Chris Poland: From Megadeth to Nuclear Messiah
When Chris Poland joined a young, hungry band called Megadeth in 1984, he brought something no one expected: jazz. His legato phrasing and fusion runs over Dave Mustaine’s thrash riffs created a sound that defined Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying? and influenced a generation of metal guitarists.
Forty years later, Poland is the creative architect of Nuclear Messiah — an all-star concept album called Black Flame that unites 36 of rock and metal’s most iconic musicians across five decades. From William Shatner’s commanding spoken introduction to tracks featuring Rick Wakeman, Sebastian Bach, Marty Friedman, Joe Lynn Turner, Pat Travers, Carmine Appice, Arthur Brown, and many more, it’s a celebration of everything heavy music has been — and still can be.
Episode Highlights
In this conversation with Adam, Chris reveals that the album was actually Brian Pereira’s brainchild at Cleopatra Records, talks about Jonathan Cain’s surprise Euro-metal keyboard part, Bumblefoot’s jaw-dropping fretless guitar solo, and why “For Mad Men Only” became his favorite track on the record. He opens up about:
- Collaborating with Marty Friedman on “Electric Burn” — two Megadeth guitarists, different eras, one track
- His first concert: Montrose opening for Humble Pie, before anyone knew who Sammy Hagar was
- Discovering Lucifer’s Friend in LA’s underground scene in 1977 — now covering them on Black Flame
- The Damn the Machine debacle — A&M’s secret-door schmooze dinner, then dropped a month later
- The Gumby Project: Nick Menza’s posthumous drum tracks, already released on Cleopatra
- A brand-new OHM album recorded 99% live at Steve Lukather’s Steakhouse studio on a 1970 Rupert Neve board from EMI London
- OHM Requiem — a tribute to late drummer David Eagle, built from 10 perfect live rehearsal recordings
- Running 200+ rehearsal studios in downtown LA and why keyboards are making a comeback
- Recovery, rebuilding, and advice for struggling musicians: “You have to love music. You can’t do it for money.”
Black Flame by Nuclear Messiah drops April 24, 2026 on Cleopatra Records.
Pre-order CD/Vinyl | Pre-order Digital | nuclearmessiah.com
Watch the Videos
- “For Mad Men Only” (feat. Joe Lynn Turner, Pat Travers)
- “Electric Burn” (feat. Marty Friedman, Chris Adler)
- “Ride The Sky” (feat. Arthur Brown, Vinny Appice)
- “Black Flame” (feat. Ronnie Romero, Jonathan Cain)
- “Dice and Thunder” (feat. Rick Wakeman, Bumblefoot)