Background and Production
In 1999, Megadeth released their eighth studio album, Risk. The album was noteworthy for being a drastic musical departure for the band, and the culmination of the band's increasing attempts at mainstream success throughout the 1990s, a trend starting with Countdown to Extinction (1992). The World Needs a Hero marks a stylistic transition back towards the band's thrash metal roots. Furthermore, the album had actually been touted by the band as an "antidote" to Risk in a press release. However, the album has been noted by several music critics as still retaining some commercial feel from previous albums.
According to Mustaine, the album title refers to stereotypical rock stars. When asked about the matter, and an earlier comment about Axl Rose having killed the traditional rock star image, Mustaine complained that "People want heroes. Most bands look like average Joes, wearing gas-station shirts, have funky hair-dos and I think people wanna be able to go "they may not be popular, but they're MY band." Mustaine then went on to say that many of contemporary rock music groups looked and sounded the same, and that the music industry needed a hero. He then proceeded to contrast a perceived lack of image of then current music scenes with the image of 80s metal bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest.
In another interview, however, Mustaine offered a more straightforward interpretation of the album title. Commenting on negative stories in the news, such as wars and natural disasters, Mustaine inferred that the world at that time was in need of a hero to solve various problems around the planet.
Read more about this topic: The World Needs A Hero
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