Take No Prisoners

The story behind

When you face Take No Prisoners, the first thing that strikes you is the raw energy and complexity the band achieves in just 3:29. It's not a song that gives you a break; it's full of tempo changes and guitar passages that demand precision. Marty Friedman, one of the guitarists, commented that those cuts and developments in the middle of the song were "a bitch to play in time," especially because at that time tools like ProTools didn't exist to correct or quantize. You had to nail it in the moment. Dave Mustaine himself, when writing it, felt he was creating something "obnoxious," driven by the good vibe he had with Nick Menza and Marty Friedman at the time, and wanting to overcome internal tensions. In fact, he himself mentions that one of his favorite phrases, which he often shares with new bands, is "Take no shit from anyone ever!", a kind of motto that summarizes the song's attitude.