Vic Rattlehead

Illustrated mascot of the American thrash metal band Megadeth

Fictional character

Vic Rattlehead

Megadeth character

Vic Rattlehead (right) next to Dave Mustaine on stage (via a costume)

First appearance| Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!
Created by| Dave Mustaine

Vic Rattlehead is the illustrated mascot of the American thrash metal band Megadeth.[1] Vic is a skeletal figure wearing a suit who embodies the phrase "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" as well as a symbol of censorship. His eyes are covered by a riveted-on visor, his mouth is clamped shut, and his ears are closed with metal caps.

## Concept and creation

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The mythic creation of Vic Rattlehead is addressed in the song "The Skull Beneath the Skin" from the album Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!

> Prepare the patient's scalp
>  To peel away
>  Metal caps his ears
>  He'll hear not what we say
>  Solid steel visor
>  Riveted across his eyes
>  Iron staples close his jaws
>  So no one hears his cries

Dave Mustaine sketched the original drawing of Vic for the album's front cover. However, Combat Records lost the artwork and improvised a completely different concept. The original artwork was recovered and placed on the reissue of Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!. The name of Vic stands for "victim" and Rattlehead comes from what Mustaine's mother used to say to him when he was headbanging: "Don't do that or you'll rattle something loose up there!" This then led to the expression "to rattle one's head" meaning head-bang. According to Mustaine, the mascot represents his feelings about religious repression and freedom of expression.[2]

## Appearances

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Vic was on the cover art of the band's first four albums (1985–1990): Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!, Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?, So Far, So Good... So What!, and Rust in Peace.

Vic did not appear on the front cover of any albums or compilations from 1991 to 2000. However, when Megadeth tried to bring back a more "classic" vibe to their material, he returned for the 2001 album The World Needs a Hero, the 2004 album The System Has Failed, as well as the 2007 studio album United Abominations in a human form. He is identified by his visor, metal caps on his ears, and clamps on his mouth. Only Vic's face is shown in the mushroom cloud on the 2005 compilation Greatest Hits: Back to the Start. Vic was once again absent from the cover of Endgame, instead found in the album's booklet much like the inside cover of Youthanasia and Countdown To Extinction. His portrait image can also be found by joining the spine labels of the 7 albums Mustaine re-released in 2004. Vic was mentioned in the band's 2010 video "The Right to Go Insane" and featured on the cover art for the "Sudden Death" single. On the cover of Th1rt3en he is shown with his back turned. Vic can be seen very faintly on the Super Collider album artwork as a reflection in the center of the particle collider; it is revealed inside the cover and on the back that Vic is the Super Collider. On Dystopia, a robot version of Vic Rattlehead is seen. Vic appears on the cover of The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!, dressed in medieval-style clothes as opposed to a business suit.

Vic has made small appearances in the music videos for "Anarchy in the U.K.", "Wake Up Dead", "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due", "Hangar 18", "Moto Psycho" (at around 3:03), “Night Stalkers”, and "Poisonous Shadows (Live)" (at the end, playing the keyboards).

Vic Rattlehead is a ‘Guise’ for commanders in the online video game “World of Warships”. Megadeth and World of Warships Legends did a collaboration in 2023 featuring Dave and Vic.

Megadeth appeared as "Vic and the Rattleheads" for the first time in 1992, at Cabaret Metro, in Chicago, IL, then in 1993, at Rock City club, in Nottingham, England, another time in 1997, at Electric Ballroom, Tempe, AZ, and again in 2016, at St. Vitus bar, in Brooklyn, NY.

## Redesign contest

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On January 29, 2006, an official contest was announced on DeviantArt to redesign the Megadeth icon.[3] The contest stated:

> After two decades of rocking, the heavy metal band Megadeth’s mascot Vic Rattlehead needs a facelift and the band has commissioned DeviantArt to redesign him!! Not only do you get the chance to redesign a mascot whose image has appeared on several Megadeth albums as well as a myriad of band merchandise, you can also win the biggest prizes we've ever offered for a DeviantArt contest!

The prizes were three different ESP electric guitars. The contest ended on February 14, 2006, and was judged by Mustaine, with the results posted on DeviantArt on March 15, 2006.

## United Abominations

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The cover art for Megadeth's eleventh album, United Abominations, revealed a redesigned Vic, using artwork from John Lorenzi, one of the DeviantArt contest entries, albeit not a winning entry. Vic appeared as an elderly man rather than a skeletal figure. He was, however, depicted with traits of the Four Horsemen mentioned in the album and shown inside the CD case—he is accompanied by an angel wearing white with blood-stained wings (aka the "Angel of Deth", and an allusion to the Pestilence Horseman), has long black hair and a black cloak resembling the black horse of Famine, is wielding various firearms like the sword used by the War Horseman, and has pale, veinous-looking skin like that of Death, and is, of course, shown dealing death on a large scale. A reflection of the classic Vic can also be found on the far-right building on the front cover.[4][5]

## Artists

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The artists for the various incarnations of Vic include:

