The Surprisingly Tasty Ways Dave Mustaine Kept His Vocals Fresh in the Studio
· Vice
Dave Mustaine has spent years caring for his vocal cords on each Megadeth record, and his methods might surprise you. In fact, the frontman has had two tasty ways of keeping his voice fresh: one that he swears by, and one that he picked up from a beloved gospel singer.
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In a throwback interview clip posted on Megadeth’s YouTube page, Mustaine revealed how he nurtured his voice while recording. “There’s this stuff called Umeboshi plums, which are real salty,” he shared. “You eat them, and the enzymes and the salt in there help your vocal cords.”
He went on to say that he “made a couple of records” using “those Umeboshi plums,” but when the band went down to Nashville to record, he “forgot the stuff.”
“In Nashville, you can get four or 500 different flavors of chewing tobacco, but you can’t get Umeboshi plum paste,” he quipped. But all was not lost, because Mustaine got a tip from someone he was working with.
If Amy Grant and Dave Mustaine are to be believed, potato chips can make you a better singer
“The producer tells me, ‘Why don’t you do what Amy Grant does?’ and I thought, ‘Oh God, I don’t want to be associated with her,’ you know, ‘What could I possibly do or want to do that she does?'” The thrash metal vocalist then joked that he was dropping an “endorsement” because the trick was, “She eats Lays potato chips.”
“I was apprehensive,” Mustaine jokingly confessed, “because I know when I was a stoner, and I would eat those things, I’d eat like four or five bags of them.” Still, this little trick seemed to work. “I ate one, and it worked. It was the same thing: the oil and the salt and the potato chips help your voice.” He then added, “That’s a trade secret for anybody listening to this.”
(opens in a new window) MegadethMegadeth 2026 Tour (opens in a new window)
Available at StubHub Buy Now (opens in a new window)Fast forward a couple of decades, Megadeth just released their final album, and are currently on a break from their massive 2026 World Tour. The band will kick off a trek across North America in August. You can find a full list of dates below and click the link above to get tickets.
Megadeth 2026 North American tour dates:
- 8/29 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena
- 8/30 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena
- 9/11 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live
- 9/12 Charlotte, NC PNC Music Pavilion
- 9/15 Hershey, PA Hersheypark Stadium
- 9/19 Shakopee, MN Mystic Lake Amphitheater
- 9/22 Tinley Park, IL Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
- 9/25 Los Angeles, CA BMO Stadium
- 9/26 Los Angeles, CA BMO Stadium
- 9/29 San Antonio, TX Alamodome
- 9/3 Montréal, QC Parc Jean-Drapeau
- 9/5 Harrison, NJ Sports Illustrated Stadium
- 9/6 Harrison, NJ Sports Illustrated Stadium
- 9/9 Boston, MA TD Garden
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