Dystopia (Megadeth album)

Dystopia
Studio album by Megadeth
Released	January 22, 2016 (2016-01-22)
Recorded	April–July 2015
Studio	Lattitude Studio South, Leiper's Fork, Tennessee
Genre	Thrash metal
Length	46:51
Label	Tradecraft Universal
Producer	Dave Mustaine Chris Rakestraw
Megadeth chronology
Super Collider (2013) Dystopia (2016) The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! (2022)
Singles from Dystopia
"Fatal Illusion" Released: October 1, 2015 "The Threat Is Real" Released: November 25, 2015 "Dystopia" Released: January 7, 2016 "Post American World" Released: July 29, 2016

Dystopia is the fifteenth studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth. It was released on frontman and guitarist Dave Mustaine's Tradecraft label via Universal on January 22, 2016.^[1] It is the first Megadeth album to feature guitarist Kiko Loureiro, the only album with drummer Chris Adler, and their last with bassist David Ellefson. The album was produced by Mustaine and Chris Rakestraw and features cover artwork by Brent Elliot White.

Prior to Dystopia's recording, longtime drummer Shawn Drover and guitarist Chris Broderick announced their departure from the band. These roles on the album have been filled by Lamb of God drummer Chris Adler and Angra guitarist Kiko Loureiro, respectively. Adler returned to Lamb of God shortly after the album's release, and was replaced by drummer Dirk Verbeuren.

Following the lukewarm response to Megadeth's previous album, 2013's Super Collider, Dystopia received mostly favorable reaction from critics, being considered a return to form for the band. The album holds a Metacritic score of 69/100 as of November 2020. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 chart, making Dystopia the band's second highest charting album in the U.S. after Countdown to Extinction, which peaked at number two in 1992. Additionally, the title track earned the band its first Grammy win (for Best Metal Performance) at the 59th Grammy Awards after eleven unsuccessful nominations.^[2]