Holy Wars... The Punishment Due

Single infobox
Name = Holy Wars... The Punishment Due


Artist = Megadeth
from Album = Rust in Peace
Released = 1990
Format =
Recorded = 1990
Genre = Thrash metal
Speed Metal
Progressive Metal
Length = 6:32
Label = Capitol
Producer = Dave Mustaine
Chart position =
Reviews =
Last single = "Liar" (1988)
This single = "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" (1990)
Next single = "Hangar 18" (1990)

"Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" (audio| Holy Wars clip.ogg|sample) is the opening track of heavy metal band Megadeth's 1990 album "Rust in Peace".

The song has an unusual structure, shifting at 2:26 after an acoustic bridge by Marty Friedman to a different, slower and heavier section called "The Punishment Due", and returns towards the end back to "Holy Wars", after a solo played by Dave Mustaine. The entire song is generally referred to as simply "Holy Wars".

The lyrical theme of "Holy Wars" deals with the northern Irish conflict. [ [http://megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl/lyrics_rust.html#Holy The Realms of Deth - Megadeth Lyrics - Rust in Peace ] ] In an interview with the UK magazine Guitarist, Mustaine says that he was inspired to write the song in Northern Ireland, when he discovered bootlegged Megadeth T-shirts were on sale and was dissuaded from taking action to have them removed on the basis that they were part of fund raising activities for "The Cause" (i.e. the Northern Ireland conflict). Dave also recently stated at a gig at Rock City (Nottingham, U.K. 18/02/2008) that it was at this venue that he wrote Holy Wars, after they travelled there from Ireland in a bullet proof bus. [ [http://megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl/interviews_holywars1990.html The Realms of Deth - Megadeth Interviews - Dave the Human, Mustaine the Artist ] ] "The Punishment Due" is based on the popular Marvel comic book character, The Punisher. [ [http://megadeth.rockmetal.art.pl/lyrics_rust.html#Punishment The Realms of Deth - Megadeth Lyrics - Rust in Peace ] ]

The song is the last song played during the encore of all recent Megadeth shows, though in the middle they cut to Mechanix then cut back to Holy Wars.

Music Video

The "Holy Wars...the Punishment Due" was made in August 1990 (around the time of the beginning of the Gulf War in 1990) and it contained news footage of various conflicts throughout the world during the 1980s and 1990s, the majority of which were of the conflicts in the Middle East.

Credits

*Dave Mustaine : Rhythm/Lead guitar, vocals
*Marty Friedman : Lead guitar
*David Ellefson : Bass guitar
*Nick Menza : drums

CD single track listing

7" edition
#Holy Wars... the Punishment Due
#Lucretia

12" edition
#Holy Wars... The Punishment Due
#Interview with Dave Mustaine

12" edition
#Holy Wars... The Punishment Due
#Lucretia
#Interview with Dave Mustaine (Edited)

CD edition
#Holy Wars... The Punishment Due
#Lucretia
#Interview with Dave Mustaine (Edited)
*Capitol Records DPRO-79462

Notes