the US and No. 8 in the UK.[29] Mustaine's writing style adopted a rhythmically complex progressive edge and the album showcased a much tighter sound, prompting Allmusic to cite Rust in Peace as "Megadeth's strongest musical effort".[30] The album featured the singles "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" and "Hangar 18", both of which had music videos made of them and remain live staples. Rust in Peace went on to sell more than a million copies in the US and received Grammy nominations in 1991 and 1992 for Best Metal Performance.[31]
In September 1990, Megadeth joined Slayer, Testament and Suicidal Tendencies for the European Clash of the Titans tour. In October of that year, they were added as the opening band on Judas Priest's Painkiller tour, climaxing with a performance to 120,000 people in January 1991 at the Rock in Rio 2 festival in Brazil.[citation needed] Following the success of the European tour, a Clash of the Titans US tour began in May 1991 featuring Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, and Alice in Chains.[citation needed] In July, Megadeth's "Go to Hell" was featured on the Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey soundtrack. Shortly after, "Breakpoint" was featured on the Super Mario Bros soundtrack. In 1991, Megadeth also released their first home video, Rusted Pieces, which contained six of the band's music videos as well as a video interview with the band. In 2010, Megadeth did a month-long minitour for The 20-year anniversary of Rust in Peace.