"Night Stalkers" | ||||
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Single by Megadeth featuring Ice-T | ||||
from the album The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! | ||||
A-side | We'll Be Back [1] | |||
Released | July 22, 2022 | |||
Recorded | 2019–2021 | |||
Genre | Thrash metal | |||
Length | 6:38 | |||
Label | Tradecraft/Universal | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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Megadeth featuring Ice-T singles chronology | ||||
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"Night Stalkers" is a song by American thrash metal band Megadeth. The song was released on July 22, 2022, [2] as the second single from their sixteenth studio album, The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! . The song features rapper Ice-T on guest vocals roughly halfway through the song. [3] [4]
On the song's lyrical content, frontman Dave Mustaine said, "It's a brutal song. 'Night Stalkers' is about the 160th Battalion with the United States Army, and it's all the black-ops helicopters that go in at night — nobody knows they're there; they're in, they're out. And I had my buddy Ice-T join me on a part in the middle of it, because Ice was a ranger for the army, and he did two tours over in Afghanistan, I think it was." [5]
Mustaine also commented, "I think that's the fastest song we've ever done – 190 bpm... the song... needed that frantic pace because Night Stalker is a secret helicopter division of the military. They fly missions at night and no one knows what they're gonna do until it happens." [6] [7] [8]
A music video was made for the song, the second of the three music videos leading up to the release of the album, chronicling the origins of the band's mascot Vic Rattlehead. [9] [10] The "Night Stalkers" music video shows Vic Rattlehead's transformation from a husband, father and soldier into an almost Darth Vader-esque monstrosity who exacts revenge on his enemies as he's haunted by memories from his past. [11]
Megadeth
Additional musicians
Production
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.
David Scott Mustaine is an American musician. He is the co-founder, frontman, primary songwriter and sole consistent member of the thrash metal band Megadeth. Mustaine has released sixteen studio albums with Megadeth, sold over 38 million records worldwide, with six albums platinum-certified, and won a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2017 at the 59th Grammy Awards, for the title track of their fifteenth studio album, Dystopia.
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The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead! is the sixteenth studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth, released on September 2, 2022, on frontman Dave Mustaine's Tradecraft label via Universal. It is the first Megadeth album to feature drummer Dirk Verbeuren, their last album with guitarist Kiko Loureiro, and their first studio album in six years since Dystopia (2016), marking the longest gap between two studio albums in the band's career. The album was produced by Mustaine and Chris Rakestraw.
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