The World Needs a Hero is the ninth studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth, released on May 15, 2001, by Sanctuary Records. After the critical and commercial failure of the previous album Risk (1999), The World Needs a Hero represented a change back to a heavier musical direction. Subsequently, the album charted at number 16 on the Billboard 200 upon release.
The World Needs a Hero
Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along with Metallica, Anthrax, and Slayer, responsible for the genre's development and popularization. Their music features complex arrangements and fast rhythm sections, dual lead guitars, and lyrical themes of war, politics, religion, death, and personal relationships.
Megadeth performing in June 2018. Left to right: David Ellefson, Dirk Verbeuren, Dave Mustaine, and Kiko Loureiro.
Dave Mustaine formed Megadeth in 1983, after being fired from Metallica.
Megadeth performing at the Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham, Alabama, in July 1991
Guitarist Marty Friedman left Megadeth at the end of 1999, citing "musical differences".