This week’s featured Massive Metal Monday track comes to us courtesy of Metal Blade recording artists Redemption whose new album, The Art of Loss, was released this past Friday February 26, 2016. The song is entitled “Damaged” and features guest guitar work by former Megadeth virtuoso Marty Friedman.

The Art of Loss is the sixth full-length entry in the band’s discography, which dates back to 2003. In addition to Friedman, the album features guest appearances by two other former guitarists for Megadeth, Chris Broderick and Chris Poland, as well as Armored Saint/Anthrax vocalist John Bush.

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.

With the entire internet dumping ice water over their heads to raise awareness for ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or, as it is commonly known, Lou Gehrig’s Disease), I thought that I would put a heavy metal spin and a very human face on the story.

Guitar virtuoso Jason Becker was 19 years old and on top of the world. He had already released two critically acclaimed albums with fellow shredder and future Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman under the moniker of Cacophony as well as a blistering solo debut album. He had just been hand picked to be David Lee Roth’s guitarist following in the giant footsteps of Edward Van Halen and Steve Vai. But just one week after getting the Roth gig, his meteoric rise came to a screeching halt when he was diagnosed with ALS and told that he had 3-5 years to live. His first question to the doctor was, “Will I be able to tour?”

This week’s edition of Thrashback Thursday examines one of the genre’s pioneering bands. After Dave Mustaine was booted from Metallica for his drug and alcohol abuse, he roared back with the unrelenting thrash assault that is Megadeth.

From their 1990 juggernaut album Rust in Peace, this is “Holy Wars… The Punishment Due.” Watch it below.