"Fatal Illusion" is a song by American thrash metal band Megadeth. It was released as the lead single from their fifteenth studio album, Dystopia on October 1, 2015,[3] and as a CD release on October 9 of the same year.[4]
| "Fatal Illusion" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Megadeth | ||||
| from the album Dystopia | ||||
| Released | October 1, 2015[1][2] | |||
| Recorded | April–July 2015 | |||
| Studio | Lattitude Studio South, Leiper's Fork, Tennessee | |||
| Genre | Thrash metal | |||
| Length | 4:16 | |||
| Label | Tradecraft/Universal | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Dave Mustaine | |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Megadeth singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music and lyrics
editAccording to the band's website, "the lyrics are about a person who is a misfit in society and ends up getting taken before the judicial system…"[5]
Performances
editThe song debuted live in Perth, Australia, on October 16, 2015.[6][7] Megadeth guitarists Dave Mustaine and Kiko Loureiro did a playthrough of the song for Guitar World magazine.[8]
Critical reception
editLoudwire ranked "Fatal Illusion" as the thirteenth best metal song of 2015.[9] The song was ranked the fourth greatest from the album by Return Of Rock.[10]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Dave Mustaine
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fatal Illusion" | 4:17 |
| 2. | "Symphony of Destruction" (live) | 3:46 |
| 3. | "Peace Sells" (live) | 4:18 |
| Total length: | 12:21 | |
- Tracks 2 & 3 recorded live at The Cow Palace, San Francisco, CA 12/4/1992.
Charts
edit| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Japan Hot 100[11] | 133 |
Personnel
editCredits adapted from Dystopia liner notes.[12]
Megadeth
- Dave Mustaine – lead and rhythm guitars, lead vocals
- Kiko Loureiro – lead guitars, backing vocals
- David Ellefson – bass, backing vocals
- Chris Adler – drums
Additional musicians
- Chris Rodriguez – backing vocals
- Eric Darken – percussion
- Blair Masters – keyboards & programming
Production and design
- Produced by Dave Mustaine and Chris Rakestraw
- Engineering by Chris Rakestraw
- Mixed by Josh Wilbur
- Pre-production by Cameron Webb
- Additional production by Jeff Balding
- Mastering by Ted Jensen
- Brent Elliott White – cover artwork
References
edit- ^ Rosenburg, Axl. "Listen the New Megadeth Single "Fatal Illusion" Right Now!". Metal Sucks. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
- ^ Bienstock, Richard (October 1, 2015). "Megadeth Premiere New Song, "Fatal Illusion"". Revolver. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ^ "NEW SINGLE 'FATAL ILLUSION' WORLD PREMIERE!". Megadeth.com. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
- ^ "Megadeth – Fatal Illusion". discogs. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
- ^ Monomyth. "Megadeth 'Dystopia' Track-By-Track: 'Fatal Illusion'". Megadeth. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
- ^ "Megadeth Setlist". Setlist.FM. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
- ^ "CHRIS ADLER'S SECOND SHOW + 'FATAL ILLUSION' LIVE PREMIERE". Megadeth.com. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
- ^ "Megadeth's Dave Mustaine and Kiko Loureiro Play "Fatal Illusion"". Guitar World. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
- ^ "20 Best Metal Songs of 2015 20 Best Metal Songs of 2015 20 Best Metal Songs of 2015". Loudwire. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
- ^ "Dystopia Songs Ranked". Return Of Rock. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
- ^ "メガデスのシングル作品" [Megadeth Singles] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
- ^ Dystopia Liner notes. Universal Music Enterprises. 2016. p. 12.