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Holy Wars... The Punishment Due
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Holy Wars... The Punishment Due
| cover = Megadeth - Holy Wars.jpg
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Megadeth
| album = Rust in Peace
| B-side = Lucretia
| released = 23 September 1990
| format =
| recorded = 1990
| studio =
| genre = Thrash metal
| length = 6:32
| label = Capitol
| writer = Dave Mustaine
| producer = Dave Mustaine
| prev_title = No More Mr. Nice Guy
| prev_year = 1990
| next_title = Hangar 18
| next_year = 1991
| misc =
}}
"'Holy Wars... The Punishment Due'" (also known as "'Holy Wars'") is a song by American thrash metal band Megadeth. Released in 1990 it is the opening track off the band's fourth studio album 'Rust in Peace' (1990). The song has an unusual structure: it opens with a fast thrash section, shifting at 2:26 after an acoustic bridge by Marty Friedman to a different, slower and heavier section called "The Punishment Due", interspersed by two guitar solos played by Friedman, before speeding up again with a third and final solo played during this segment by Dave Mustaine. The entire song is commonly referred to as "Holy Wars", with "The Punishment Due" referring to the heavier slower section.
Lyrics
The lyrics deal with global religious conflict, particularly in Israel and Northern Ireland. In an interview with the UK magazine 'Guitarist', Dave Mustaine said that he was inspired to write the song in Northern Ireland, when he discovered bootlegged Megadeth T-shirts were on sale and was dissuaded from taking action to have them removed on the basis that they were part of fundraising activities for "The Cause" (i.e. the Provisional Irish Republican Army).[http://megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl/interviews_holywars1990.html The Realms of Deth - Megadeth Interviews - Dave the Human, Mustaine the Artist] "The Punishment Due" is based on the popular Marvel comic book character, the Punisher.[http://megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl/lyrics_rust.html#Punishment The Realms of Deth - Megadeth Lyrics - Rust in Peace]
Legacy
"Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" is widely considered one of Megadeth's greatest songs. In 2012, 'Loudwire' ranked the song number one on their list of the 10 greatest Megadeth songs, and in 2018, 'Billboard' ranked the song number two on their list of the 15 greatest Megadeth songs.
A cover version of the song is playable in the band simulation game 'Rock Revolution'. The master recording is purchasable as part of the 'Rust in Peace' album pack on the 'Rock Band' band simulation platform, is playable in the 'Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock' game, and is available as DLC for 'Rocksmith 2014'. The music video for "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" was filmed in August 1990 (around the time of the Gulf War in 1990). It depicts news footage of various armed conflicts, mainly from the Middle East interspliced with footage of the band playing and Mustaine engaging in a skydive.
Track listing
'7-inch edition'
#"Holy Wars... The Punishment Due"
#"Lucretia"
'12-inch edition'
#"Holy Wars... The Punishment Due"
#"Interview with Dave Mustaine"
'12-inch edition'
#"Holy Wars... The Punishment Due"
#"Lucretia"
#"Interview with Dave Mustaine" (edited)
'CD edition'
#"Holy Wars... The Punishment Due"
#"Lucretia"
#"Interview with Dave Mustaine" (edited)
*Capitol Records DPRO-79462
Personnel
*Dave Mustaine lead vocals, rhythm guitar
*Marty Friedman lead guitar
*David Ellefson bass, backing vocals
*Nick Menza drums, percussion
Charts
Certifications
Notes
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