In Popular Culture
The song has been featured in numerous video games, including a cover version of the song that featured in the PlayStation 2 video game Guitar Hero, with the Master Version of this song released as Downloadable Content for both Guitar Hero 5 and Rock Band 3 (along with a Pro Guitar/Bass upgrade available). A master track is also available as DLC in Rocksmith, along with and Hangar 18 and Public Enemy No. 1. A remix was used in the video game WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2006 and Full Auto 2: Battlelines. Furthermore, song is featured in the video games True Crime: Streets of L.A., "NFL Street 3" and FlatOut 2. In the real-time strategy game, League of Legends, a champion known as Mordekaiser whose Siphon of Destruction ability is a reference to this song.
The song's name is the basis for the title of Dave Mustaine's instructional column in Guitar World magazine, "Symphony of Instruction". Lastly, the music video for the song is featured in the Beavis and Butt-head episode, Blood Drive. The duo are comically amused by the video, giggling through a majority of it, and responding positively to the catchy main riff and the quick editing and explosions featured in the video, even headbanging to it. Beavis praises the video, stating that he believes that "Dave Mustaine rules, heheh" and that "these guys are cool".
When the song is performed live, the crowd will usually shout 'Megadeth, Megadeth, aguante Megadeth!' in between each of the opening riffs. This chorus began in Argentina and quickly spread worldwide. It can be loosely translated as 'Megadeth, Megadeth, go Megadeth'. 'Aguante' is an Argentinian slang term that means to "hold on tight", which represents to stick strongly to something, it's normally used in sports events to give support to the team players. It is also applied to something that "rules" or "rocks". The first time the Argentine crowd chanted this out, heavily influenced by its soccer song singing culture in stadiums, Dave Mustaine was blown out of his mind. This is mainly the reason that Argentina became one of his favorite countries to play in, as he states in the That One Night: Live in Buenos Aires DVD filmed in Argentina, and also because "it's the only public that will sing out the guitar parts".
The song remains Megadeth's most widely known song, and a live staple that has been performed in nearly all Megadeth concerts since its composition. Because of this, it has been featured in the following:
- Exposure of a Dream
- Capitol Punishment: The Megadeth Years (Compilation)
- Rude Awakening (Live CD & DVD)
- Still Alive... and Well? (Live/Compilation)
- Video Hits
- Greatest Hits: Back to the Start
- Arsenal of Megadeth (Video compilation)
- That One Night: Live in Buenos Aires (Live CD & DVD)
- Warchest (Box set)
- Anthology: Set the World Afire
- Rust in Peace Live (Live CD)
- The Big 4 Live From Sofia, Bulgaria
- Blood in the Water: Live in San Diego
Read more about this topic: Symphony Of Destruction
Famous quotes containing the words popular culture, popular and/or culture:
“Like other secret lovers, many speak mockingly about popular culture to conceal their passion for it.”
—Mason Cooley (b. 1927)
“Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue with that; I’m right and I will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now; I don’t know which will go first—rock and roll or Christianity.”
—John Lennon (1940–1980)
“There has never been in history another such culture as the Western civilization M a culture which has practiced the belief that the physical and social environment of man is subject to rational manipulation and that history is subject to the will and action of man; whereas central to the traditional cultures of the rivals of Western civilization, those of Africa and Asia, is a belief that it is environment that dominates man.”
—Ishmael Reed (b. 1938)