Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good! - Release and Promotion

Release and Promotion

The album's artwork, featuring a plastic skull with tinfoil, was not intended to be the original artwork. Both guitarist and vocalist Dave Mustaine and bassist Dave 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.

In the summer of 1985, the group toured the United States and Canada for the first time, supporting Killing Is My Business... with Exciter. During the tour, new guitarist Chris Poland abruptly left the band, and was replaced by touring guitarist Mike Albert. Poland later rejoined Megadeth in October 1985 however, and stayed with the band up to the recording of their next album.

The album was released on June 1985, and to date 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 and they began work on their second album, released the next year, titled Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?. On June 4, 2009, a newly available Limited Edition of the album was released in Digipack LP Miniature CD. The CD itself is made to look like a mini LP and is pressed on black plastic with grooves on the top to imitate a LP, this version has the original cover which was lost, and the song "These Boots" was removed. The album sold has over 100,000 copies, a good number for an album released in an independent label.