Fatal Illusion

"Fatal Illusion"
Single by Megadeth
from the album Dystopia
ReleasedOctober 1, 2015[1][2]
RecordedApril–July 2015
StudioLattitude Studio South, Leiper's Fork, Tennessee
GenreThrash metal
Length4:16
LabelTradecraft/Universal
Songwriter(s)Dave Mustaine
Producer(s)
  • 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.TitleLength
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 12/4/1992.

Charts

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

Personnel

Credits adapted from Dystopia liner notes.[12]

Megadeth

Additional musicians

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 15 September 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 15 September 2022.
  4. ^ "Megadeth – Fatal Illusion". discogs. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  5. ^ Monomyth. "Megadeth 'Dystopia' Track-By-Track: 'Fatal Illusion'". Megadeth. Retrieved 2022-09-17.
  6. ^ "Megadeth Setlist". Setlist.FM. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  7. ^ "CHRIS ADLER'S SECOND SHOW + 'FATAL ILLUSION' LIVE PREMIERE". Megadeth.com. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  8. ^ "Megadeth's Dave Mustaine and Kiko Loureiro Play "Fatal Illusion"". Guitar World. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  9. ^ "20 Best Metal Songs of 2015 20 Best Metal Songs of 2015 20 Best Metal Songs of 2015". Loudwire. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  10. ^ "Dystopia Songs Ranked". Return Of Rock. Retrieved 9 May 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.