Throughout the band’s career, Megadeth singer and guitarist Dave Mustaine has crafted a tremendous number of brilliant heavy metal bangers; yet among all the tracks he’s created and performed, there is a Megadeth song he refuses to play live.
While talking to the Artisan News Service back in 2014, Mustaine talked about why this particular Megadeth song is tough for him and how he won’t perform it.
In 2013, the band released their 14th studio album titled Super Collider; among the songs that make up the album, there is the track called “The Blackest Crow,” which is a song about Mustaine’s mother-in-law and her struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease.
Talking to the Artisan News Service about the track, Mustaine opens up about how sad it is to see a loved one suffer from Alzheimer’s and how he doesn’t want to sing the song. Speaking about “The Blackest Crow,” Mustaine says (as transcribed by The Pit): “We don’t play that song ’cause I don’t know that I can really… I don’t know that I want to sing that song.”
He goes on to add:
“The track ‘The Blackest Crow’ is actually my first attempt at writing lyrics about having found out she has Alzheimer’s [disease]. I shelved it because the lyrics were pretty gnarly and kind of gave the impression that she already passed away.
“And the sad thing is, where my wife keeps her horses, the lady that was married to the owner of the facility, she got [Alzheimer’s] a couple years ago and died last week.
“So, it’s inevitable that she’s got a death sentence. The thing is she looks totally normal and healthy, but she’s just not there anymore. It’s so sad because I wanna say ‘Come on! I know you’re in there.’ But you can’t, it’s a mental illness and it’s just really, really sad.”
Given how tragic and heartbreaking it is to see a loved one battle Alzheimer’s, it’s totally understandable that Mustaine is against performing the song live. If you haven’t heard the song before, you can listen to it below.
Ex-Megadeth Guitarist: Dave Mustaine ‘Can Barely Play and Sing the Stuff They’re doing’
David Ellefson Says Dave Mustaine 'B****ing' About Metallica Is 'F***ing Pathetic''
