Fatal Illusion

"Fatal Illusion"
Single by Megadeth
from the album Dystopia
Released	October 1, 2015 [1] [2]
Recorded	April–July 2015
Studio	Lattitude Studio South, Leiper's Fork, Tennessee
Genre	Thrash metal
Length	4:16
Label	Tradecraft/Universal
Songwriter	Dave Mustaine
Producers	Mustaine Chris Rakestraw
Megadeth singles chronology
"Burn!" (2013) "Fatal Illusion" (2015) "The Threat Is Real" (2015)

"Fatal Illusion" is a song by American thrash metal band Megadeth. It was released as the lead single from their fifteenth studio album, Dystopia on October 1, 2015, ^[3] and as a CD release on October 9 of the same year. ^[4]

Music and lyrics

According to the band's website, "the lyrics are about a person who is a misfit in society and ends up getting taken before the judicial system…" ^[5]

Performances

The song debuted live in Perth, Australia, on October 16, 2015. ^{[6] [7]} Megadeth guitarists Dave Mustaine and Kiko Loureiro did a playthrough of the song for Guitar World magazine. ^[8]

Critical reception

Loudwire ranked "Fatal Illusion" as the thirteenth best metal song of 2015. ^[9] The song was ranked the fourth greatest from the album by Return Of Rock. ^[10]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Dave Mustaine.

Japanese CD

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Fatal Illusion"	4:17
2.	"Symphony of Destruction" (live)	3:46
3.	"Peace Sells" (live)	4:18
Total length:		12:21

• Tracks 2 & 3 recorded live at The Cow Palace, San Francisco, CA April 12, 1992.

Charts

Chart (2015)	Peak position
Billboard Japan Hot 100 [11]	133

Personnel

Credits adapted from Dystopia liner notes. ^[12]

Megadeth

• Dave Mustaine  – lead and rhythm guitars, lead vocals
• Kiko Loureiro  – lead guitars, backing vocals
• David Ellefson  – bass, backing vocals
• Chris Adler  – drums

Additional musicians

• Chris Rodriguez – backing vocals
• Eric Darken – percussion
• Blair Masters – keyboards & programming

Production and design

• Produced by Dave Mustaine and Chris Rakestraw
• Engineering by Chris Rakestraw
• Mixed by Josh Wilbur
• Pre-production by Cameron Webb
• Additional production by Jeff Balding
• Mastering by Ted Jensen
• Brent Elliott White – cover artwork

References

1. Rosenburg, Axl. "Listen the New Megadeth Single "Fatal Illusion" Right Now!". Metal Sucks. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
2. Bienstock, Richard (October 1, 2015). "Megadeth Premiere New Song, "Fatal Illusion"". Revolver . Retrieved October 2, 2015.
3. "NEW SINGLE 'FATAL ILLUSION' WORLD PREMIERE!". Megadeth.com. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
4. "Megadeth – Fatal Illusion". discogs. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
5. Monomyth. "Megadeth 'Dystopia' Track-By-Track: 'Fatal Illusion'". Megadeth. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
6. "Megadeth Setlist". Setlist.FM. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
7. "CHRIS ADLER'S SECOND SHOW + 'FATAL ILLUSION' LIVE PREMIERE". Megadeth.com. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
8. "Megadeth's Dave Mustaine and Kiko Loureiro Play "Fatal Illusion"". Guitar World. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
9. "20 Best Metal Songs of 2015 20 Best Metal Songs of 2015 20 Best Metal Songs of 2015". Loudwire. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
10. "Dystopia Songs Ranked". Return Of Rock. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
11. "メガデスのシングル作品" [Megadeth Singles] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
12. Dystopia Liner notes. Universal Music Enterprises. 2016. p. 12.