Masters of Virtual Reality: Megadeth Brings Heavy Metal Thrash to VR

I recently found myself in a compound of nondescript bungalows in Burbank, Calif. I was there to talk to heavy metal band Megadeth and actor/director Blair Underwood about their collaboration on a series of five virtual reality music videos tied into release of the band’s new album. As I walked in, I spied the parking spots reserved for Carly Rae Jepsen and other members of the cast of Fox’s forthcoming Grease: Live musical, which was rehearsing in one of the neighboring studios.

It was all a bit incongruous. But once I sat down with Megadeth founder/frontman Dave Mustaine, Underwood, and Mary Spio, founder/CEO of virtual reality production company Next Galaxy, at least the music video part made a lot more sense.

On Jan. 22, Universal Music Enterprises/Tradecraft/T-Boy Records is releasing a special CD edition of Megadeth’s new album Dystopia. The disc comes with a pair of cardboard goggles that, when properly folded and paired with your iPhone or Android phone, create a virtual reality viewer.

“It’s like cool metal origami,” Mustaine says.

Once fans have assembled the viewer, they can use Next Galaxy’s CEEK app and a code provided in the packaging to unlock a VR video of the band performing five songs. The Megadeth limited-edition VR package is priced between $15 and $25.

Quicker, better, faster

You might not expect Megadeth, a thrash band that’s been recording for three decades, to be at the forefront of technology, but you’d be wrong. Mustaine happily points out that Megadeth launched the first-ever band website ever back in 1994. “There wasn’t any band site prior to that,” he enthuses.

Then, in 2014, he was treated to a demo of an Oculus Rift VR headset. There were discussions at the time about filming his collaborative concert with the San Diego Symphony, but that never came to fruition. “Now that we got this opportunity to do it, it’s a dream realized,” Mustaine says.

As Mustaine sees it, coming up with a new, modern twist is a necessity for recording artists in 2016. “You almost have to reinvent yourself every CD, every DVD. Every offering of product that you give to the audience, you have to do something new — quicker, better, faster, grander, more. And this is about as new, quicker, better, faster, grander as you can get right now. I don’t know anyone else doing this exact thing right now.”

In a brief demo provided to Yahoo Music, in which a smart phone was inserted into a high-quality VR headset — not the cardboard version that comes with the Megadeth CD — I was blown away by the results. It really did feel like I was onstage with Mustaine, guitarist Kiko Loureiro, and drummer Chris Adler. But where, I wondered, was longtime bassist Dave Ellefson? It wasn’t until I turned my head about 45 degrees to the right that he finally appeared.

As metal as it gets

Underwood, who is primarily known as an actor on L.A. Law but has more recently appeared on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., was tapped to direct the project by Spio, who he’s known for years.

“I love metal, I love all types of music,” says Spio. “So selfishly, I went after projects I would love to see. I love Megadeth and I love 3D, so anything 3D I’m there. Virtual reality to me is the extension of 3D, it’s really the holy grail of what 3D was trying to accomplish, so for the two of them to come together is really extraordinary.”

Underwood, too, is a fan, especially after working with the band. “I watched them the last three or four days, and when I see the amount of talent on that stage — between Dave Mustaine and David Ellefson and Chris on drums and Kiko — just to watch them together, it’s insane,” he says. “The beauty of what we’re doing here with the technology is actually putting you in the middle of the action. You’re completely immersed in it.”

To achieve that effect, Underwood says the virtual reality footage was filmed with a buggy-cam. “The camera is about at eye level, so it’s as if you’re walking onstage right next to Dave and the band and you’re right next to the drum set, so you feel all of that.”

In addition to the band performing five songs from Dystopia (“Fatal Illusion,” “Dystopia,” The Threat Is Real,“ "Poisonous Shadows,” and “Post American World”) in what appears to be a ruined city, the video has some other surprises, Spio says, including a torture chamber. “You’re actually in the music video, so you’re seeing all this happening,” she adds. “It’s extreme. It’s about as metal as it gets.”

The wild, wild west

Although virtual reality is new, it’s unclear how widely it’ll be embraced by the entertainment establishment. “It’s growing,” Underwood says. “It’s the wild, wild west. It’s the new frontier.”

Can it replace the live concert experience? “I hope not,” says Underwood. “I want people to have the experience if they cannot buy that ticket and be there. Even as an actor, you don’t want technology to get to the point where they don’t need us anymore. There’s something to be said for the humanity in front of you and being in the same room.”

Yet, as Spio points out, the technology can be a godsend for bands who can’t hit every market and for fans who can’t make it to live performances. “This is just the beginning,” she says. “You are going to see other artists hop on it.”

She also claims that she’s had discussions with TV studios and major networks about producing VR content for them. “It’s going to start a lot with behind-the-scenes, where fans get a chance to see what’s going on,” Spio says. “But there are long-term goals — and when I say long-term, we’re taking within 12 or 18 months — to film full episodes of your favorite sitcoms and scripted and non-scripted shows in VR.”

For Mustaine, this feels like the final frontier. “Honestly, realistically, what is there left to do, other than entering a pod like in The Fly where we disintegrate you in the comfort of your own bedroom and reintegrate you on a stage near you?”