Fall is almost here and with it comes lots of great new book releases. I’m an avid reader, but this year thanks to being mostly indoors because of COVID-19, I’ve already read more books in the last six months than I typically do in any given year. Probably three times as many. So, I’m really looking forward to this Fall’s new releases to keep me occupied.

Below are some books I personally am looking forward to this Fall, listed here in order of release date, starting with books releasing in September 2020. After this main list, I’ve included some picks for books that came out earlier this year that maybe you missed, and then some others that are older, but there’s a good reason to get to reading them now.

Continue on to check out my Fall 2020 Book Recommendations….

Megadeth
Dystopia
MP3 | CD | Vinyl
Label: T-Boy Records/UMe
Release date: January 22, 2016

After 20 or so years of churning out several mediocre (at best) albums, Dave Mustaine and company are back with their fifteenth studio album Dystopia. There has once again been a major shakeup in the Megadeth lineup as both guitarist Chris Broderick and drummer Shawn Drover exited the band in the wake of the previous album, 2013’s abysmal Super Collider. The two musicians continue to play together in a new band known as Act of Defiance. Their replacements are former Angra guitarist Kiko Loureiro and drummer Chris Adler who is pulling double duty with both Megadeth and his own band Lamb of God.

Pioneering heavy metal band Megadeth has announced that its fifteenth studio album Dystopia will arrive on January 22, 2016. The album will be the first to feature the band’s new lineup, which includes Chris Adler (who is also in Lamb of God) on drums and former Angra guitarist Kiko Loureiro. Former members guitarist Chris Broderick and drummer Shawn Drover left the band earlier this year to form the new unit Act of Defiance.

Along with the album announcement comes the premiere of Dystopia’s first single, “Fatal Illusion,” which you can listen to here below.

No Life ’til leather, we’re gonna kick some ass tonight…

So says Metallica, on “Hit The Lights,” the opening track of their 1982 demo No Life ’til Leather, which, after over three decades, is finally getting an official release for this year’s Record Store Day.

The mighty Metallica will be releasing the 1982 demo No Life ’til Leather as a re-mastered limited edition cassette tape for Record Store Day this April. This offering will contain the original demo recordings for the seven songs that went on to make up the bulk of the thrash metal legends’ first album, 1983’s Kill ‘Em All, including the popular “Seek & Destroy.” The demo tracks were performed by the band’s original line-up of James Hetfield (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Lars Ulrich (drums); Dave Mustaine (lead guitar), who went on to form fellow Big 4 thrash band Megadeth; and Ron McGovney (bass). (For Kill ‘Em All, current guitarist Kirk Hammett replaced Mustaine, while Cliff Burton, who died in 1986, stepped in as bassist).

The limited edition Record Store Day demo tape release will have a re-mastered version of the original 1982 mix, and this will be the first time the demo is being offered commercially ever.

See cassette art and track listing here below (image above is of the aforementioned original line-up, but is not an official photo for the limited edition cassette release and was not included in the press release).

Today’s Thrashback Thursday theme is: great band, cool song, terrible record. Megadeth‘s anthemic track “Crush ‘Em” was just about the only redeeming factor of their otherwise abysmal 1999 album Risk. The record’s title reflects Megadeth leader Dave Mustaine’s belief that the band was ready to take a risk and step outside of their comfort zone. The problem was that the step they took was toward pop metal and the risk that they took alienated many fans. The album would be the last to feature legendary guitarist Marty Friedman, who left the fold a year later.

“Crush ‘Em” was also used as the theme song for the equally terrible Jean Claude Van Damme and Bill Goldberg movie Universal Soldier: The Return and the song’s official video features both actors.