* Dave Mustaine (original band logos)
* Edward J. Repka (Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? and Rust in Peace)
* David Jude (So Far, So Good... So What!)
* Hugh Syme (Countdown to Extinction, Youthanasia, and The World Needs a Hero)
* Michael Mueller (Megadeth edition of VH1's Behind the Music, Blackmail The Universe concert tour shirts, and the 2002 remastered edition of Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!)
* Mike Learn (The System Has Failed)
* John Lorenzi (United Abominations, Warchest, Endgame and Thirteen)
* Brent Elliott White (Dystopia)

## See also

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* Eddie (Iron Maiden)
* Snaggletooth

## References

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1. ^ "Megadeth: The Return Of Vic Rattlehead". Blabbermouth.net. August 19, 2010. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
2. ^ Mustaine, Dave (2011). Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir. New York, New York, USA: HarperCollins. pp. 135, 136. ISBN 978-0-06-171437-5.
3. ^ "Megadeth Want To Redesign Mascot". Ultimate-Guitar.com. January 18, 2006. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
4. ^ "Ex-Dementra Frontman Reveals Megadeth's Vic Rattlehead Contest Submission". Blabbermouth.net. March 5, 2006. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
5. ^ "Megadeth: 'United Abominations' Artwork Unveiled". Blabbermouth.net. August 2, 2006. Retrieved April 4, 2014.

## External links

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* Official website
* Mascot redesign contest

* v
* t
* e

Megadeth

* Dave Mustaine
* Dirk Verbeuren
* James LoMenzo
* Teemu Mäntysaari

* David Ellefson
* Gar Samuelson
* Chris Poland
* Chuck Behler
* Jeff Young
* Nick Menza
* Marty Friedman
* Jimmy DeGrasso
* Al Pitrelli
* Vinnie Colaiuta
* Jimmie Lee Sloas
* Glen Drover
* Shawn Drover
* Chris Broderick
* Kiko Loureiro
* Chris Adler

Studio albums|

* Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!
* Peace Sells... but Who's Buying?
* So Far, So Good... So What!
* Rust in Peace
* Countdown to Extinction
* Youthanasia
* Cryptic Writings
* Risk
* The World Needs a Hero
* The System Has Failed
* United Abominations
* Endgame
* Thirteen
* Super Collider
* Dystopia
* The Sick, the Dying... and the Dead!

Live albums|

* Rude Awakening
* That One Night: Live in Buenos Aires
* Rust in Peace: Live
* The Big Four: Live from Sofia, Bulgaria
* Countdown to Extinction: Live
* Unplugged in Boston

Compilation albums|

* Capitol Punishment: The Megadeth Years
* Still, Alive... and Well?
* Greatest Hits: Back to the Start
* Warchest
* Anthology: Set the World Afire
* Icon
* Warheads on Foreheads

Extended plays|

* Live at the Cow Palace
* Hidden Treasures
* Cryptic Sounds: No Voices in Your Head
* Live Trax and Live Trax II

Singles|

* "Wake Up Dead"
* "Peace Sells"
* "Anarchy in the U.K."
* "Mary Jane"
* "In My Darkest Hour"
* "No More Mr. Nice Guy"
* "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due"
* "Hangar 18"
* "Symphony of Destruction"
* "Sweating Bullets"
* "Skin o' My Teeth"
* "Angry Again"
* "99 Ways to Die"
* "Train of Consequences"
* "A Tout le Monde"
* "Trust"
* "Use the Man"
* "Crush 'Em"
* "Breadline"
* "Kill the King
* "Moto Psycho"
* "Dread and the Fugitive Mind"
* "Blackmail the Universe"
* "Of Mice and Men"
* "Gears of War"
* "Never Walk Alone... A Call to Arms"
* "À Tout le Monde (Set Me Free)"
* "Head Crusher"
* "The Right to Go Insane"
* "Sudden Death"
* "Public Enemy No. 1"
* "Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)"
* "The Threat Is Real"
* "Fatal Illusion"
* "Dystopia"
* "Post American World"
* "We'll Be Back"
* "Night Stalkers"
* "Soldier On!"
* "Killing Time"

Other songs|

* "Killing Is My Business... and Business Is Good!"
* "These Boots"
* "Mechanix
* "The Conjuring"
* "Good Mourning/Black Friday"
* "I Ain't Superstitious"
* "My Last Words"
* "Set the World Afire"
* "Tornado of Souls"
* "Dialectic Chaos"
* "This Day We Fight!"
* "Lying in State"

Video albums|

* Rude Awakening
* Arsenal of Megadeth
* That One Night: Live in Buenos Aires
* Rust in Peace: Live
* The Big Four: Live from Sofia, Bulgaria
* Countdown to Extinction: Live

Tours|

* So Far, So Good... So What! Tour
* Clash of the Titans
* Gigantour
* American Carnage Tour
* European Carnage Tour
* Mayhem Festival 2011

Related articles|

* Discography
* Members
* Songs
* Awards
* MD.45 (The Craving)
* Humanary Stew: A Tribute to Alice Cooper
* Ellefson v. Megadeth, Inc.
* Vic Rattlehead
* Metallica
* F5
* EMP Label Group
* Murder in the Front Row
* Lee Rauch
* Kerry King
* Mike Albert
* James MacDonough

* Category

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