| "Symphony of Destruction" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Megadeth | ||||
| from the album Countdown to Extinction | ||||
| Released | July 21 1992 | |||
| Recorded | Between January 6 and April 28, 1992 | |||
| Genre | Heavy metal | |||
| Length | 4:02 (4:07 on 2004 reissue) | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Dave Mustaine | |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Megadeth singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Symphony of Destruction" on YouTube | ||||
"Symphony of Destruction" is a song by American heavy metal band Megadeth, released as a single from the band’s fifth studio album, Countdown to Extinction (1992). The lyrics explore the hypothetical situation where an average citizen is placed in a position where he runs the country while the public is led by a phantom government.[1] Penned by vocalist and frontman Dave Mustaine, the song received significant radio play and charted in various territories, making it one of Megadeth's best known songs.[2][3][4]
The song was generally well received by critics,[citation needed] and its accompanying music video by Wayne Isham initially received heavy rotation on MTV, but eventually became controversial and was edited because of an assassination scene that MTV felt was "too harsh".[5] The video features each band member individually playing, with a mostly black-and-white, nonlinear narrative revolving around a political candidate who is assassinated, and the massive amount of anarchy and riots caused by the event.[5][6] The song has been featured in several sources of media, and has been covered by several bands.
- ^ "Symphony of Destruction Info". rockmetal.art.pl. Retrieved 2010-03-19.
- ^ "Megadeth > Charts and Awards > Billboard Singles". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2009-01-05.
- ^ "Top 100 Singles". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2008-11-27.
- ^ "Megadeth Discography". Australians-chart.com. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
- ^ a b "Exposure of a Dream". The Realms of Deth.com. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
- ^ "Megadeth – Symphony Of Destruction". YouTube.com. 2010-04-24. Retrieved 2022-02-13.