Megadeth "Killing Is My Business...And Business Is Good !"

Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! is the debut studio album by the American thrash metal band Megadeth released on June 12, 1985 by the independent record label Combat Records. At the beginning of 1985, the band was given $8,000 by Combat to record and produce its debut album. After spending half of the album's budget on drugs, alcohol and food, the band was forced to fire their original producer and produce the album themselves. Despite the resulting poor production, the album was a well-received effort that obtained strong reviews in various music publications. Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! played an essential role in establishing thrash metal as an authentic subgenre of heavy metal music. It explores themes of death, violence, and occultism.

The album features a controversial cover of "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" and the track "Mechanix", a song frontman Dave Mustaine originally wrote for Metallica. A deluxe edition, completely remixed and remastered with several bonus tracks, was released through Loud Records in 2002. It features vastly different artwork, with its cover based on the version originally designed by Mustaine in 1985. All songs from the album were performed frequently during Megadeth's initial tour but have been steadily dropped from the setlist since.

Dave Mustaine served as the lead guitarist for Metallica during their early days. However, due to drinking, substance abuse, violent behavior, and personality conflicts with band mates James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, Mustaine was soon fired from Metallica. Two months after being dismissed, he and bassist David Ellefson formed Megadeth in Los Angeles. Mustaine later recalled: "After getting fired from Metallica, all I remember is that I wanted blood. Theirs. I wanted to be faster and heavier than them." Fueled by the desire for revenge, Mustaine elevated the intensity of Megadeth's music in order to challenge his former band. He sped up existing songs such as "Mechanix", which Metallica's new line-up adapted into the slower paced "The Four Horsemen". Mustaine included his original version of the song on the album to "straighten Metallica up", as Metallica referred to Mustaine as a drunk and said he could not play guitar.


After unsuccessfully searching for a vocalist for nearly six months, Mustaine decided to handle the vocal duties himself, while also serving as the band's primary lyricist, main songwriter and co-lead and rhythm guitarist. Early in 1984, Megadeth recorded a three song demo engineered by Karat Faye, and on the strength of that demo, the band was asked to sign with the New York-based independent label Combat Records. Early in 1985, Megadeth was given $8,000 by Combat to record and produce its debut album. However, this proved not to be enough and the band was given a further $4,000. Instead, a majority of the budget was spent on drugs, alcohol, and food, forcing the group to fire the original producer and produce the record themselves. The album was successfully recorded at the Indigo Ranch Studios, in Malibu, California.

The album's artwork, featuring a plastic skull with tinfoil, was not intended to be the original artwork. Both Mustaine and Ellefson had many phone conversations with Combat Records to get the cover artwork properly reproduced from a sketch given to them by Mustaine of a picture of Megadeth mascot Vic Rattlehead on the cover. However the studio lost the artwork, and instead made their own improvised and low-budget replacement, with which Mustaine and the whole band were mortified.

Megadeth began with live performances before the record was released. Although not a member of the band, Kerry King of Slayer played lead guitar for a short period because Mustaine had not recruited a full-time guitarist yet. In mid-1985, the group toured the United States and Canada for the first time, supporting Killing Is My Business... with Exciter. During the tour, guitarist Chris Poland abruptly left the band, and was replaced by touring guitarist Mike Albert. However, Poland rejoined Megadeth in October 1985, and stayed with the band up to the recording of the next album.


The album was released on June 12, 1985. To date it remains the only Megadeth album that did not chart on the Billboard 200, primarily because it was released through an independent label with little promotion. Nevertheless, the album still went on to become one of Combat Records' highest selling releases. Later that year, Capitol Records signed Megadeth as they began working on their second album, Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?, released the following year. A limited edition of Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! was released in 2009. The CD itself is pressed on black plastic with grooves on the top to imitate an LP. This version's cover is redesigned to match Mustaine's original sketch, and the song "These Boots" was removed. Over 254,000 copies of the album were sold in the United States since the beginning of the Nielsen SoundScan era.

Includes custom inner sleeve with lyrics.
First press also includes Megadeth merchandise order form. 

The sleeve lists track 1 as "Last Rites / Love to Death" and track 4 as "These Boots", while the vinyl label lists track 1 as "Last Rites / Love to Deth" and track 4 as "Boots".

The original cover changes from pressing to pressing, with some showing the rattlehead in a black background, others having a more greyish/metallic hue. 


"Mechanix" is the original version of the Metallica song "The Four Horsemen".

Recorded and mixed at Indigo Ranch Studios, Malibu & Crystal Sound Labs, Hollywood, CA, December 1984 and January 1985. 

Co-produced by Megadeth.