At Konami's recent E3 2011 press conference, video game fans and metalheads alike got a double sneak preview: the trailer for NeverDead, a new action game by Rebellion Developments, and Megadeth's unreleased song "Never Dead," which was featured in the trailer. NeverDead has players taking on the role of an immortal demon hunter seeking revenge with a private investigator at his side. The draw of the game is in the mechanical differences; For example, the main character cannot die or collect health in a traditional sense, but he must reattach his limbs if he's dismembered. NeverDead will be released sometime late in 2011 for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles.
No Strangers to the Video Game World
Megadeth have been hard at work on their upcoming studio album, which is scheduled for a fall release, and "Never Dead" is the first song that the general public has had an opportunity to hear, though not in its entirety—the trailer for NeverDead only runs for a minute and 40 seconds. Megadeth have had a few of their songs associated with video games along the way. The wildly popular Guitar Hero franchise has featured playable songs like "Hangar 18" (from their 1990 Rust In Peace album) and previously unreleased song "New World Order" had a spot on the promo album Duke Nukem: Music To Score By. The newest Guitar Hero iteration, Warriors of Rock, even features a song written by lead singer/guitarist Dave Mustaine called "Sudden Death" for the purpose of tripping up more advanced players.
Megadeth's Current Affairs
When they're not in the studio, the members of Megadeth have been keeping themselves busy with various side projects. Dave Ellefson's new column Mega Bass recently made its debut in Guitar World Magazine's July 2011 issue, and drummer Shawn Drover will host a drum clinic at House Of Guitars in Rochester, NY on June 18. Mustaine even has another autobiography coming out -- Mustaine: A Life In Metal will hit UK bookstores on June 9. Before their exclusive Big Four show in September at Yankee Stadium, they'll headline the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival as well. Megadeth will have quite the busy summer this year, recording and promoting the follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2009 release Endgame. Time will tell whether or not the album holds up to the scrutiny of older thrash fans, but if Endgame's reception is any indication, the new album will be a welcome addition to their Megadeth collection.
Sources
- Megadeth, Official website.
- YouTube, Megadeth - Never Dead (NEW 2011 Song Preview).
- Guitar World Magazine, David Ellefson: Mega Bass (July 2011) Video.
- House of Guitars, Official website.
- Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, Tour dates.
Ursula Parson - A guest contributor to Metal Exposure and regular writer for Metal Centre, Ursula has been doing metal music journalism since 2008.
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