Broderick couldn’t face more Megadeth sessions

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Guitarist Chris decided to quit thrash giants over lack of creative input

Guitarist Chris Broderick says he left Megadeth because he didn’t want to make another record without having any creative input.

He and Shawn Drover quit Dave Mustaine’s band within hours of each other last year, with the drummer saying this week that there’d been nothing negative about the move.

The pair went on to form Act Of Defiance with Scar The Martyr singer Henry Derek and Matt Bachand of Shadow’s Fall. Their debut album Birth And The Burial is released on August 21.

Broderick tells Guitar World: “The decision was a long time in the making. Being in Megadeth was great for my career – but I wanted to have some creative freedom and some freedom in how I presented myself.

“I was dwelling on my lack of musical creativity in the band. Dave was getting ready to go in and do another CD, and my heart just wasn’t in it. I knew I wasn’t going to have any artistic say in the definition of the album and the music.”

But he accepts that he joined in 2008 with his eyes wide open. “I knew I wouldn’t be able to demand anything,” he says. “I saw it as a great job and I allowed my employer to dictate the terms.”

Drover has revealed it was a coincidence that the pair decided to form Act Of Defiance the night after they’d quit. Broderick adds: “Shawn and I felt exactly the same way – but we didn’t think about putting a band together until after we had both left.

“When Shawn told me he was going to quit I was a bit shocked and surprised. Dave Ellefson called me right away and went, ‘Dude, Shawn just quit!’

“I talked to him for a while, and then I thought about my own situation. I bounced it off my friends and family and decided it was the right thing for me to do as well.”

Birth And The Burial is available to pre-order via the band’s PledgeMusic page, with the group offering exclusive content for backers.

Birth And The Burial tracklist

01. Throwback 02. Legion Of Lies 03. Thy Lord Belial 04. Refrain And Re-Fracture 05. Dead Stare 06. Disastrophe (A New Reality) 07. Poison Dream 08. Obey The Fallen 09. Crimson Psalm 10. Birth And The Burial

Scott Munro
Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent 35 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott keeps Louder’s buyer’s guides up to date, writes about the best deals for music fans, keeps on top of the latest tech releases and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more for Louder. Over the last 10 years, Scott has written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, The Tragically Hip, Marillion and Rush.